Slowpitch Softball Hitting Tips

Slow pitch softball is version of softball where pitching is done by tossing the ball high in the air, underhand, and the batter hits it into a waiting field of eight to nine players. While there is a catcher, they are only meant to field balls hit very short or to tag people out at the plate, not calling pitches or throwing out base runners. There are certain techniques for hitting these slow pitches, as they have little-to-no velocity on them and come down at an odd angle.

  1. Lead with Hands

    • As a slow pitch softball is coming down and you are trying to time it correctly to hit a line drive rather then a pop-up, it is important to lead with your hands when you swing the bat. Wherever your hands go, the bat also goes and this will in turn drive the ball in the direction you want it to go. In other words, keep the bat head back when you swing and pretend like you are hitting the ball first with your hands gripping the end of the bat. What will happen, in turn, is you will extend your arms and the bat head will snap around with much more power and drive the ball much farther, depending on the angle you hit the ball at. This may take a bit of timing and practice to get used to.

    Hit Down on the Ball

    • As slow pitch softballs will be floated to you, it is very easy to hit up on them and pop them up or down them too much and drive them weakly into the ground. This is mostly because the ball is being hit in the wrong place during your swing. By timing the ball properly and swinging level, you will hit down on the ball slightly, which drives it, hitting it with power and at an angle that will hopefully yield at least a hit. Concentrating on hitting down on the ball will help to ensure you keep your swing level when hitting.

    Rotate Hips

    • Only so much power comes from a hitter's arms and shoulders. So much more of it comes from the legs and hips, which turn the body much more quickly and with more power. It's important to concentrate on turning your body when you swing the bat and pushing off with your back foot, so that you can hit the ball with as much power as possible. This should be done in one fluid motion and does not mean you have to swing harder. Proper rotation of the hips, a level swing and fully extended arms with a moderate amount of power is enough to hit a slow-pitched softball very far.