Batting Tips For Baseball
There are several crucial batting tips for baseball that every player should know. One is stances in the batter’s box. This tip is so important because in order to be a successful hitter, you have to feel comfortable at bat. With the right stance, you are more likely to hit balls and make runs.
Before learning specific stances, you must know the basic fundamentals. Bend slightly at the knees, turn your head to face the pitcher and hold the bat in a vertical position angled over your back shoulder. Every stance follows these fundamentals.
The stance I prefer is the middle-of-the-box stance. In this balanced stance, your feet are shoulder width apart and completely even. Line your feet with the pitcher’s mound and stand in the middle of the box with an even distance between the plate and the outside of the box.
The middle-of-the-box stance gives you the most balance possible. It also allows better opportunity to catch up to fastballs, wait on curveballs and lay down a bunt. A lot of ball players succeed with this type of stance, but others struggle with it. If you aren’t comfortable in this stance, try one of these other options.
The open stance protects you from inside pitches. It is only slightly different than the middle-of-the-box stance. Your back foot remains in the same place as you would with the first stance, but your front foot points more towards the area between the pitcher’s mound and second base.
The closed stance protects you from pitches on the outside part of the plate. Some hitters have a hard time reaching those pitches, so their solution might be to close their stance a bit. The back foot remains the same as a middle-of-the-box stance except that the front foot is now pointing more in the direction of third base.
Your swing should remain the same no matter the stance. You should have a smooth, unchanging, fluid swing with all of your other hitting mechanics in place too. It is important to feel calm and relaxed at the plate if you want to have hitting success. If you feel tense and your muscles are tight then your swing will be too jerky.
If there is a situation that causes you to be tense, do what you can to fix it. For example, sometimes the pitcher wants to make pitches as soon as you get to the plate. You step foot into the batter’s box and the pitcher is already in his wind-up. If that makes you too tense, communicate properly with the umpire and your coaches. Let the ump know that you would like time to set up in the box. You need enough time to settle in and feel comfortable.
