Hitting has been called the most difficult skill in all sports to perform consistently well.  Although good hitters come in all shapes and sizes, they all share several things in common.

First, good hitters believe that they can hit.  Confidence is the key psychological factor in hitting.
Second, good hitters have the ability to see the ball early, big, and for as long as possible.  Seeing the ball well allows for easier adjustments to speed, location, and trajectory of a pitch. Third, good hitters generally have a smooth, quick swing that allows the barrel of the bat to be driven consistently across the plane of the pitched ball.  A smooth, quick stroke will generate explosive contact with the ball.  Seeing the ball well and hitting the ball hard and often will increase confidence and allow a player to work harder at developing the skills of seeing the ball well and of taking a smooth, quick swing at the pitch.

Players that have a smooth, quick swing also share another trait , strength, most importantly in the forearms and hands.  Strength can be developed through several means, the most common of which is resistance training, or weight lifting.  Gradually increasing the amount of resistance in an exercise can increase muscle mass and will increase strength.  Although it is advisable to build overall body strength, there are times when muscle mass can get in the way of quickness.  Therefore, it is important that resistance training be sport specific.  For softball or baseball, less weight and more repetitions are advisable in resistance training.

Another method of building strength is plyometrics, or explosiveness training.  The most common use of plyometrics is for sprinting or jumping, but exercises can be adapted for practically any sport.  Resistance and added weight are also used in plyometric exercises.  Various bat speed drills using a heavy bat, donut, or weighted sleeve are a form of plyometrics.  Any drills using heavy bat must be done at, or close to, game speed for maximum effect.  Using a heavy bat to warm up muscles and for stretching is good but does not necessarily increase bat speed.  The feeling of the bat being lighter after swinging a heavy bat, then swinging a game bat is only an illusion.  It is probable that constant repetition with a heavy bat at much less than game speed will improve strength, but it is also possible that such practice will actually decrease bat speed.

A much less used, but effective method of building bat speed is through the process of under loading.  Under loading was first used by the Russians and East Germans for track and field.  Running down inclines, being pulled behind machines, and using bungee cords are familiar methods that were used to accelerate muscle firing.  The goal of under loading is to make fast twitch muscles work at peak speed.  Using laser technology to measure bat speed, Dr. Coop DeRenne from the University of Hawaii has proven that a program of drills using a lighter bat then swinging a lighter bat in batting practice does significantly increase bat speed.  At the University of Arizona, under loading is used for both softball and baseball by performing drills using a bat that is lighter than the bat the hitter uses in a game.

The drills were developed because of a need for certain hitters to shorten their swing and/or quicken the route the barrel of the bat takes to the ball on the inside pitch.  We started using a whiffle bat against a whiffle ball machine at close range.  It worked well, but the biggest problem was that the whiffle bat was so light, it was unrealistic.  The next step was to use a device made from a one inch wood dowel, some pipe insulation and bicycle grips.  It worked very well for the drill against the whiffle ball machine and underhand toss drills.  Bat speed increased as did the ability to shorten the route to the ball.  But again the bat was not realistic because it was too light and not balanced well. 

In Part 2 of this article, we will share with you a series of drills used in the under loading progression to increase your bat speed and allow you to hit the ball hard and often!

Leave me your feedback after you read this month's questions I answered. I hope to do another audio podcast next month!

Until next month,

Coach Candrea