Softball Hitting Tips - Helping Players Adjust in the Box

Guest post by Ken Krause, Life in the Fastpitch Lane blog
Fastpitch softball hitting is challenging under any circumstances. But sometimes factors combine to make it even more difficult than usual.

A pitcher with better than average speed or movement on her breaking balls is one example. An umpire with an extra-wide, low or high strike zone is another. Even the field conditions or weather can play a part. It is at that time that smart coaches will often suggest that their hitters make an adjustment in the batters.

Sometimes that works. But often it turns into a battle of wills between the coach and the hitters. Because even though the coach is right that moving up in the box will allow the hitters to hit the drop ball before it breaks, or the riseball before it gets too high, the hitters still don’t want to do it.

It’s not that they’re being obstinate, at least on purpose. It’s that hitters often don’t feel comfortable moving to an area in the batter’s box they’re not used to.

Now, before you start getting aggravated with them, think about it for a minute. What’s one of the things we stress to hitters? The importance of having a routine – a series of actions the hitter does every time before signaling to the umpire that she’s ready to go.

Often getting into the batter’s box in the same place is a part of that routine. So when you tell the hitter to move up, back, in, out or live La Vida Loca, you’re taking her out of her routine. When that happens, expect a collapse at the plate, and a dirty look meant to convey the message “I told you so!”

So how do you help hitters make those adjustments without causing a mental collapse? One way is to not let the Big Game be the first time they stand somewhere other than their comfort zone.

During batting practice, have your hitter move to different locations in the batter’s box and practice from there. Just be sure to give them an incentive, such as throwing pitches off the plate when you have them move into it. The more they work from different locations, the more comfortable they’ll be hitting from them.

Another important factor is getting their buy-in by explaining to them (again, in practice) why you want them to learn to hit from different spots in the batter’s box.

One thing I will often do is take a throw-down plate and place it over the permanent plate at the field. I will show the hitter how, by moving in, for example, she is turning that pitch she hates on the outside corner into one that’s “down the middle” relative to where she’ll be swinging the bat. (For more on this particular concept, check out this previous post.)

You can also convince your hitters of the value of moving in the box by having one of your pitchers demonstrate what she’s trying to do. Show how the late break on a drop makes the ball run away like it has bat repellant on it. Or how a curveball is designed to get her chasing a pitch she can’t hit. The more your hitters see why you’re asking them to adjust, the more likely they are to give it a try.

Of course, if you tell hitters to move in to the plate you’re likely to get the “but then what if she pitches me inside?” question. The answer you’d like to give is “deal with it.” But that might not be very helpful.

Instead, look at the facts. Maybe this hitter is great with inside pitches. In that case tell her the pitcher will be playing right into her hands. Or perhaps this pitcher looks afraid to throw inside. You can tell the hitter it’s unlikely she’ll see much of that, and if she does lay off it and wait for another outside pitch.

Moving front to back works even better. If the hitter is moving up to catch a ball before it breaks, tell her the pitch will likely be more down the middle at that point, and thus a great pitch to hit. If you’re moving her back, tell her she’ll have more time to see the ball – and so will the umpire.

Sometimes a pitch that would’ve been called a strike when she was in her normal position will be called a ball if she’s in the back of the box. It shouldn’t be, because the strike zone is supposed to occur over the plate, not where the hitter is standing. But many umpires still have trouble calling a strike when a ball is at the hitter’s eyes or bounces in front of her feet. The hitter may walk, or the pitcher may quit throwing the nasty breaking stuff. Either way, it’s better for the hitter.

Again, the important part is to expose your hitters to various locations in the batter’s box before you get to a game rather than having them do something they’ve never tried when the heat is on. It’s more likely to end in a positive outcome for everyone involved – except the other team, of course!

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!