Softball Hitting Tips - What to Look At In the Batter's Box
Have you ever wondered what exactly you should look at while in the batter's box?
"Duhhhhhh……At the ball!" would reply most players looking at you like you're stupid or something.
Then, you reply, how do you look at the ball?
That's when they look stupid because they got no answer - that's the revenge of the coach! 
Here what would be the ideal answer…
1) What you look at while steppin' in the box doesn't matter. Some players like to look down while they are focusing. Others enjoy making eye contact at the pitcher to establish dominance.
Whatever works for the hitter is fine.
2) That's really when the pitcher is getting ready to deliver that what you look at is important. You need to have what we call a "soft focus" at that point.
A soft focus is when you are looking at the pitcher without zoning in or focusing specifically at something. You just watching the overall body of the pitcher.
Just like you want to keep your muscles loose, you want to keep your "eye muscles" loose as well and not make them work too hard too early.
3) As the pitcher initiates his/her motion forward, you need
to go from soft focus to hard focus on the release point.
Picture a camera zoom… zooming in from a wide angle to a narrowing point (release point). That's exactly what you want your eyes doing.
When the pitcher releases the ball, you should be on "hard focus" mode being totally focus on the ball to pick up wrist action at delivery (for pitch identification), the spin direction and identify where the ball is going as quickly
as possible.
Now, when the ball is traveling towards you, you need to lookat the whole ball. A mistake many ball players do is to look at one point on the ball.
The ball is the target. You need to look at the overall target to hit the middle. The bigger the target the more likely yougonna get it.
Summary… 1) relaxed eyes 2) soft focus during motion 3) hard focus at delivery 4) watch whole ball; not specific point on the ball.
Now you can pictures the players listening to that answer with their jaw open in shock…
If ever you want to help your players, yourself or your kids crush the ball and hit rockets, you need to get the "28-Day Express Bat Speedand Hitting Power Enhancement Program" available at:
http://www.softballperformance.com/products/get-hitting-power.html
The programs requires very little equipment, only takes about30 minutes per days, is dead simple to use and works. Addseveral MPH to your bat speed in less than 1 month.
http://www.softballperformance.com/products/get-hitting-power.html
Don't hit the ball hard, crush it!
Who loves ya? 
Marc
"Your Softball Peak Performance Coach"
P.S. Did you know that gaining only 2-3 mph per to your swing can easily translate into 10-15 feet more for each hit.
http://www.softballperformance.com/products/get-hitting-power.html
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Comments on Softball Hitting Tips - What to Look At In the Batter's Box »
So, did you do this when you played fastpitch at the top level?
To answer your question, I played baseball but didn't play fastpitch. After my baseball career, I switched to coaching fastpitch.
Most of what I learned I did through years of studying sports sciences in addition to doing an undergraduate degree in kinesiology and a Master's in Coaching Sciences.
Basically, your eye is like a muscle, if you narrow focus too long or too early it gets tired. Same as flexing your muscle too long.. it gets tired.
Marc