How to Improve your Softball Skills

College softball's best hitters have:

  • Good technique
  • Fast reflexes 
  • Exceptional timing, and
  • An abundance of confidence

 The objective of the first halve of this tutorial is to help softball players visualize and understand proper hitting techniques.  With practice, these techniques will enable ballplayers to gain confidence and become better hitters.     

 Many professional hitting instructors have posted instructional videos on the web.   The best videos use slow motion and still frames to make it easier for viewers to see how the bat, and body parts, move during the swing. This tutorial takes a different approach.  It relies on written narratives and "stop action" photos.  Each photo includes comments or questions that will help ballplayers visualize proper softball techniques and better understand the written  narratives.  

This tutorial is designed so that softball players can progress at their own pace.  Viewers can go back and review earlier materials as many times as necessary. 

 Links are provided to several very good softball instructional videos.  The videos produced by Mike Candrea are exceptional.  Mike coached the USA Olympic Softball Team, and prior to that, coached women's softball at the University of Arizona.  Mike's videos feature some of the best female softball players in the United States.  Aspiring softball players will enjoy watching and listening to these elite athletes. 

Professional hitting instructors don't agree on the best batting technique for hitting a softball.    There are two primary philosophies.  The first believes in the   "quick, compact swing".  The second favors a longer, more powerful swing that takes a little longer to execute.  The  longer swing generates more home runs and extra base hits.

 This tutorial teaches the quick, compact swing.    The compact swing stresses the importance of hitters being quick from "launch position" to the "point of contact".   A compact swing gives batters a split second longer to identify where and when the ball will enter the strike zone.  This "extra time" results in fewer swings at bad pitches, and more hard hit line drives and ground balls.   Hitters with a "quick, compact swing" will usually enjoy higher batting averages and on-base percentages than ballplayers  who focus on hitting home runs.

This tutorial has 13 pages.  Each page focuses on a specific batting, fielding or throwing technique.  There are two identical rows at the top of each page.   Each row contains 13 "subject" tabs.  Readers can quickly navigate from one softball subject to another by simply clicking on the appropriate tab.  

The techniques explained in this tutorial will help young ladies improve their softball skills.  When proper batting, throwing and fielding mechanics are understood and practiced, skill levels will improve.   

Have Fun & Good Luck!!

How to Hit a Softball with Mike Candrea - YouTube

 

Note to Parents, Coaches and Ball Players:  If you find this tutorial helpful, please consider sending a $25 donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  This wonderful hospital provides free medical care to children with severe disabilities.  St. Jude medical professionals help young people overcome their medical challenges, and enable them to live richer, more fulfilling lives.  https://www.stjude.org

 

Please send any comments or suggestions to:

Ron Brewer

2458 Stone Mill Way

Fairfield Twp, Ohio 45011

513-714-4647

 

 

 

Go Blue!!!