Hitting a home run is a rite of passage for every softball player. It takes a lot of skill. You must have strength, timing, hand-eye coordination, and overall athleticism to accomplish this feat.
The 8 reasons I Found that preventing anyone from Hitting a Homerun in softball are:
- You aren’t using your full power
- You don’t have the right stance
- You aren’t maximizing your swing
- You aren’t making good contact
- You don’t have control of your bat
- You aren’t getting the right pitches
- You are putting too much pressure on yourself
- You don’t have the strength
In order to hit a home run in softball, you also need a fast pitch in your strike zone. This means you need to learn which pitches to swing for.
This article explains why you aren’t hitting home runs and how to hit a home run in softball.
Reasons you aren’t hitting home runs
1) You aren’t using your full power
It takes a lot of strength and athleticism to hit a home run. You must use all your strength and momentum as you make contact with the ball. It is best to put your body weight on your back foot and transfer the momentum to the front.
You can also use your hips to generate more power. You don’t want to use just your arm strength to hit the ball. With a quick turn of the body, you can use your full force to power hit the ball. Bat speed affects how far the ball travels, so try increasing your bat speed.
Get into the mindset of hitting “through” the ball. This will help you hit with more power and follow through with your swing.
2) You don’t have the right stance
Your stance is important for making power hits. You should feel strong and confident when you step into the batter’s box. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and keep your back in line with your feet, so you are not leaning backwards or forwards.
3) You aren’t maximizing your swing
The torque of your swing is crucial when trying to hit a home run. To get the most out of your swing:
- Your body should rotate around a stationary axis, meaning your body doesn’t move forward with the swing.
- Your back elbow should remain at your side in an “L” position.
- Keep the bend in your lead elbow constant from the start of the swing until you make contact.
- Your bottom hand should apply backwards force while the top hand applies forwards force.
- Your hands should rotate rather than extend.
- Your arms should not extend until after you make contact.
4) You aren’t making good contact
Making good contact with the ball is crucial in hitting home runs. If you hit the bottom part of the ball, you will hit a pop up or fly ball. If you hit the top of the ball, you will hit a ground ball.
You want to aim for the center of the ball. Try to make square contact with the ball and swing with a slight uppercut. Your bat should hit the ball on its sweet spot, which is the thick part of the barrel. Your swing should be one continuous motion that increases in speed.
Keep your eye on the ball the entire time. Hitting a home run requires focus, so you must follow the pitch the entire time.
5) You don’t have control of your bat
The right bat can make all the difference when it comes to hitting home runs. If you find that you can’t hit the ball with accuracy, try out different bats. You can also try changing your grip on the bat to see if you have better control.
To practice a controlled swing, head to the batting cages or practice with a friend. Start with slow pitches and change up your swing until you find you have full control and can hit with accuracy. Then try faster pitches. Good contact is just as important as strength in hitting home runs.
6) You aren’t getting the right pitches
The faster the pitch, the further the ball will go. If you play slow pitch softball and you find that you aren’t hitting home runs, it may be because the pitches are too slow.
Also, not every pitch in your strike zone is the right one for a home run. Practicing at the batting cages can help you figure out which pitches are best for you to hit home runs.
7) You are putting too much pressure on yourself
When you feel pressured to perform, it is harder to reach your full potential. If you feel nervous in the batter’s box, it will be near impossible to hit a home run. Try to approach the batter’s box feeling relaxed but strong.
Also, if you try for home runs each time, you are more likely to hit weak pop ups or fly balls. If you constantly try for home runs and never get one, you will most likely start to feel frustrated, which will make it even harder to hit a homer.
8) You don’t have the strength
Unfortunately, you can’t hit a home run if you do not have the strength. If you have practiced for hours, perfected your stance and swing, and are still only hitting line drives, it may be that you are simply not strong enough.
Don’t fret! It is still possible to hit a home run. Strengthening your body by weight training can help you achieve your goal of hitting a home run. You want to focus on building muscle in your arms, shoulders, chest, abs, glutes, calf muscles, and hamstrings.
Hitting a home run is a huge accomplishment. It takes a lot of skill, practice, and experience. You must have not only the strength to power hit the ball, but also control and accuracy. Some batting drills can help you hone your skills and increase your confidence.
If you feel you don’t have control of your bat or you can’t make good contact with the ball, head to the batting cages to practice. Start with slower pitches, and when you feel like you have control, try faster pitches.
If you have control and accuracy but you don’t have the power to hit a homerun, start strengthening your body. It is challenging to hit home runs because of the power it takes. To increase your power, try building muscle in your arms, shoulders, chest, glutes, abs, calf muscles, and hamstrings.
Check out www.batspeed.com for more information on swing mechanics to hit home runs.
