joining a softball team/league

[dlk9s]

One key when batting is to wait back on the pitches. People tend to overswing/swing too early because the ball comes in so slowly. What I do is decide when I want to swing and then wait a click.

BTW, 5'10", 190 lbs. is not average size. That's a bit husky. Then again, that's PERFECT for softball.

[dlk9s]

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3. track the ball the whole way


This stuff sound about right?

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Actually, that's a fantastic piece of advice. It may sound cliched - the old, "keep your eye on the ball" thing - but it's really important. Like I said in my previous post, it's so easy to swing too early in softball. But the slowness of the pitch makes it really easy to track. You'll be surprised to see how much better you hit when you literally watch the ball all the way to the bat.

[8Tdiamonds]

If this is the first time you've heard this stuff

I went to eHow and got some tips on how to hit a softball;
1. right elbow up, not down
2. lean slightly towards the plate
3. track the ball the whole way
4. extend your arms
5. rotate your hips, not your head

You should seriously consider staying home

[Patton4]

If it's Co-ed, you probably won't be able to hit homeruns because most co-ed leagues I've played in use a modified softball when the men are batting. It's sort of a mush ball, and if you don't hit it dead solid, you can get some wacky spin on it and it won't go anywhere. If the league uses the mushball, just try to keep the ball low and in the gaps.

[UncleRemus]

If you're looking to go yard a lot, work on dropping fingers off of the bat, and go to the batting cages a lot. It will definitely take some getting used to, so it's likely best to drop them gradually until you have great control. By dropping fingers, you'll increase your leverage and your bat speed.

Here's a couple grip shots to show you what I mean:


There's my bottom hand with the pinky and ring fingers under the knob...


There's the full grip. The bottom fingers on my top hand come out a bit further, but I was leaning awkwardly to get the shot. I realize it looks pretty odd, but it works VERY well. I'm the same height and weight as you, and can knock it out as well as anyone with that grip.

Don't grip too hard, and don't try to hard to crush the ball. Just make solid contact and she'll go.

And as others said, get a nice bat, and don't let anyone else use it. Some people may think you're a bit of a dick, but with what they cost, and how easily they dent, it won't last you long at all if everyones hitting with it.

Good luck!

[dcasper70]

All good advice so far.

I'll add that it should take a good 4-6 games for your swing to really find a groove, depending on batting cage dedication. Don't sweat it and just shoot for liners up the middle for games 1-3. Start working towards your power alley in games 4-6, and go yard when you feel it all coming together.

[olliejen]

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If this is the first time you've heard this stuff
You should seriously consider staying home

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F' that, i'm playing! but, obviously i'm going to have to commit some time @ the local batting cage to absorb & try some of the hints in the thread.

[Russ M.]

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Given the above, I highly recommend learning how to hit the ball solidly to RF. You will be rewarded with lots of cheap triples and inside-the-park homers.

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Find the woman playing the OF. She will not be good in the bottom co-ed leagues. If she's playing RF (not RCF) you can hit it to her and coast to second or turn on the jets and get a triple. God forbid she can't field the ball or throw further than 10 feet, you can get a HR. If she's playing RCF, then you have a HUGE hole because most teams will also play a female at 2B, meaning there's a straight line of females who HAVE to be on the field and are typically not good. Even if you hit a sharp liner on the ground, unless the woman at 2B is better than average (or gets lucky), you'll have a double, as she'll whiff on the defensive side and the ball is going to go right to the RCF female (at this point, one of the guys will probably cut it off but he's got a long way to run).

You should really only aim for homers if you can consistently hit it out of the park, otherwise you're just going to hit a lot of flyouts to LF (and even worse, when you swing hard and don't hit it right, lots of popups on the infield) and your teammates will hate you.

[diddle]

hit it at the girls.