A proper bat grip can make batting speeds quicker. Additionally, you’ll get more whip from the motion and your body won’t tense up, resulting in reduced physical stress. With that in mind, what is the proper way to hold a baseball bat?
Holding a baseball bat properly requires an understanding of the different parts of the form. The positioning of the bat’s handle, bottom hand’s fingers, top hand, and your palm play vital roles in delivering a proper swing.
Continue reading to know a step-by-step guide on holding a baseball bat properly. You’ll also know other relevant information, such as how to swing a baseball bat properly and if choking up on a bat helps your swing.
Table of Contents
What is the Proper Way to Hold a Bat?
A proper grip on a baseball bat will help promote many benefits, particularly if you’re a hitter. These advantages include reducing tension and increasing your bat swinging speed. Additionally, accuracy enhances as you’ll have better hand-eye coordination as opposed to tensing up when you swing.
Here are the factors to understand to hold a baseball bat effectively.
1. The Handle
Understanding the baseball bat’s handle is the first step to a proper grip and swing. First, take your non-dominant hand and place it under your dominant hand. In other words, if you’re a left-handed individual, place your left hand underneath your right hand when holding a baseball bat.
Next, put the baseball bat at an angle over your shoulder. Take note that your non-dominant hand should be in front of the opposite food. For example, if you’re a left-handed person, your left hand should be in front of your right foot. Therefore, if you’re a right-handed individual, your right hand will be in front of your left foot.
This stance will allow you to grip the handle at a slight angle. Additionally, the position of the baseball bat helps you get extra whip when you flick the bat with your wrists.
2. The Bottom Hand
After assuming the proper batting stance, ensure that the index finger of your bottom hand is wrapping around the bat. Your bat is the wrong size for you if you have difficulty achieving this feat. However, this finger should still be separate from the three fingers of the bottom hand. Plus, your knuckles should be pointing towards the bat’s barrel.
3. The Palm
Your fingers shouldn’t rest on your palm. Additionally, your palm should be facing away from you while you’re holding the baseball bat. Aim to keep a firm grip while making sure that the bat doesn’t rest on your palm. Otherwise, you’ll most likely tense up when you swing, reducing accuracy and power.
4. The Top Hand
Next, your top hand should be holding the bat the same way as your bottom hand. In other words, your top hand should be gripping the baseball bat with your fingers and not your palm. Also, the first and second knuckles on your top hand should be in line with the knuckles of the hand below it.
Other Tips to Improve Your Bat Grip
Aside from assuming the proper form, you can also improve the way you’re holding a baseball bat by gripping it lightly before you swing. You need to find that sweet spot for your grip as every person has a different preference. But you need to make sure that you hold the bat tight enough that it doesn’t fly from your hand when you swing.
Your grip should tighten at the moment of impact. Use this time to tense up, but only slightly. That way, you can reserve your energy for when you need to run for the bases.
Also, don’t forget about the bat’s launch angle. Holding the bat perpendicular to the ground will make your swing loop. A similar scenario is possible when you hold the bat straight up or down. On the other hand, holding the bat parallel to the ground will give you a direct path to the ball but you’ll lose power.
Therefore, you need to find the bat holding angle. It shouldn’t point straight up or down and it shouldn’t be parallel to the ground. It can take many practice sessions before you can find the angle that benefits you. You’ll know when you achieved this feat because swinging won’t make you exert more energy than intended.
How do You Swing a Baseball Bat?
Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to help you swing a baseball bat properly:
- Position the feet. The feet should be shoulder-width apart. You can separate the feet farther, but you risk losing balance.
- Bend the knees. This move allows you to focus on your core so you don’t slip when you swing.
- Put your weight on the back foot. Doing so will help you maintain a steady stance. It’ll also aid you in generating more power with your swing.
- Grip the baseball bat properly. Follow the instructions mentioned above for this step.
- Take a small step forward. Do this move when the ball is starting to move toward you.
- Twist the hips. Rotating the hips help generate momentum and power in your swing.
- Always maintain eyes on the ball. Don’t stare at the pitcher or anywhere else. Otherwise, you’ll become distracted from what’s important at that moment, which is trying to hit the ball.
- Follow through. Don’t stop the swing upon hitting the ball. Stopping abruptly can put you at a high risk of acquiring shoulder injuries.
Does Choking Up on a Bat Help?
‘Choking up on a bat’ is baseball slang that means the batter should slide their hands higher while holding the bat. In turn, you’ll leave a gap between your hands while you’re gripping the bat. This move helps reduce the bat’s rotational area, thereby increasing the swinging speed. However, it takes practice to get master this type of grip because it puts you at risk of holding the bat loosely.
Final Words
Holding a baseball bat requires the proper positioning of the hands. Gripping strength is also a vital factor. Without a proper grip, baseball players will risk flinging the bat after swinging, increasing the risks of accidents during games.
Also, don’t forget about practicing the proper way to swing. Choking up on a bat can help with your grip and swing. But it can take several practice sessions before you can become proficient at it.
