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How To Hit a Curveball

By Jeff Wise | October 18, 2011

batter hitting a curveballLearning how to hit a curve ball somehow has become a priority for even Little League players. When I was playing Little League there were only a few individuals who threw a curve ball and to be honest with you, they weren’t that great of pitches.

Today it seems as though 11-year-old pitchers are throwing them and they aren’t half bad. Before I became a full time first baseman I was a pitcher and I probably started throwing curve balls in games when I turned 13.

It was at that point that many pitchers developed physically enough to throw a decent curve without hurting their elbow.

How To Hit a Curve ball

Since more and more pitchers are throwing curves, the hitters need to be ready to learn how to hit a curve ball. I had really good success at hitting the curve and one of my home runs my senior year of high school was from a curve. I actually have it on video.

Hitting the curve is all about waiting on the pitch and hitting it in the proper zone. In this example, let’s use a right-handed pitcher throwing a curve ball to a left-handed hitter.

The ball is thrown towards the outside corner of the plate but you recognize that it’s a curve ball and you know it’s going to break towards the inside part of the plate.

You will want to wait but still hit the ball in the front zone and drive the ball. It’s important to wait so you don’t open your hips up ahead of your hands because your front shoulder will fly open and you’ll just hit a ground ball to the shortstop.

In this example, you could also wait and hit the ball in the middle zone to drive the ball in the gap or up the middle.

I personally like setting up right in the middle of the box because curve balls, sliders, and sinkers break right in front of you and you still have time to catch up to a speedy fastball.

Some people like to set up in the back to buy more time, but when I tried that the curve balls were harder to hit. That’s me, though. Maybe you’ve found more success in the back.

The more you take batting practice with the pitcher throwing curves the better off you will be. Over time you will be able to recognize the pitch almost immediately.

You will see the spin action and be able to adjust on the fly, wait and then drive the ball.

As hitters we must learn how to hit a curve ball or we won’t be as successful as we can be.

Topics: basball batting tips, baseball, baseball hitting, how to hit a baseball | No Comments »

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