How To Hit Harder in Baseball


Many ball players are led to believe that they need to pack on huge muscles as they strive to learn how to hit harder in baseball.  I’m here to tell you that you don’t need massive muscles to hit the ball harder.  It’s very beneficial to participate in a strength conditioning program all year round, not just in the off-season, because it will help prevent injuries, provide endurance and strengthen your body.  But there is more to hitting the ball harder.

I’ve seen some massive players over the years and by appearance you automatically assume they are going to crank every ball over the fence.  The opposite actually happened.  They struck out most of the time and rarely hit it over the fence.  The amazing thing is that most of the guys that hit the ball harder had average body types.

So what is it exactly that will assist you the most in order to hit harder?  Proper mechanics to start.  That’s right, if you aren’t mechanically sound then you’ll have a hard time hitting the ball period.
 
An important part of mechanics is how you generate bat speed.  Bat speed can be generated during your weight transfer.  Let’s review.  As the pitcher throws the ball you have a trigger mechanism which is usually the lifting of the front foot or movement of your hands.  This trigger shifts weight from your front foot to the back and then you transfer all that weight to the front again as you swing. That’s what generates your power and enables you to hit harder in baseball.  If your weight doesn’t transfer properly then you may not have as much power as you desire with your swing.

Another way to hit harder in baseball is to make sure you keep both hands on the bat until right after contact.  It’s perfectly fine to finish your swing by letting your top hand go but only after contact.  If you start to let that top hand go at contact then you will lose much of your power and may not hit the ball very hard. 

It is totally possible to hit the ball to the opposite field with power but for some ball players they hit the ball harder when they pull it.  I’m not recommending that you try and pull the ball every time you bat.  I’m simply explaining that when you get that inside pitch, you may be able to hit harder when you pull the ball. 

In review, to best learn how to hit harder in baseball you should remember that power comes from the bottom up.  It’s all centered on the weight transfer that goes front to back to front again.  That is what allows you to swing the bat with force behind it.  You can essentially practice this anywhere at any time.  Grab your bat and practice this weight transfer every day for just a few minutes.  Then, practice this concept on a tee followed by soft toss and eventually live batting practice.  You can hit harder in baseball and the better your hitting mechanics, the quicker you’ll be able to achieve your goals.

My years of experience playing and teaching baseball hitting will help you with the challenge of learning how to hit a baseball correctly.  Articles such as the one you just read will inform and motivate you to a better understanding of proper baseball hitting whether you are a coach, parent or ballplayer.  Check back here for upcoming
baseball hitting tips articles and e-mail us any questions or comments.

Jeff Wise

info@baseballhittingtipsonline.com