When the game is on the line, getting on base matters. The slap hit in softball games is one of the key ways lefty fastpitch batters use to surprise the fielders and get on base. It requires great hand-eye coordination, a fast runner, and a to of practice to achieve the perfect slap hit.
Why do softball players slap hit?
Softball players use slap hitting to utilize speed to get on base. A slap hit can also help move base runners to the next bag. Expert slap hitter control the ball and place it exactly where they want it around the diamond through the angle of their bat.
What is the most important factor while slap hitting?
Slap hitting involves a number of equally important factors. The proper bat angle, combined with footwork through the batters box is essential. Speed toward first base immediately after contact is the other essential ingredient to a successful slap hit.
Practicing slap hitting in softball
Let’s start with the basics. Slapping requires hitting from the left side of home plate. Footwork requires a well timed crossover step to achieve the perfect slap. Your back foot will crossover as it produces better momentum for running on contact. As your foot crosses over, your body should be balanced with bent knees. Your hips, back foot, and shoulder should be appropriately aligned and facing the pitcher.
This video provides a slowed down visual and includes a good slap hitting practice drill.
For many, slap hitting is viewed as a running start to making contact, but that’s not the case. Proper slap technique requires making sure that the ball is hit correctly before you run.
To improve your slap hitting, practice some of the drills highlighted below. You can even learn to slap hit if you normally bat from the right side of the plate, just don’t let it distract from your regular hitting routine.
#1: Improving Footwork for Slap Hitting
For better footwork, follow these steps:
- Set up a tee with a softball
- Make a lane towards the pitcher. Place some cones or any other objects in a lane toward the pitcher.
- Slap hit and run through the cones. Avoid touching any of the cones on your way through.
- Staying in the same direction is important as it will help in hitting every pitch location
#2: Just Run!
Footwork won’t help if you don’t have the required running speed. In practice, concentrate on your running speed. You should show agility while keeping your body in control. Even when you are running fast, you must maintain balance. If it is not possible to run when you are practicing with the team, do it during your own time. Practice sprinting drills that have you running further than the distance of first base.
#3: Softball Bat Swing Control – Fence Drills
Gaining control over where you hit the ball requires repeated practice. One key to ball placement is controling where the bat’s knob is when you swing. This drill will help you perfect your swing:
- Find a fence face it.
- Create a bat’s distance between you and the fence.
- Assume your normal batting stance.
- Step and swing through your normal swing. If you are leading with the knob of the bat, your bat won’t touch the fence.
- Once you master fence swing drills with your eyes open, try again with your eyes closed.
#4: Setting Target Drill
Hitting a ball at a target is what slapping is all about. To practice this drill:
- Place cones between second base and third base
- Use a batting tee on home plate.
- Take a crossover step and swing aiming for the cones
- Adjust your swing to aim more precisely for areas near the edges of the cones.
#5: Correcting the Contact Point
Proper contact with the ball means the ball will go where you want it to. If your contact is poor, the ball is not going anywhere, and the bat to ball contact isn’t considered a slap hit. One thing to keep in mind is keeping the barrel lower than the handle, so that you get the ball off the ground.
Practice your contact point using a tee or a team player. The more you practice, the more accurate your contact point becomes.
#6: Precise Hand Position
When you are in a ready position for slap hitting, your hands are held high. Your arms make a V shape in front of your body. As the bat contacts the ball, the release off the bat will be in the direction of the shortstop. Consistent practice results in always slapping the ball to the left side of the infield.
Practice that while keeping your hands tight against the body. The bottom hand, the lead hand, will stay inside the ball when released to the shortstop.
It is your lead hand that will decide where to drag the ball. It provides the direction for the ball and also the bounce that is needed.
#7: Soft Slap Practice
The key to the right soft slap is achieving the correct ball location. The best practice is to place around five cones three feet in front of the batter’s box. The goal of practice is to consistently bounce the ball inside the cones. Keep practicing until you succeed in achieving that bounce every time.
The reason you need to bonce the ball three feet in front of the batter’s box is to gain more height on the bounce. A higher bounce means the ball travels farther and gives you more time to make it too first base. More hang time for the ball also means more chance for any other runners to advance to the next base.
