In the two previous How to Slap Hit articles we discussed the reasons why to slap hit and the importance of building a solid foundation with the correct foot work. In this Fastpitch Softball how to slap hit post our focus will be on the upper body.

In the game of fastpitch softball the slap hitter is of tremendous value to the offensive line up. An effective slap hitter creates havoc with the defensive infield. In today's game of girl's fastpitch softball, be it Tournament Play, High School Softball, or College Softball many coaches are using this type of hitter at the top and bottom of their line ups. Understanding that the lead off hitter is only the lead off hitter during her first at bat, many coaches see the value of the speed of a slap hitter hitting in the 8 & 9 holes of the batting order allowing their line ups to turn over with speed throughout the game.

We'll discuss in detail offensive line up strategies in future posts, but for now let's look at how the upper body works in the Slap hitting swing.

Now that we've built the foundation of the Slap Hit swing and understand the proper foot work that will allow your Slap Hitter to:

1. Cover the entire strike zone
2. Keep the her feet in the box during contact and
3. Put their body in the best position for the sprint to first

Let's look at the hands of a slap hitter:

We want to be sure when teaching slap hitting that we instruct the hitter to get her hands at the top of the strike zone as she settles into her stance. With the hands set in this position the slap hitter will be in position to do two very important things within the at bat:

1. recognize any pitch that is traveling towards home plate that is higher than her hands will be a ball and is not a pitch to chase and
2. will position the slap hitters hands in the best position to drop them and the barrel of the softball bat onto the ball

As slap hitters we're looking to pound the softball into the ground, and if we set up with our hands to low in our stance we've created a instant hole in our approach to the ball and any good rise ball pitcher will have their way with us.

lastly we want to take our hands to the top of the pitched ball, this will allow the desired contact with the barrel of the softball bat.

Now that slap hitters feet are moving towards the pitch (not down the first base line) and our hands are set high in our stance (at the top of the slap hitters strike zone) to make our downward slap or swing we don't want to ruin this at bat by letting our shoulders to something that will prevent a successful at bat.

As the left leg crosses over towards the pitch and the lower body begins to slightly open, our hands will begin moving towards the pitch to begin our slap swing it's critical that we keep our right shoulder closed. Don't think run before contact! If your slap hitter pulls her right shoulder open before contact you'll...

1. lose outside corner plate coverage
2. pull the middle to inside pitch towards the right side of the infield giving the advantage to the defense.

Keeping your slap hitters shoulders closed through contact will encourage an inside out slap swing and provide your slap hitter with the best opportunity of a successful at bat.

Lastly we spend a lot of time talking about slap hit swing mechanics or swing mechanics of the the body period when we're talking about fastpitch softball hitting, but without good vision you can have most finely tuned approach to hitting the softball and never make solid, consistent contact with the ball.

Particularly with slap hitters this is important, because unlike the stationary fastpitch softball swing, the slap hitter is moving. In this movement that we've discussed it is critical that the head and eyes remain still as they move toward the pitched ball, even a little bounce of the head and eyes in the stride will give the advantage to the pitcher.

Teach your hitters to do these outlined fundamentals and in a very short time you'll be seeing positive slap hitting results.

Good luck and remember softball is for everyone.... fastpitch softball is for athletes.......