What troubles most hitters as they adjust from youth baseball to high school baseball is when they face pitchers that can consistently throw curveballs for strikes in a variety of counts. SwingSmarter.com, in Deuce AKA Curveball Smashing 101: How to Hit Tape Measure Shots & Return Your Trays to Their Upright and Locked Positions, has looked to develop a comprehensive way to hit a curveball for hitters. Their article is broken into three parts: technical adjustments, the Zen hitting mental approach, and the three best drills to practice against the curve.
As far as technical adjustments go, SwingSmarter.com stresses the importance of being short to the ball, staying on top, and not letting your eyes drift or drop, all of which are necessary when you hit a fastball or change up, let alone a curveball. The Zen Mental approach that the website suggests wants hitters look to up the middle for their approach, cut the ball out in front—as opposed to what most coaches woul teach, and ‘pick out a window’. The act of ‘picking out a window’ is integral if your hitter ever wants to consistently be able to hit a breaking ball, let alone tell whether or not the pitch is a ball or strike; pay close attention to that one. The drills that SwingSmarter.com suggest to become better at hitting a curveball are helpful because they range from activities that can be done alone, in a limited amount of space, or on a field: self fungo toss, front lob toss, live batting practice. Overall, SwingSmarter.com covers the mechanics, drills, and approach that are necessary if you want your high school hitter to be able to hit a curveball.
Leave a Reply