It would be best if you learned how to hold a softball bat to score more in softball. As your grip is right, you can easily play around and score many runs for your team. Correctly positioning your hands on a softball bat is the first step toward your success as a softball player.
Like in cricket, you must place your dominant hand right above your other hand and align your middle set of knuckles. But there, it’s all up to you, so you can change this group and choose the one you are comfortable with. The key point to note here is whatever grip you choose is up to you but hold the bat in your fingers—not in the palm.
How to Hold a Softball Bat
We have discussed a few general things about holding a softball bat. We will take you through the steps to properly hold a softball bat.
A Standard Grip:
Put your dominant hand over the other hand (non-dominant) on the handle. Try to hold your bat as low as possible on the hand. For right-handers, set your right hand higher up on the bat’s handle and place your left hand close to the base of the bat’s handle.
If you are a left-hand player, then the opposite is true. The handle in a softball bat is a type of slender part towards the base of the bat, which is usually wrapped in grippy tape.
Position your Bat Handle:
Try to position the bat’s handle at the base of your finger for a better and proper grip, with your dominant hand placed on top of your other hand and line up the handle against the base of your fingers. Holding the handle in line with the set of knuckles at the bottom is suggested.
Keep the hand of your bat against the soft pads placed inside your hand where you typically form blisters. If you want to check whether everything is working fine, extend your bat and shake it a little bit. Using this way, your bat should rest comfortably and easily at the base of your fingers.
How you hold your bat shows your game strategy and your next move. Initially, you may hold your bat in your fingers to get maximum control. On the contrary, if you want to generate more power, hold it in the deeper part of your hand.
Avoid Holding Bat in Palm:
We suggest you not hold a bat in the palms of your hands. Instead, try to hold the bat’s handle at the base of your fingers. Avoid gripping the bat too far back your palms.
If you hold a bat in your palms, you will add more tension to your wrists or may harm them and limit yourself from swinging quickly. Another setback of these grips is that you may face injury at the base of your thumb.
Lining up of Door-knocking Knuckles:
It is time to line up your door, knocking knuckles across your hands. The door-knocking knuckles are in the center, or you usually use them to knock on a door. As both hands are placed right on the handle, rate your hands so that these knuckles line up from dominant to non-dominant hands.
It is also known as a genuine softball grip. The benefit of this grip is that it allows your top wrist to rotate as you follow through on your swing. To test if your grip is in the right position, lay the bat over your shoulder. Your knuckles should line up easily and perfectly in this position.
Hold the bat in Your Fingers:
Hold the bat lightly and firmly in your fingers instead of your palms. When you are playing softball, holding your bat light and loose is recommended. Avoid holding the bat tightly or press your palms on the handle.
If you can keep your wrists and hand muscles loose, you can respond more quickly than expected. Imagine holding a grip tightly, your swing will be slower, and the impact may be more uncomfortable. Another drawback of holding a bat too tightly is that it will lock up your arms.
Modify the Grip:
If you wish to modify the standard grip, wrap your bottom pinky finger under or around the knob. Position your non-dominant hand toward the bottom edge of the bat’s handle. Curl your pinky finger around the bottom end of your bat.
Alternatively, curl your ring finger around the knob and put your pinky finger on rest directly beneath the knob. Using this technique, eventually, you will gain more control over the bat while effectively lengthening it. With a longer bat, you can easily hit longer distances with a more powerful swing.
Rotate the Knuckle to Create Box Grip:
Now you need to rotate the knuckles inward for the box grip. Keep your hands properly on the bat’s handle, unlike lining up your door-knocking knuckles. Rotate your hands slightly so your door-knocking knuckles on the one hand line up with your base knuckles on the other.
Imagine it as your knuckles are standing on an imaginary center line. The box grip may give you a firmer hold on the bat than the standard grip. Avoid rotating your hands too far inward, as you might not hit them straight and exert pressure on your wrists indirectly.
Overlap your Top hand’s fingers:
Overlap a couple of your top hand’s fingers over your non-dominant hand. Instead of placing one hand on top of the other, slide your dominant hand lower down until it covers your dominant hand. Now place the last 1 or 2 fingers on your dominant hand ( pinky and ring fingers) lightly over the knuckle on your non-dominant hand.
Keep your top 2-3 fingers wrapped around your bat, and tuck your upper thumb over your top index finger. Make the fingers position your bottom hand as you did in the standard grip.
As your knuckles are no longer in alignment across your hands, Let your middle knuckles on the dominant hand be closer to the base knuckles on your non-dominant hand. This partial overlap grip can provide more topspin and control over the shot than a total overlap.
Overlap Your Top Hand Fingers Over Bottom Hand:
It’s the right time to create a full overlap by placing 3 or 4 of your top fingers over your non-dominant hand. To start with, you need to get into the partial overlap grip. Instead of resting a couple of fingers from your dominant hand over a non-dominant hand, use 3-4 fingers.
For a 3-finger overlap, the best combination is pinky, ring, and middle fingers. If you want to try the most extreme version of this grip, lay your index finger over your non-dominant hand. As it is more like an extreme grip, this will increase your bat speed but decrease the amount of control.
Choose Right Grip For You:
Choosing a grip that gives your more comfort is considered good for you. Every player has their technique, which doesn’t mean every technique works the same for every player.
Avoid trying different grips during a match, experiment with all different grips in practice sessions, and then pick the right one for yourself, the one you are comfortable with. Before adopting any grip, try to consult with your coach to ensure you will not hurt or injure yourself by adopting a specific grip.
Quick Overview
This article will help you understand the concept of holding a softball bat. We have shared a few best practices you should adopt to grip the bat properly. As you have learned everything, you have a clear idea of how to hold a softball bat.
Remember, choose only that grip that suits you instead of following someone else. Keep practicing, and you will reach your goal. Moreover, if you have any unanswered doubts or queries, write back to us in the comments.