How to Grip a Baseball Bat Properly

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How to Grip a Baseball Bat Properly

Correcting your grip will increase your bat speed and create more of a whipping motion to drive through the baseball. Your entire body should be more relaxed but your bat should be in a stronger position upon contact. A weak grip can result in your bat slowing down or bouncing off the ball to produce a weak hit. A good grip will also allow you to make adjustments with your hands if the pitch has fooled you.^[1]

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   Place the handle correctly. Place the head of the bat on the ground in front of your lead foot. Grab the handle with your bottom hand or non-dominant hand. For example, if you are a right-handed hitter, your bottom hand and lead foot will be your left.^[2]
   

   • This creates a slight angle to your bet which helps generate an extra whip to your wrist.
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Arrange the fingers of your bottom hand. Bend the index finger of your bottom hand around the bat. Separate the bottom three fingers that are also wrapped around the handle. Point your knuckle up the barrel of the bat.^[3]

• Try to keep the bat off of the palm of your hand as you hold it with your fingers.
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3.Grip the bat with your top hand. Grab the handle similar to your bottom hand, with the handle in your fingers. Your index finger should be separate from the bottom three fingers but all four fingers should be gripping the handle with your thumb in a comfortable position.^[4]

• The second knuckles of your fingers should basically be all aligned.
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4

Keep the bat light. Keep your grip relaxed as you hold the bat. Your grip will automatically tighten through the swing motion. Your grip will be the strongest as you make contact through the baseball. Focus on a light grip as you begin your swing.^[5]

• Keeping a tight grip will create fatigue in your fingers and muscles. It will also result in a slower, weaker swing. Grip with your fingers and pad of your hands.^[6]
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5

Use your wrists correctly. Your grip needs to enable your wrists to move well so that you can properly create bat lag and deliver the bat head to the ball. Bat lag is the relationship of your hands to the head of the bat as your swing progresses through contact. As you swing, your hands will come forward but your bat head will be left behind.^[7]

• The bat head is whipped around at the last instant by your wrists, but primarily by the wrist of your top hand. You want to generate as much bat speed through this whipping action and an improper grip can inhibit your wrists from generating the full potential.