Hold the bat in your hands to test it out—you’ll know it’s a bad fit if it feels too heavy when you start your swing.
Make sure that your bat is pointed straight back rather than wrapped around your head. That just makes your swing longer!
When up to bat, measure your bat with the middle corner of the plate.
Make sure that you’re swinging with your legs—particularly your backside. This is where a lot of your power is going to come from.
If you pop the ball up (hit the ball high in the air) without much distance, you are swinging up too much. Pop ups will give the fielders time to get under the ball to make the out, so adjust your swing if needed. Also, don’t swing down either as this will cause a grounder and will also give the fielders a better chance to get you out. If you hit a foul ball (ball that is not between the white lines that extend to the outfield fence), you may have swung too early or you may have not hit the ball squarely. Try to make sure you are making contact with the ball on the sweet spot of the ball or at the widest part. Most metal softball bats have a larger sweet spot that makes it easier to hit the ball well.
Run as fast as you can and don’t look at the umpire unless it is a pop up near any bases.
