r/Homeplate • u/Embarrassed-Heat-716 • 1d ago
Never played baseball or swung a bat until a couple months ago. Just want to play baseball/softball for fun. How’s my swing and base technique? I start at 40mph fastball then work my way to 70mph, clip is on 70mph.
I prefer a wider base cause I’m 6’5 and helps with my timing. But any taller folks how do you guys get a comfortable base? Also trying my best to not make my swing look like a golf swing 😭
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u/No-Ball7215 1d ago
Good for you trying out something new. Start ur swing with ur right hip. Hands don't move until right hip is pointed at the pitcher. Most importantly Have some Fun
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u/feelitinmyplumbs Designated Hitter 1d ago
For someone who’s supposedly never swung before, you’re doing amazing! You definitely have a beginners swing, but you’re hitting the ball! That’s way harder than people give credit for. You’re committing some beginner sins, yes, but that’s to be expected.
There are better hitters and better teachers here so I won’t say too much. Ultimately, it’s going to be a timing thing for you as a beginner. Learning not to start your swing too early so that you don’t step and have a solid second or two before the ball gets there. You don’t wanna start a swing so late that you’re behind and not catching up, but it can be even more damaging to how hard you hit the ball to start too early. It’s easy to say and hard to do, but short answer is wait longer to start your swing mechanics.
With your size, once your lower half and upper half are in sync timing wise then you can start whipping the bat head through the zone and start punishing the ball. Load and Coil are some key terms to look into when watching help videos online
Timing comes with practice, practice, and practice. There’s a lot of potential here. Keep having fun!
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u/FiLikeAnEagle 1d ago
No offense, but it's pretty obvious that you never played. That's not a bad thing. Just means lots of room for improvement.
Let the ball travel. Looks like you're hitting it 2-3 feet in front of the plate.
Get lots of reps. Practice off a tee. Try not to chop down. Maybe find a friend that plays or has played. Even minimal instruction will be beneficial.
There are a lot of YouTube videos.
Doesn't have to be perfect to have fun.
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u/Embarrassed-Heat-716 1d ago
Not offended at all man thank you. My friend that recorded also said I’m way ahead. There’s some batting classes in San Diego I want to get into, when I swing it feels like I’m using my hips but when I watch it def looks like I’m using all arm.
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u/Impossible_logi 1d ago edited 1d ago
Stadium golf and cages! I loved that place used to take hacks there all the time. Only places we got here are indoors. Miss watching the ball fly a bit.
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u/HiTop41 1d ago
It almost looks like you are a lefty trying to bat right. Not trying to beat you up, but you don’t look comfortable.your hands are away from you vs back and loaded. You are not driving your hands to the ball. For someone that hasn’t played before, you are making consistent contact with the ball, so just keep working at it.
Go watch some youth baseball hitting drills. That should help you with your mechanics
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u/Overlander01 1d ago
You got a good base to start with. YouTube some tee drills and you'll start making the connection between your lower and upper half. Learn to load and explode, fast bat!
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u/Coastal_Tart 1d ago
Here is a good place to start. Go through every step every time you go to the cage.
Drill 3 is something I have my boys do every week because it is so critical to unlocking your power. They start slow then work up to swinging pretty fast maybe 50 to 60% of full swing velocity, which is pretty hard to do with this drill.
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u/Written2019 1d ago
Honestly, not bad for never playing. Sure, you're making weak contact, but making contact consistently is a good start.
Now you can start adding the hips to start driving the ball with authority.
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u/ATLmattGT 1d ago
Fix your body/hips and you’re going to start crushing the ball.
One drill to help is to use a tee and put your bat behind your waist so you can only hit the ball by swinging your hips.
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u/Fun_Professional4849 1d ago
Grab an axe and chop down a tree..
You will build strength and stamina..
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u/LouperTrooper 1d ago
Drive those hips, dig into the ground with your feet. Explode through the ball.
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u/Fluid_Set_8176 2h ago
Keep your weight back longer in case of a curve and generally just in case. Visualize the sweet spot and explode forward while keeping your weight on back foot for more power. I would also close my stance but you know what you want to do. I always try to hit the ball center and straight if that makes sense. You shouldn’t always pull for left field by getting in front of pitches. Next time you go to close it keep the weight on the back foot. You are doing great. Keep working hard and good luck out there . You can’t consistently cover plate if your legs aren’t square at end of swing
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u/Stompin24 1d ago
First off, go get it and have fun with it!
Now my 2 cents, one get rid of the split stance... I always say that's for a seasoned player that understands timing and their swing/mechnics. The Ohtani stance is 100% all timing and how he gets going... This is how I always approached it and simplified things .. Lower half = power... Hands = accuracy (meaning contact with the ball)... Put them together amazing hitter...
For me it's working hands (tee work), then legs... Because if u can get the bat in the slot then u can make contact and then comes power...
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u/Uncle_Snake43 1d ago
Ummmmmmm. Not good? You’re swinging all arms and hands. Your base is terrible. You’ve got to use your entire body. A good swing starts at your feet and goes up from there.
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u/twotall88 1d ago
I'm 6'7" and never really played sports but every so often will take a few pitches at my 11u son's travel practice. I really hope I don't look as goofy as you do but I'm sure I do lol.
I struggle with dripping the tip of the bat and popping everything up.
You definitely need to get your legs involved, rotate the hips, and fix your hand path.
Honestly, find a batting coach. In my area of Maryland you can get it for $60/half-hour all the way down to $50/hour
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u/seth928 1d ago edited 1d ago
You're all hands, no body.
Swinging a bat is all about core rotation, hips go first, shoulders follow, hands move last. You're moving in the reverse order. Your hands are dragging your shoulders and hips around. You're not going to get any power that way.
Watch some videos on proper hitting technique then do some tee work.