An important part of being a complete hitter is having the correct batting grip when hitting. I agree that it seems a bit trivial, and it is because of this that important applications concerning optimum power ,is over looked.
Your hands are just as important as your core, back muscles, and lower half in implementing a sound, consistent, and powerful swing.
There are a few grips that are a contrast to each other when compared. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, and I will go over them in a short and concise manner.
Grip in the fingers
This is the grip that 99% of players will stick with. This batting grip allows the most control with the bat-head which is absolutely essential to driving the baseball, but surprisingly may not provide the most power.
Yes I believe that for most hitters especially-young baseball players, that the handle should lay within the fingers, I will disagree with those who implement the lining up of the knuckles. If you took the time to think critically about this I think you would realize that this grip is not only uncomfortable but illogical. Just because the knuckles are aligned doesn’t mean it’s right.
The best grip for younger players is ultimately having the top knuckles line up with the the second row of knuckles or in between the second and first row of knuckles on the bottom hand. With this being said, go with what feels comfortable and move on from there.
The kind of grip you have will have a direct influence on the direction of the back elbow. If the knuckles are aligned, you will be more inclined to develop a loop in your swing, having a grip that’s turned to far inward will induce the inability to stay inside the ball and you will be more inclined to roll over on pitches.
Having a light grip that promotes a balance of the arm muscles is your best bet. The calmer your muscles are, the faster they will react.
Tighter grip= Slower bat speed
Grip in the palm
Now some of you may be wondering what the benefits are of having a grip deeper in the palm area. There really isn’t, but there are a handful of players in te Major Leagues that do it, and they seem to be doing pretty well, so who am I to tell them that what they are doing is wrong. They are the best players in the world, and compete on a daily basis. If you feel that holding the bat in the palm is making you a better hitter than go for it!! I’ve always been more interested in doing what feels right and not abiding to the status quos of the Dogma of hitting.
If the argument is, “well they can do it because they are big leaguers!!!” Then my response is, “if you’re not trying to play like a big-leaguer or at their level, then what’s the point of playing”?
Granted there are some things that a younger player should avoid when it comes to the mechanics of a big leaguer, for the most part is it feels good, then it is.
2 replies to "Best baseball hitter’s grips"
Big leaguers and their stances really confuse me. Like most kids, my son was taught to have a nice simple stance to make it easy to concentrate on moving the bat quickly to the ball. He watches a lot of MLB games, so every week he’s out there changing his stance to match some wild stance by a major leaguer. We’ve gone through the open stance, closed stance, big steps during load, no steps during load, upright position to crouch during the swing, even Kevin Youkilis style bat positions. Some of their stance to swing adjustments while having a ball coming at them at 90+mph are amazing, but probably not a great thing for young players to emulate.
In my opinion it’s good that your son models the stances and swings of big leaguers because it teaches him how to to become more physically intelligent. This will allow him to be a player that knows how to make adjustments as he gets older and as his body continues to develop.