Hitting slow pitch softball for power

Over the years I have gotten many questions about the relevance of the concepts that I talk about to slow pitch softball and, specifically, to how to hit home runs in slow pitch softball. I have been wanting to put together a piece that discusses this topic, but I haven't been able to get my hands on any good footage.

That all changed this Summer.

Rather than go down to Boy Scout Camp and sit and sweat and (try to) sleep in the 100+ degree heat, I decided to go down first thing in the morning. As a result, I was able to go see the Dodgers and the Cardinals play. Unbeknownst to me, but to my delight, the slow pitch softball Stadium Power Tour home run derby happened to be coming through St. Louis that night.

I managed to get some great footage of all of the hitters using both my HD camera and my 120 Frame Per Second camera. In analyzing that footage, I learned that, as in baseball, most of the existing instructional stuff...

Slow Pitch Hitting Tip: Lead with your Hands

...is largely nonsense.

I discovered that what the world needs is something that explains what a good slow pitch softball power swing actually looks like and how to hit home runs in slow pitch softball.

This webbook draws upon my baseball and fast pitch softball material, with some additions and modifications that take into account the (relatively few) differences between a slow pitch softball home run swing and a high-level baseball or fast pitch softball swing.

Most of these articles are only available to my clients who have purchased my Slow Pitch Power Secrets webbook, but the articles marked with a

are available to everyone and the articles marked with a

are available to users who Register for my client site.

1.0. Executive Summary

2.0. Slow Pitch, Fast Pitch, and Baseball: Similarities and Differences

3.0. First, Do No Harm

4.0. Very Important Pictures

5.0. Concepts

5.1. Rotation
       5.1.1. Compactness
      5.1.1.1. Short to the Ball...
   5.1.2. Separation
      5.1.2.1. Loading
         5.1.2.1.1. When in Doubt...
       5.1.2.1.2. Loading the Hands
                  5.1.2.1.2.1. Stretching the Bungee Cord
   5.1.2.1.3. Walking Away from the Hands
           5.1.2.1.4. Running Start
       5.1.2.1.5. Resisting Movement
   5.1.3. Middle-Out
       5.1.4. Heel Hop
   5.1.5. The Move
          5.1.5.1. Matt Holliday's Back Foot
        5.1.5.2. Back Knee Extension: What Does it Mean?
    5.1.5.3. Albert Pujols' Back Leg

5.1.5.4. Stay Back
5.2. Connection
5.3. Alignment
5.3.1. Alignment and the Slow Pitch Power Swing

5.4. Whip
   5.4.1. Judging Whip
        5.4.1.1. Whip Position
        5.4.1.2. The Myth of the Brace Position

5.4.2. Whip and the Slow Pitch Power Swing

   5.4.3. Whip and the Back Elbow
          5.4.3.1. Hands Back: When?
        5.4.3.2. Double Pendulum
         5.4.3.2.1. Whip and the Soccer Kick
   5.4.4. The Role of the Hands
        5.4.4.1. Whip and the Grip
   5.4.5. Hinge Angle
   5.4.6. Reducing the Radius
       5.4.7. Stalling the Barrel

6.0. Positions

6.1. CHin On Front Arm (CHOFA)
6.2. Shaft To Shoulder (STS)
6.3. Bat Lag
6.4. Point Of Contact (POC)
6.5. Whip Position
6.6. Extension Position

7.0. Shapes

7.1. Vertical V
7.2. Power L

8.0. Slow Pitch Specific Topics

8.1. Types of Slow Pitch Power Swings
8.2. Setting Up
       8.2.1. Grip
   8.2.2. Location
   8.2.3. Stance
       8.2.4. Stride
8.3. Alignment and the Slow Pitch Power Swing

8.4. Whip and the Slow Pitch Power Swing

9.0. Slow Pitch Power Drills

10.0. Slow Pitch Hitting Troubleshooter

10.1. Frequently-Made Mistakes

10.2. Common Flaws
   10.2.1. Lunging
        10.2.1.1. Lunging and the Slow Pitch Power Swing
   10.2.2. Stalling the Barrel

11.0. Slow Pitch Flipbooks

12.0. Slow Pitch Model Swings

12.1. Tim Cocco
12.2. Kevin Filby
12.3. Johnny McCraw
12.4. Brandon Perry
12.5. Lee Powers

How do I get more power to hit a softball?

5 Tips to Get More Power Behind Your Softball Swing.

Use The Right Grip. When you grip the bat, you need to focus on applying your pressure with your fingers- not your palms. ... .

Mind The Elbows. Many softball players mistakenly keep their elbows up when swinging. ... .

Power Your Stance. ... .

Dominate Your Stride. ... .

Improve Your Contact..

What makes a softball player a power hitter?

One thing that separates high-level softball players from everyone else is the ability to use their hips and core and upper body in the proper sequence. This “kinetic sequence” in swinging the bat is what produces elite bat speed and power as you follow through your swing.