Being able to drive the ball to all sides of the field is a necessity when striving to be a successful hitter. Hitting to the opposite field makes you a less predictable hitter and a harder out for the defense. Waiting for the pitch and not trying to pull the ball allows the hitter to drive the ball the other way. Having the skills to hit the other way will help you beat the traditional “pull hitter” shift and get on base. Here is how to hit a baseball to the opposite field:
- Hitting to the opposite field requires discipline from the hitter to wait for the pitch to get deep.
- As a hitter you must first fire your hands down to put yourself in position to swing down on the baseball. Firing your hands means that you swing down on the ball and have a direct swing path to the ball. Dropping your shoulder early inhibits the ability to effectively fire your hands.
- Aim to hit the inside half of the baseball while elevating through the pitch and sending it to the oppositefield.
The best hitters are those who are not one dimensional.This makes it harder for the pitcher to exploit a weak spot in the batters swing. Being able to effectively drive the ball to the opposite field will raise a batter’s average while ultimately helping the batter’s swing path as a whole. Check out more of our baseball hitting tips and baseball training videos, such as the Baseball Swing. Hitting to the opposite field is a skill that takes lots of practice. You can learn more tips on hitting skills from CoachUp coaches.
