Softball Hitting: Slapping Bat Angles

The slap can be an effective hitting style during a softball game. You cannot be one-dimensional in your approach at the plate, however. You must know how to effectively power slap and soft slap to successfully reach base or put a teammate in scoring position.

“We want to be able to master both the soft slap and the power slap,” former collegiate softball player Jordan Mowatt says. “The more tools that we have to use as a slapper, the more effective we will be for our team.”

The main difference between the power and soft slap is your bat angle:

• When power slapping, you will slightly drop your bat angle. A power slap can be used for line drives to the gaps.
• When soft slapping, raise your bat angle and focus on hitting the top half of the ball to create a high bounce.

“Strengthening each of these styles of slapping will allow you to be a threat to any defense,” Mowatt says. “So, remember: read the defense, get a good pitch to hit, and keep it simple.”

SOFT SLAP DRILL

The soft slap can be a new challenge to some players. Work through this drill to boost your soft slap:

• Line up five cones three feet from the batter’s box in an arching pattern.
• Chop down hard on the ball, trying to keep the high first bounce inside the cones.

Keeping the bounce inside the cones can give you the maximum height on your bounce and allow you enough time to beat out the throw to first.

To improve your slapping skills, it is important to work on the basics and your footwork.

When you step into the batter’s box, you should have gear that works as hard as you do. Check out this guide to find the right pair of batting gloves for your game.