Hitting Low Pitches (Fast-Pitch)
Also known as: stay in my legs, staying in my legs, stay in my legs on low pitches, hitting low pitches in softball, topping low pitches softball, posture on low pitches softball, side bend softball swing, low strike fastpitch
To stay in your legs on a low pitch, bend more at the hips and knees and tilt your shoulders toward the plate. Keep that bend while you turn. Do not drop your hands or reach down with your arms. Standing up during the swing lifts the barrel over the ball and causes topped grounders.
In fast pitch the zone runs down to the top of the knees, and many pitchers live there with drop balls. A strike that deep asks the body to lower the barrel's path, not just the hands. Hitters do that with posture. They hinge forward at the hips and let the back shoulder tilt below the front one. Coaches call this side bend.
Staying in your legs means keeping that lowered posture through contact. The knees stay flexed and the chest stays over the ball. A hitter who straightens up or lifts her chest as she turns moves the barrel up. The ball then goes under it, or she tops it into the dirt.
Reaching with the arms is the other common fault. It drops the barrel but weakens the swing and pulls the bat off plane. Instead, let the ball travel a little deeper and turn with the body tilted. Learn which offerings at the bottom of the zone are strikes and which are drops falling out of it. The best hitters swing at the first kind and take the second.
Tips by skill level
Set a tee at your knees. Swing while keeping your knee bend all the way to the finish.
Film from the side. Check that your shoulder tilt matches the ball's height at contact, with more tilt at the bottom of the zone and less up top.
Example
A hitter keeps topping knee-high offerings to the shortstop. On video, her chest lifts as she turns. Her coach has her hit from a tee set at knee height while keeping her legs bent through the finish. She starts driving those balls on a line.
Why it matters
Fast-pitch pitchers attack the bottom of the zone. A hitter who cannot stay down there gives away a big part of the plate.
Common mistakes
- Dropping the hands instead of tilting the body
- Straightening up during the turn
- Lifting the chest and head at contact
- Swinging at drop balls that finish below the zone
Frequently asked questions
How do I stay in my legs when I hit?
Keep your knees flexed and your chest over the ball until after contact. Hinge at the hips for a ball near the knees instead of reaching down with your arms.
Why do I top low pitches in softball?
Usually your chest lifts or your legs straighten as you turn. That raises the barrel. Keep your posture and tilt your shoulders toward the ball.
What is side bend in a softball swing?
It is the tilt of the upper body toward the plate. The back shoulder sits lower than the front one, which lets the barrel reach the bottom of the zone.
Sources
Related terms
- Hitting the DropHitting the drop means angling the bat path down through the zone to match a drop ball's late break. It avoids a flat swing that rolls over the top.
- Strike Zone – Fast-PitchIn fast pitch, the strike zone is the space over any part of home plate between the batter's armpits and the top of her knees. It is judged from a natural batting stance. A legal pitch that enters that space is a strike, even if the batter does not swing.
- Batting Stance (Fast-Pitch)There is no single correct fast-pitch batting stance, but good ones share a few traits. The feet are about shoulder-width apart, the knees are slightly bent and the weight sits on the balls of the feet. The hands rest near the back shoulder, and the barrel can reach the outer edge of the plate.
- Hitting Posture and Side BendHitting posture is the forward tilt from the hips plus the side bend of the spine that sets the swing plane. Hitters bend more toward the plate for low pitches and stay flatter on high ones. Losing that posture by standing up or collapsing pulls the barrel off the ball's path.
- Swinging Down on the Ball (Fast-Pitch)Most hitting coaches no longer teach a literal downward swing. In fast pitch, a barrel that travels level to slightly upward through contact matches the flight of most pitches and produces line drives. 'Swing down' still works for some hitters as a cue to keep the hands above the ball and stop dropping the barrel under a rise ball.
Related guides & benchmarks
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