Hands

[Mr T]

I found this to be very interesting:

How to Grip a Bat. Door Knocking Knuckles, Big Knuckles, or Rings?

I was taught like most everyone else to use knocking knuckle alignment. I think this page gets it right. KK may be better for a linear hitting approach, but I now believe in box grip, and personally like it.

It is also very important where the bat lays across the hands, as others have already stressed. It is possible to hold the bat too deep in the palms even when using KK alignment.

 

[Jim]

I don't think that having the lead shoulder lower than the rear is all that important. Actually when hitters lower the lead shoulder in their stance, they also tend to over rotate inward with that shoulder. Keeping the front elbow lower than the rear isn't altogether necessary, having them even is alright as well but I think the launch angle of the bat is optimized with the lead elbow lower. When the lead elbow is higher than the rear in the stance and especially during the load, leverage on the bat at launch is lost creating less batspeed out front through the hitting zone.

Most important is this... The height of the back elbow does not matter! The relationship of the back elbow with the front elbow and the hands is what matters. Hands always higher than both elbows no matter how high or low the back elbow is. Back elbow never lower than the front in the stance and loaded position.

Also, the hinge of the top hand's wrist is big when you relate all of this to the grip. The back of the top hand will be cocked back in an efficient stance.

 

[FPMark]

I agree with several views on the post Mr T linked to. I believe knuckle alignment is not that critical as long as you are palm up, palm down at contact. If you align the knocker knuckles, the top hand does not have to rotate on the bat before contact. It does with any other alignment. The further away from door knuckle alignment the more the top hand has to rotate on the bat. However it feels the most comfortable is fine. It's more critical to keep the bat out of the palm. If you have a problem with slotting the rear elbow properly, a change in knuckle position may help.

 

[SBFAMILY]

Actually studies that Don Slaught did in a lab at UCLA now give us what grip works best. The pinky finger is not used and as Bustos made a joke you can cut it off! The top hand most rotate during the swing. If you have a bat speed meter you can measure it. Take your top hand and use a tube sock and allow it to rotate during the swing and you will gain around 2 -3 mph in bat speed. To test the pinky grip your right forearm with your left hand. Engage you pinky finger. You will feel very little movement in your forearm. Now engage you middle to fingers. You will feel the forearm move. Use you first finger and thumb. Nothing, that is because we use them to balance items not grip. Example chop sticks.

We do not consider the palm up and palm down to be a true representation as bat control starts with bat grip. Many females find it difficult to control the bat using what we consider a baseball type grip. In other words the bat is usually in the back of the top hand where the thumb and index finger meet. This usually is the lining up the finger knuckles instead of a slight off set. It makes it more difficult for most females to get to bat lag without dropping the bat head because they do not have control of the bat.

At the point where the wrist are unhinging control of the bat could be lost with the bat in the back of the top hand. Many of the male players have stronger wrists and forearms however I am not concerned about them with this example.

Look as you release the wrist slowly what is actually happening IF you are holding the bat in the bottom hand where the fingers join at the palm of the hand. Then in the top hand we want the bat to lay at an angle from the index finger pad across the hand and the index finger will look like you are pulling the trigger on a gun. Just at contact because the lead arm went forward and up or some say picks up and the back elbow cleared the body the hands are actually turned down and are not palm up or palm down. If you open the hands one at a time, you will see the knuckles of the top hand are turned downward and the palm is angled towards the field. The bottom hand is angled down and the palm is facing the player or catcher to some degree however neither is palm up or down in my opinion.

On an outside pitch the hands are in the lane sooner as the ball has traveled further back in the box and the hands are basically at the edge of the back shoulder.

For the inside pitch our hip rotation was more and the belly button rotates further and the bat stays in the lane longer and at an angle and the hands are more forward.

So it depends on grip, rotating as needed, turn and tilt of the shoulders and location of the ball as to depth in the batters box.

 

[Dragoncoach]

For me, two fingers are engaged ... the ring finger and the middle finger ... for both the bottom and top hand. The index finger in both hands is orientated such that it is not engaged in gripping the bat handle.

I'd be interested to learn more about the advice of having the front elbow lower than the rear elbow in one's stance. I know of some college programs that advocate having the lead shoulder lower than the rear shoulder in the stance, which I suppose leads to a similar setup.

Ive been advocating this too only because it feels more aggressive, ready to go and efficient. (based solely on feel and viewing clips) (having front shoulder lower than rear at launch)

 

[Jim]

We do not consider the palm up and palm down to be a true representation as bat control starts with bat grip. Many females find it difficult to control the bat using what we consider a baseball type grip. In other words the bat is usually in the back of the top hand where the thumb and index finger meet. This usually is the lining up the finger knuckles instead of a slight off set. It makes it more difficult for most females to get to bat lag without dropping the bat head because they do not have control of the bat.

At the point where the wrist are unhinging control of the bat could be lost with the bat in the back of the top hand. Many of the male players have stronger wrists and forearms however I am not concerned about them with this example.

Look as you release the wrist slowly what is actually happening IF you are holding the bat in the bottom hand where the fingers join at the palm of the hand. Then in the top hand we want the bat to lay at an angle from the index finger pad across the hand and the index finger will look like you are pulling the trigger on a gun. Just at contact because the lead arm went forward and up or some say picks up and the back elbow cleared the body the hands are actually turned down and are not palm up or palm down. If you open the hands one at a time, you will see the knuckles of the top hand are turned downward and the palm is angled towards the field. The bottom hand is angled down and the palm is facing the player or catcher to some degree however neither is palm up or down in my opinion.

On an outside pitch the hands are in the lane sooner as the ball has traveled further back in the box and the hands are basically at the edge of the back shoulder.

For the inside pitch our hip rotation was more and the belly button rotates further and the bat stays in the lane longer and at an angle and the hands are more forward.

So it depends on grip, rotating as needed, turn and tilt of the shoulders and location of the ball as to depth in the batters box.

This type of grip... with the "trigger finger" is exactly what a brand new hitting aid on the market does for hitters' grips.

The Bat Jack Grip Trainer - Baseball / Softball Swing Aid Develops Proper Bat Grip For Hitting

It naturally aligns the bat into the hitter's top hand at the angle that SBFAMILY is explaining here. It engages the "gripper" fingers as well as the pinky (some feel it isn't needed but it doesn't hurt to have it engaged with the bat). The index finger is in the "pulling the triggerof a gun" position giving the hitter gained control and strength in the grip.

The Bat Jack Grip Trainer - Baseball / Softball Swing Aid Develops Proper Bat Grip For Hitting

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

We do not consider the palm up and palm down to be a true representation as bat control starts with bat grip. Many females find it difficult to control the bat using what we consider a baseball type grip. In other words the bat is usually in the back of the top hand where the thumb and index finger meet. This usually is the lining up the finger knuckles instead of a slight off set. It makes it more difficult for most females to get to bat lag without dropping the bat head because they do not have control of the bat.

At the point where the wrist are unhinging control of the bat could be lost with the bat in the back of the top hand. Many of the male players have stronger wrists and forearms however I am not concerned about them with this example.

What you describe as a "baseball type grip", with the barrel resting in the "back of the top hand where the thumb and index finger meet", isn't at all what many others consider to be a good grip ... baseball or softball.