There are so many things that young slappers will do incorrectly when trying to slap. We will try to cover the most common slapping flaws and then tell you how to fix them.

Being too fast in the box

Oftentimes, slappers have this perception of having to be fast out of the box. We have to almost walk through the box, being calm and smooth. If we are too fast with our footwork in the box then we are going to eventually have to stop to make contact. We don?t want to start, stop, and start again. As we are making contact we want to make sure we are staying on our power line and not leaning or pulling out to first. Remember softball first and then track. Once we make contact we can run as fast as we can but until then SLOW & SMOOTH.

Too many steps to first base

As slappers we are typically fast, but we have to use every advantage we can to be safe. Anytime we are making contact we have to be in the front corner of the box. Majority of our plays are bang bang plays so we have to take every inch. When you get in the box, based on your height and your strides, start in a place that you know you will end at the front corner of the box every time. Your steps count as soon as you crossover and you do not want to be in the back or in the middle of the box at contact. Overall, a slapper should be taking thirteen steps or less to get to first base.

Not being able to differentiate between slaps

When it comes to differentiating slaps, slappers need to be aware mentally and physically that your contact point is going to vary. When we are drag bunting, we want to catch the ball out in front of our body. The key parts to bunting are a flat barrel, focusing on the top half of the ball, and using the last five inches of our bat. When soft slapping we want to let the ball travel deeper, catching it on our back leg and hitting the top half of the ball. On soft slaps our approach to the ball is not soft; we are still keeping our same bat speed and stopping at contact. Our chop is the same contact point as the soft slap. We are not stopping at contact but are rolling hard over the ball. With soft slap and chop we want the ball to hit as close to the plate. When hard slapping, also known as power slapping, we change our contact point to out in front so that we can hit the middle of the ball and let the pitcher supply the power.

Not reading the defense

Last but not least, we as slappers have to read the defense. Our job is to put pressure on them and be a hard out. How can we do that without reading how they are playing us? We can't rely on our coaches to help us. The defense can shift pitch by pitch or even mid pitch. We have so many tools in our back pocket that we should be reading the defense and adjusting. When the defense is playing in and in our face we want something hard. If the defense is playing back we want to give them something more soft for them to have to run in and get.

Be your best self

No matter what be YOUR best self. Work hard for YOU. Become mentally sound and a student of the game. The best performers are always putting in time training the fundamentals.

About Tianna Batts

Tianna Batts is a former member of the University of Tennessee softball team, appearing in the NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals. She finished high school at 10-time State Champion Alexander Central and is ranked 5th in North Carolina history with a .549 batting average. She ranks 7th in North Carolina high school softball history in hits, 6th in runs scored, 3rd in stolen bases and 3rd with a 32-game hit streak. She was selected as an All-State athlete in 2013-2016 and was chosen as an All-American in 2015 and 2016. She is currently instructing at the Softball Project in in Stallings, NC