How to hit an inside pitch?

In baseball, a pitcher can throw a ball that is closer to the batter, making it more difficult for the batter to perform a proper swing. This is called pitching on the inside.

Trying to hit this type of ball will cause a hit that has less solid contact with the bat, and therefore a bad hit. Inside pitching is a common technique used by pitchers, so here is a guide dedicated to hitting an inside pitch.

Why can’t I hit an inside pitch?

There could be many reasons for this, the main reasons are that you have simply not learned how to correctly prepare for an inside pitch.

Other reasons could be that you are making some mistakes that are common when trying to hit an inside pitch in baseball. Here, we will pick apart all of the common mistakes when it comes to hitting the inside pitch in baseball, as well as tell you how to overcome them.

Should I change my stance?

Since it is hard to prepare for an inside pitch and difficult to see when one is coming until it comes, it is even harder to have a set stance ready for one.

Because of this, it is recommended to maintain your same stance that you would assume during a normal baseball pitch. Loosen your legs, stand up straight and be sure to allow your body enough room to move according to the type of pitch you are fed.

How to hit an inside pitch

The amount of weight on your back leg

Your stance is important when you are being thrown an inside pitch. If you have too much weight on your back leg, something bad happens to the way that you hit the ball. The ball will likely spin off the bat due to the angle that putting your weight on your back leg has on the angle you hit the ball.

If you make sure that your weight is evenly distributed across both of your legs, then you will be able to hit the ball with a square on bat. Make sure the line from your head down to the ground through your back and back thigh is perpendicular at 90-degrees to the ground.

The rotation of your back leg

When you swing your bat to hit any kind of pitch, you need to rotate your back leg to elongate the swing and add further power to the hit. If you don’t rotate your back leg, the path to hit the ball will be longer.

If you rotate your back leg well however, you may be able to hit the inside pitch well, or as well as you can hit an inside pitch. This will allow you to hit the ball with a backspin, when before your hands may have not even reached the inside of the ball.

The motion of driving through the ball with your legs

This is essential in hitting an inside pitch. Basically, you want to be going through the same hitting motion for an inside pitch as you would for a pitch that falls right down the middle.

The only real challenge is making sure that your path to the ball needs to be shorter, but that is where the tips above will help. You need to anchor your front foot in a way that allows you pivot on it quickly, while also rotating your back leg quick enough to bring your bat around and hands inside of the ball.

Conclusion

The ability to hit an inside pitch well relies on your stance and your knowledge of your own body. Assume the usual batting stance that you would when you get to the plate and maintain loose knees but a grounded front foot.

Make sure you are ready to rotate your back leg quickly with your swing so that you can get your hands and your bat on the inside of the ball in time to hit the inside pitch well.

If you use this guide and practice as much as you can in the batting cage or with people deliberately throwing inside pitches at you, you will have the technique down in no time. Then you will never be caught out again when you are thrown an inside pitch in a game.