The “Two Strike” Stance is used in a game situation when the batter has two strikes.

When you have two strikes, you want your players to be confident when they step into the box. They need to feel comfortable in that situation, and know that there are certain mechanics they can use to open up their zone — mechanics such as widening their stance and shortening their swing. It’s important that your players have the positive mentality that a two strike stance is one that is going to make them more comfortable in the two strike situation. But you have give them the opportunity to practice it.

In the video below, we demonstrate a side toss hitting drill in which a partner puts the ball all over the strike zone so that the batter doesn’t really know where the ball is going to go. This is beneficial because a two strike stance needs to cover a lot of the plate area in order for it to be successful, because anything that is close, you are going to swing at when you have two strikes.

So you want your players to feel good – feel confident – when they are in a situation where they have two strikes and you’re behind. And you can achieve this by adding the Two Strike Stance Hitting Drill to your daily practice plan.

Important Points:

  • The hitter opens up slightly with a little bit wider stance than normal.
  • The hitter isn’t going to have a big, powerful swing because she is just trying to put the ball in play and get on base.
  • The hitter is compact and balanced throughout the entire swing.
  • Sometimes the hitter will choke up on the barrel for more bat control.

Hitting is so mental, and when you are behind, it’s important that you can rely on this hitting drill that you have worked on!

 

Looking for more softball hitting drills, tips and techniques?   Then be sure to check out  Championship Coach Sue Enquist’s other  Softball Coaching Videos!   Sue will share some great tips and softball pitching mechanics, hitting and much more!   And don’t forget to  Like Us on Facebook, where we share more great ideas and suggestions for your practice plan!