How to Improve Wood Baseball Bat Hitting

If you’re a player who’s used to swinging metal and find yourself breaking a lot of wood bats this technique is perfect for you.

The goal is to get every hit on the tape which would simulate the sweet spot. When transitioning from a metal bat to wood, the sweet spot gets smaller. Hits outside the sweet spot can result in a poor hit or cause your bat to break. Taping the barrel gives your eyes a specific target to focus on and you can see immediate results by noticing where the ball marks are.

Start with your bat and athletic tape, measure out approximately 2” from the barrel end of the bat. Apply the tape from this 2” mark and proceed to roll it around the barrel for approx. 3” towards the handle, cut the tape. This spot now resembles where the sweet spot would be on a wood bat and where contact should be made.

To dial in your swing, practice on a tee or with soft toss before stepping up to batting practice pitching or games. Once you’re making consistent contact on the taped sweet spot you know you’re ready to transition to your wood bat.