Okay, this month’s clinic is on hitting, and we’re going to start with my own personal bias: going the other way.

For the first five years of my softball existence, I was a pure slugger, honed in on the left-center power alley. This is not necessarily a bad approach - but then I joined a team that had too many sluggers. What they needed was a hitter, one who could handle the tricky number-two slot. Granted, every lineup position is about getting hits (this being slow-pitch), but the second batter also has to consider the idea of moving runners up. The answer is to hit the ball low and to the right. Consider the following situations:

1. Man on First: Because right-to-third is the toughest throw on the field, a single to right gives your man an excellent chance to get to third. On a ground ball, it’s much harder for a first or second baseman to begin that dreaded rally-killing double play.

2. Man on Second: If you fly out to right, your man can easily tag and make it to third. If you ground out to first or second, same thing.

3. Man on Third: It’s late in the game, you’re looking for an insurance run, there’s less than two out. Guess what? Even if you ground out to second, the run comes in.

A lot of these might sound negative (centering, as they do, on failure) - but if even your failures are productive, you’re squeezing that much more efficiency out of your at-bat.
Next, I’ll tell you how this approach leads to more base hits, but first, let’s give you the how-to.

The How-To

On my way to the box, I have exactly one pitch in my head: waist-high, medium arc, outside corner. If I get it, I let my swing flow smoothly toward right, keeping my left shoulder tucked in, and dropping the bat head on the ball. It’s the same basic notion as "going with the pitch," only you’re narrowing your options to one. Following are the advantages that will ensue:

1. Focus: Most bad swings come from a cross up between mental intentions and physical actions. By narrowing your options, you avoid that last-second change of mind that leads to weak popups.

2. The Nature of the Swing: Swinging off-field keeps your eye on the pitch longer, keeps your weight on your back foot longer, and keeps your wrists open longer. These factors will conspire to keep your hits low and hard, and cut down on those dreaded fly balls - the easiest outs in the game.

3. The Nature of the Spin: The off-field swing produces a rightward spin, creating hits that resemble long-distance sliders - and the following beneficial phenomena: 1) squirrelly grounders that mess with infielders’ heads; 2) liners that fly over the infielders, then drop in front of the outfielders (remember that all breaking pitches also have "sink" to them); and 3) spinning drives that land fair and kick foul, leading to many a cheap double.

4. Fielder Weakness: No offense guys, but we know your hiding your most porous defenders at first base and right field. Would I dare to take advantage by picking on these poor fellows? You bet your butt I would. And who can resist the comic ballet when the pitcher forgets to run over and cover first? Speaking of_

5. The Pitcher Ego Syndrome: Filled with hubris, most pitchers will identify your right-field proclivities and try to work the ball further and further outside. By the end of the game, you’ll be taking that pitch a foot outside, smacking it to right for your fourth single, and standing there on first base jes’ grinnin’.

The Exit Strategy

If you get to a two-strike count without seeing that outside-corner pitch, you’ll need to adjust. Look for a pitch anywhere around the plate, and go wherever it’s going. Whatever you do, do not try to inside-out a pitch on the inside half - this is a recipe for disaster. You’ll be amazed, however, at how rarely you’ll reach two strikes. Pitchers are very fond of that outside corner. And soon, you will be, too.

A note for left-handers: I know you’d like to show off your Tony Gwynn versatility, but for all the reasons above, do not slap the ball to left. Are you crazy? Use what nature has bestowed upon thee and pull that ball, dude!

Up The Middle

Another thing not to do is to force your natural quirks into an unnatural mold. My pal Mitch (Duke Snider’s son-in-law - and no, I’m not making that up) likes to lunge forward onto his front foot, get his hands way out front and flick the ball up the middle, depending almost entirely on his wrists for power. He often hits .700.

For folks who are not freaks of nature, the only advisable part of this is up the middle, which offers all kinds of holes for base hits. The only real defense is the pitcher, and if you hit the ball hard enough, believe me, that won’t be a problem. (And you’ll also have one nervous pitcher.) In fact, an important thing to remember about hitting up the middle is not to get down if the pitcher makes a remarkable stop. If you hit the ball hard, low, and up the middle - hey, you did your job. Tip your cap, and next time, hit it in the exact same place.

In fact, there’s one last psychological aspect of hitting that I’d like to point out. I often see a teammate smack a solid line drive that happens to be caught, and then curse himself for "failing" to get a hit. I like to reassure him that he has done everything exactly correct - has hit, in fact, the highest-percentage stroke in the game - but that, sometimes, softball is a game of hard luck. By the same thinking, if you hit a weak popup that manages to drop between three fielders, you should not think of that as a good way to get on base.

Michael J. Vaughn is the author of The Legendary Barons, a softball novel (deadendstreet.com) and five other novels.

He lives in Tacoma, Washington, and wishes that Barry Bonds would heal up that knee quickly. Home page: geocities.com/michaeljvaughn.