By BK, Athletic Hitting Development
Complete Hitters Are Built… It’s Earned!
Key takeaways
- To hit fast pitching in softball, start the load earlier, shorten the move, and decide on one zone before the pitch so the swing only has to react to yes or no.
- The clock is tiny. A 70 mph pitch from fastpitch distance reaches the plate in roughly a third of a second.
- Train velocity at shorter distances with a machine or firm front toss, always behind a screen with a helmet on, and build up gradually.
- The mental side matters. Hitters who expect to be late usually are; a clear plan and an attack mindset beat fear of velocity.
To hit fast pitching in softball, start your load earlier, keep your move short, and hunt one zone so you are ready to swing before the ball is released. Against 60+ mph from 43 feet, there is no time to start late and catch up.
To hit fast pitching in softball, start your load earlier, shorten your stride and hand movement, and hunt one zone so you only have to decide yes or no. Train velocity gradually at shorter distances with a helmet and screen, and go to the plate with a plan instead of fear.
Train it: Hitting Processor →I coached high school and college softball for 30 years in Arizona and Texas. Every season, a few pitchers showed up who made good hitters look lost. The hitters who handled them didn’t swing harder. They started sooner and thought less.
Here is why fast pitching is so hard, what to change, how to train for it safely, and how to handle the head game in the box.
1. How much time does a softball hitter have against fast pitching?
Not much. High school varsity pitches from 43 feet, and the pitcher strides toward the plate before she lets the ball go. One sports-science breakdown estimates a 70 mph softball pitch gives the batter about 0.35 seconds of reaction time, less than a 90 mph baseball pitch gives a baseball hitter.
Put simply: a 70 mph fastpitch pitch gives roughly the reaction time of a mid-90s baseball fastball. Most high school hitters never see that in baseball, yet good softball hitters see it every weekend.
You can’t react your way to a third of a second.
That is the whole lesson. With that little time, the hitter has to be READY before release. The swing can react to the pitch. The start can’t.
2. Why do hitters fall behind fast pitchers?
When I watch a hitter get beat by velocity, it is almost always one of these:
- Late start. She waits to see the ball before she loads, so the swing begins from a standstill.
- Long move. A big stride or a big hand load eats time she doesn’t have.
- Guessing on everything. She tries to cover every pitch in every spot, so she decides slowly on all of them.
- Fear. She expects to be late, so she rushes, pulls her head and starts swinging at the hands instead of the ball.
Notice what is not on the list: bat speed. Bat speed matters, and you can test it with a softball bat speed profile. But most hitters I see lose to velocity because of time, not strength.
3. How do you hit fast pitching in softball?
Four changes, in this order:
- Start earlier.Begin the load on the pitcher’s hands separating, or even earlier against the hardest throwers, and be landed before release.
- Shorten the move, not the swing.Cut the stride to a small step or toe tap and quiet the hands, but keep a full, fast, accelerating barrel through the ball.
- Hunt one zone.Pick the part of the plate you want, usually middle-up or her best spot, and take everything else until two strikes.
- Commit early.When the pitch is in her zone, the answer is already yes; she swings to attack, not to check.
A word on “shorter.” Parents hear “shorten up” and the hitter starts poking at the ball. That’s not it. The move before the swing gets smaller and earlier. The swing itself stays full and fast, with the barrel accelerating through contact. Short to the ball, long through it.
Hunting a zone is the part most hitters skip. Against a hard thrower, she doesn’t have time to decide on every location. If she has already decided “middle-up is mine,” the brain only has to answer one question: is it there? That one choice buys back time the clock won’t give her.
Timing off the windmill is its own topic. I walk through the start cues in How to Time a Fastpitch Pitcher. With two strikes, the zone widens and the plan changes; that’s in Softball Two-Strike Approach.
Hard throwers usually live up in the zone, too. If she is chasing high heat, read How to Hit a Rise Ball. And if a hard thrower also spins it, pair this with How to Hit a Curveball in Softball.
VS. VELOCITY
START SOONER.MOVE LESS.
- Load off hands separating
- Small stride or toe tap
- Hunt one zone
- Decide yes before release
READY BEFORE RELEASE
4. How do you train to hit 65–70 mph pitching?
You can’t get faster to velocity by only seeing slow pitches. You also can’t throw a 12-year-old in front of a 70 mph machine on day one. Build it up in steps, and keep it safe.
| Tool | How to use it | Safety |
|---|---|---|
| Firm front toss | Feeder tosses firm from shorter range so the ball arrives quicker than normal soft toss | Feeder always behind an L-screen; hitter in a helmet |
| Pitching machine, moved up | Start at a speed she can handle at normal distance, then move the machine closer a few feet at a time | Helmet with face guard; adult feeds; increase gradually |
| Live bullpen tracking | Stand in during a hard thrower’s bullpen and time loads without swinging | Helmet on; catcher in full gear; no swinging |
| Game at-bats | Seek out the best pitchers you can find in scrimmages | Normal game equipment |
A simple progression: one week at a speed she can square up consistently, then move closer or speed up only when she is barreling most of her swings. If she starts fouling everything back or swinging under it, step back. The goal is to stretch her, not to bury her.
One warning on machines: a machine shows the ball with no arm circle, so timing off it is different from a pitcher. Use the feeder’s hand dropping the ball in as the cue, and mix in live arms every week. Keep sessions short, 15 to 25 quality swings, so she isn’t grooving tired swings.
For drills she can do between team practices, Softball Hitting Drills at Home has a daily plan.
5. How do you not be scared of a fast softball pitcher?
Velocity is as much a mental problem as a physical one. When a hitter walks up thinking “she’s too fast,” her body gets tight, she rushes, and she makes the pitcher look even faster.
- Have a plan before you step in. One zone, one start cue. A plan crowds out fear.
- Breathe. One slow breath before every pitch keeps the body loose; see Breathing Routine for Hitters.
- Respect the speed, don’t fear it. The ball is the same size whether it’s 55 or 70.
- Be the aggressor. Go up there to hit her fastball, not to survive it.
Hitting fast pitching uses all four pillars of a complete hitter: The Swing, Strength & Explosiveness, The Hitting Processor and Mental Approach. AHD hitters build Mechanically Advantaged Angles (MAA), so the swing is short and strong when the clock is short. Our Hitting Processor course trains see it, time it, decide, attack it every day. Run the free SwingChecker to find her top priority, and see Online Softball Hitting Lessons for fastpitch coaching with BK.
THELESSON.
- Time, not strength
- Shorten the move, not the swing
- Train it up safely
- Attack, don’t survive
Complete Hitters Are Built…Earned.
Want to go deeper? Read How to Hit a Rise Ball in Fastpitch Softball and The Softball Bat Speed Profile.
Quick answers
Why can’t I catch up to the fastball in softball?
Most hitters who can’t catch up are starting their load too late or taking too big a stride. Start earlier off the windmill, shorten the move, and be landed before the pitcher releases the ball.
Is a 70 mph softball pitch like a 90 mph baseball pitch?
In reaction time it is roughly comparable to a mid-90s baseball fastball, because the softball pitcher releases much closer to the plate. That is why early timing matters so much in fastpitch.
How do I get faster at hitting a pitching machine?
Start at a speed you can square up, then move the machine closer a few feet at a time. Start your load as the ball is dropped in, keep the stride small and always wear a helmet.
Should I choke up against a fast softball pitcher?
Choking up can help some hitters control the barrel and get to the ball sooner, especially with two strikes. It is not a substitute for starting earlier, which is the bigger fix.
Sources: LeagueApps: The Sports Science Behind Hitting a Softball Versus Hitting a Baseball · OHSAA: 2010 NFHS softball rule changes (pitching distance to 43 feet)
Don’t collect drills. Build a complete hitter.
Complete Hitters Are Built… It’s Earned!
This article is part of the AHD guide Pitch Recognition & Timing. Start there for the full picture and every related article.
