Training Bat to Develop Proper Hand Positioning

Abstract

A baseball training bat is provided with a square handle and a paddle coupled to the square handle. A face of the paddle is aligned with a side of the square handle. The thumb is placed on the handle in conjunction with a wide side of the bat. This helps the hitter to get square to the ball by keeping his or her top hand in a palm up position. When the hitter swings the training bat, the top hand is palm up so the wide side of the bat can strike a ball. This forces the hitter to get the hands under the ball and take the proper path to the ball. The flat paddle gives the hitter instant feedback and lets the hitter know when they correctly hit the ball with a line drive. Other embodiments are provided.

1 . A training bat, comprising:
 a square handle; and   a paddle coupled to the square handle, wherein a face of the paddle is aligned on-plane with a side of the square handle to develop proper hand position at impact with a ball.   
   
   
       2 . The training bat of  claim 1 , wherein the face of the paddle is a flat portion that is aligned with a side of the square handle to reinforce a user's awareness of the proper hand position with respect to the hand orientation on the square handle at impact. 
   
   
       3 . The training bat of  claim 1 , wherein the square handle has rounded edges. 
   
   
       4 . The training bat of  claim 1 , further comprising a grip wrapped around the square handle to minimize hand slippage. 
   
   
       5 . The training bat of  claim 1 , wherein the alignment of the paddle and square handle reinforces a rotational hitting aspect because it helps a hitter using the training bat keep his or her hands in a zone or on a plane when the bat is correctly held. 
   
   
       6 . The training bat of  claim 1 , wherein the square handle receives a thumb that is placed on a back side of the square handle in conjunction with a wide side of the paddle. 
   
   
       7 . The training bat of  claim 1 , wherein the placing of the thumb on a back side of the square handle causes the hitter using the training bat to rotate his or her hands upward during a swinging of the bat to make contact of a baseball with the wide side of the bat. 
   
   
       8 . The training bat of  claim 7 , wherein upward is clockwise for a right-handed hitter, and upward is counter-clockwise for a left-handed hitter. 
   
   
       9 . The training bat of  claim 1 , further comprising a pommel counter-weight secured to the square handle to permit a hand to either rest on it or grip it. 
   
   
       10 . The training bat of  claim 1 , wherein the training bat is comprised of an approximately ¾″×3½″ wood material, with an approximately ¾″ inch square handle with varied lengths to accommodate various age groups and an approximately 12″×3¾″ flat surface at the end of the bat to strike the ball. 
   
   
       11 . A training bat, comprising:
 a handle; and   a paddle coupled to the handle, wherein a face of the paddle is angled with a side of the square handle.   
   
   
       12 . The training bat of  claim 11 , wherein the angle is approximately 0 degrees to align a face of the paddle on-plane with a side of the square handle to develop proper hand position at impact with a ball. 
   
   
       13 . The training bat of  claim 11 , wherein the angle is between 5 and 30 degrees to tilt a face of the paddle with a side of the square handle. 
   
   
       14 . The training bat of  claim 11 , wherein the handle is between 6 inches to 20 inches in length. 
   
   
       15 . The training bat of  claim 11 , wherein the paddle is between 12 inches and 32 inches in length. 
   
   
       16 . The training bat of  claim 11 , wherein the handle receives a thumb placed on a back side of the handle in conjunction with a wide side of the bat to help a hitter using the training bat get square to the ball by keeping his or her top hand in a palm up position. 
   
   
       17 . The training bat of  claim 11 , wherein the handle is interchangeable with the paddle for accompanying varying lengths. 
   
   
       18 . The training bat of  claim 11 , wherein the handle causes a top hand to be palm up so a wide side of the bat strikes the ball when a hitter swings the training bat, and which forces the hitter to get his or her hands under the ball and take the proper swinging path to the ball. 
   
   
       19 . The training bat of  claim 11 , wherein the paddle has a large flat surface area to gives a hitter instant physical feedback when they hit the ball correctly, and the handle sufficiently prevents the hands from rolling over during a swing of the training bat. 
   
   
       20 . A training bat, comprising:
 a square handle grip approximately 14 to 22 inches in length; and   a striking surface projecting from the square handle grip that is approximately 3.5 inches in striking width and approximately 12 inches in striking length, wherein a face of the striking surface is aligned planar to a side of the square handle grip to develop proper hand position at impact with a ball,   wherein the striking surface is a flat portion that is aligned with a side of the square handle grip to reinforce proper hand position with respect to a hand orientation on the square handle grip at impact with the ball.