Baseball and softball may be the most advantageous sport to play if you are left-handed.  You get to bat a little closer to first base.  Almost every pitcher you face will be throwing a ball that will break towards you instead of away from you.  If you yourself are a pitcher, you automatically stand out from most hurlers in the game.  It’s good to be a lefty in baseball.

But being a lefty also means needing some slightly different equipment, like a fielder’s glove fit for your right hand or batting helmet with a guard to protect the right side of your jaw.  And even a different grip for your baseball bat.

Yes, left-handed batters do need to grip their bat differently than right-handed batters, but it’s not that different.  You just need to wrap your grip around in the opposite direction (clockwise) than that of a right-handed batter.

The reason lefties need a different grip than righties is simple.  If a lefty swings a bat with a right-handed grip, the force of the swing is pulling UP on the adhesive of the grip as opposed to pushing DOWN on the adhesive.  By pulling the adhesive up, a left-handed batter is unwittingly loosening the grip on the bat and will eventually wind up pulling the entire grip off the bat.  So, to combat this, left-handed batters wrap the grip on their bat in the opposite direction of righties, so when they swing, they too are pushing down on the adhesive, making sure the grip stays firm on the bat.

If you are a lefty and want to re-grip your own bat, buy a new Lizard Skin Bat Wrap and check out this video:

 

 

SOME OTHER HELPFUL TIPS:

 

Use the Dotted Patterns on Lizard Skin Grips to Guide You.  Lizard Skins look the way they do to help you keep your grip nice and even as you wrap your bat.  Use the dots to line up your next layer.  Cover the first row of dots on the previous layer with your next one if you want a strong, thinner grip.  Cover the first TWO rows of dots if you want a grip that is a little thicker.

 

Don’t Stretch the Lizard Skin.  You want the Lizard Skin to be tight on your bat but be sure to not be trying to make it so tight that you actually stretch the skin.  This will cause the adhesive to fail quickly and can even result in cracks forming on the Lizard Skin after just a few uses.

 

Make Sure You Have the Right Thickness.  Lizard Skins come in three degrees of thickness:  0.5mm, 1.1mm, 1.8mm.

0.5mm works best with wooden bats.  This thin grip still has a tactile feel and keeps a great grip without the use of pine tar.

1.1mm is the standard on most bats and is most likely the grip that came on your bat when you bought it.  It’s thicker than the 0.5mm, but not so thick that it feels unnatural.

 

1.8mm creates a swing with the most cushion possible.  While the grip is thicker and more pillowy, it does the best in absorbing shock from any miss-hit balls doing a great drop of reducing negative feedback.

 

Baseball Express and Softball.com have a huge selection of Lizard Skins Bat Grips and carries all sizes and colors.  We even have official MLB patterns so you can grip your bat just like the pros!