Batting aids are important for every baseball batter, as they enhance their performance. High-end committed training helps a batter to improve on swinging in a natural way, once the player gets aware of the basics of hitting mechanics.
Do you know what do batters wear on their thumb to enhance their performance?
In most cases, batters like to wear dedicated thumb guards on their thumbs. It provides them better feel while hitting the ball, and also protects their thumb from any accidents.
What do batters wear on their thumb?
Batters wear baseball thumb guards on their thumbs. It serves as a bridge between the perfect cylinder of most wood bats and the oval form of a cupped palm. Prohitter, a reputed manufacturer, believes it improves overall feel by increasing the thickness of the bottom hand grip and dampening the pain on poorly struck balls.
However, for result-oriented practice and a prolonged training period, it’s also important to use swing training aids. Some of the common batting aids are:
- SwingRail Hitting Aid.
- Pro Glider Trainer.
- Backspin Tee.
- Insider Bat.
- Weighted Baseballs.
- Training Goggles.
- Instructo Swing Tee.
- Hurricane Swing Trainer.
- Power Up Wedge.
- Hands Inside Trainer.
- Line Drive Pro.
- Weighted Hitting Sticks.
- Speed Hitter.
- Rapsodo.
- Swing Away.
All the above batting aids contribute a player to becoming a good hitter.
Does pro hitter actually work?
The ProHitter thumb guard is designed to eliminate the separation between the barrel knob and hand. A stronger and better-controlled grip is possible because of the volume filler’s more constant pressure on the knob.
The ProHitter thumb guard lies between the bat and the upper hand’s palm. The bat will have more contact thanks to this gadget. Many people believe the ProHitter improves their comfort on mishits, gives them greater control, and boosts palm contact.
The thumb guard enhances your swinging and gaining power, bat speed, control, and power. It also protects you from bruising your bones or stinging in case of a jammed situation on an inside pitch. It is designed to fit both left and right-handed players, with or without the batting gloves.
Although it’s difficult to estimate exactly how many MLB players utilize it, at least 40% do it regularly and probably well over 70% have at least given it a shot.
What size Prohitter should I get?
The Prohitter thumb guards come in three sizes, Adult, Youth, and Mid-size. The thumb hole diameter for “Adult” size is 7/8″, that of “Youth” is 4/8”, and “Midsize” is 6/8”.
If you are a professional player or a college or high-school player, the “Adult” size will work well for you. For children between 6 to 13 years of age or women and fresh adults with small hands, the “Youth” size will be ideal. The “Mid-Size” will perfectly fit the intermediate groups.
Since the thumb guards are manufactured from rubber-like resin, they are stretchable to fit any custom size depending on the group.
How do you wear a Prohitter?
You insert the Prohitter on the thumb of the hand that holds the bat.
The thumb guard has a hole that divides the guard into two parts, one with a long edge and the other with a short one.
The short edge should face the outer side of your hand, while the long edge will go toward the inside.
You can have a better idea by viewing the image below.
What does the thumb Pro do?
The thumb Pro is also a batting aid that helps in better positioning that enhances the bat speed by 10 to 15%. It helps to absorb shock due to the motion and speed of the ball hitting on the bat, helping you to swing your bat easily and with increased speed.
How does thumb Pro increase bat speed?
The expert-engineered thumb Pro absorbs shock and prevents vibrations when the ball and the bat meet at a point. Those vibrations may affect your performance. The thumb Pro is ergonomically designed to keep away these problems, ultimately reinforcing your batting speed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What do MLB players wear on their thumbs while batting?
MLB players wear Prohitter or thumb Pro thumb guards while batting.
What is Prohitter made of?
Prohitter is made up of rubber-like resin, which is stretchable.
Who invented the pro hitter?
Phil LoMedico, who is an entrepreneur, businessman, artist, songwriter, and musician, invented pro hitter.
Do MLB catchers wear thumb guards?
Yes, MLB catchers do wear thumb guards. They need to be fitted properly to protect the thumb from getting injured.
Conclusion
Batting aids are commonly used today in most Baseball games. From amateurs to MLB players, all use some kind of batting aid to boost their performance.
The thumb guard is one batting aid, to help batters reinforce their performance. It helps them to have a better grip on the bat, helps to swing the bat easily, and increases the bat’s speed.
They come in different sizes, to fit for school-children to professional players. As of today, more than 40% of players use thumb guards and out of that 70% have admitted the role of thumb guards in boosting their batting performance.
