Apart from trying to hit the ball harder how do I get more power in my batting to hit the ball through the field. I’m 17 and wanting to play grade cricket this season.

Hi Leo, in simple terms the bat is an implement that applies a force to the ball. The size of the bat x the speed it is travelling when it strikes the ball impact how far and fast the ball travels. It sounds easy to get a bigger bat or swing the bat faster, and both of those will work if you can do it and still bat successfully. Many batters find a heavier bat impedes their bat swing and balance.

While strength and power from increased muscle strength/mass can help here and that is a part of what the successful short form players do, you may be well served by working on your timing. By timing, I am referring to the hitting the ball in the centre of the bat (sweet spot or percussion point) and doing so while having the bat speed at its optimum. i.e., speeding up into the hit.
If you swing the bat faster but don't time the ball, you will minimise the gain. If you swing the bat with balance and hit the ball in the middle with the bat accelerating into the ball, you will get plenty out of it. Dan Hughes from NSW is particularly good at this. Not a big bat lift and not necessarily a big follow through, but plenty of speed off the bat.
The suggestion is to work on your balance as much as possible and give yourself feedback for how well you are hitting the ball through timing rather than force. Measure the 'feeling off the bat' rather than how far the ball goes. Naturally the better the contact the further it will go over time. As you improve, include zones to hit the ball so you can also find the gaps with the power and ball speed you are generating.
There are a number of things to try, this is just one suggestion that may help your batting into the future.
Good luck with it, and don't forget to eat your greens.

Along with Bryan's terrific feedback there are a number of technical aspects of batting that will help you generate more power and timing in your shots.

Firstly, it’s important you’re holding the bat correctly. Here’s some good advice from a previous question about batting grips - https://www.cricconnect.com/question/102/my-son-is-12-and-his-hands-are-wide-apart-when-he-grips-the-bat-hersquos-a-left-hander-and-it-looks-awkward-and-i-want-to-help-but-donrsquot-have-any-real-ideais-there-some-advice-i-can-get-to-help

Also, I found this cool video from Tom Scollay at Cricket Mentoring that might also help.

Best of luck making the grade team this season.

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Hi Leo...

Bat speed is what is needed to hit the ball 'harder'. To generate bat speed you need faster hands or a bigger arc (ie back swing to follow through) or even both if possible. I hear the comments on timing and smaller arc (not too big back swing or follow through), however you can time with a bigger arc of the bat too. The timing in relation to ball delivery is different to a smaller arc.

Larger back swings can provide better timing, more speed, more time on the ball. Even though it sounds contradictory, most batters when they make the arc bigger are early on shots initially and can learn to wait even longer before they swing their bat.

None of this matters if you do not have a stable base from which the swing happens. Imagine a motor moving very fast with a loose screw in the foundation. I am not just talking balance, but the ability to move to the ball and then solidify the bottom half of your body while the top half moves freely. If the base moves through contact power and control are compromised.

Just a different take ;-)