Disciplined hitting.

Everything that the hitter can do to gain an advantage over the pitcher

Since a pitched baseball frequently arrives at the plate at about .4 of a second, it is easy to understand why even the most exceptional hitters will fail to get a hit 6.5 times out of every 10 at bats...and why it is essential for the hitters to seek out every possible advantage.

The answer, we believe, lies in a disciplined approach: (1) a mental knowledge gleaned from observing and analyzing every pitch and (2) the exploitation of this knowledge through the maximum application of the hitter's capabilities.

The disciplined approach starts long before the batter steps into the batter's box. If the hitter has ever seen the pitcher throw before, he must recall as much as he can about the experience and ask himself several key questions:

What pitches did he throw?

Did he tip off any of his pitches?

What did he throw when he fell behind in the count?

What was his best pitch?

What pitch did he go to when his primary pitch stopped working?

Did his fast ball have any movement?

The next factor in the disciplined approach is observing the opposing pitcher at every opportunity - in the bullpen, warming up, during his preliminary pitches each inning, etc. Even if he has seen the pitcher before or even batted against him, he must study the pitcher's variety of pitches and his control of them - both from the wind-up and the stretch.

In short, he should seize every opportunity to study the pitcher in every circumstance. The more he knows about him before the actual game, the more mentally prepared he will be to handle him.

In addition to cataloging every pitch, the hitter should check for idiosyncrasies or habits that can be exploited.

Some pitchers will always start the hitters off with the same pitch.

Many pitchers will throw a fastball every time they fall behind in the count.

Some pitchers will never throw a strike after getting ahead of the hitter 0-2, while other pitchers will always throw an offspeed pitch in that situation.

The hitter may also keep a pitching chart on a coming opponent. There is no better way of picking up tendencies - what the pitcher is throwing to batters of similar strengths and weaknesses.

For example, a No. 9 hitter would do well to pay more attention to the pitcher's approach to the No. 1, No. 2, No. 7, and No. 8 hitters rather than to his approach to the No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 hitters.

It's also helpful to check the pitcher's mechanics for give-aways. Many pitchers will slow down their motion when they throw the curveball. Or they may start slowing down when they break their hands from the set position.

Some pitchers will slow down their motion in order to get their hand on top of the baseball where it can provide the desired movement and location to the pitch. Any hitter who can read the pitcher's altered motion will pretty much know what kind of pitch to expect.

TIP-OFFS

Other pitchers will change the angle of their arm in order to throw their curveball. For example, a pitcher may throw his fastball with his arm at a 90-degree angle from elbow to hand, and throw his curveball with his arm at a 45-degree angle from elbow to his hand.

A smart hitter will be able to read fastball and curveball simply from the angle of the arm.

Another popular tip-off occurs on the change-up - which, to be successful, must be thrown with the same motion as the fastball. The change-up is usually held deep in the hand, and it is this grip, not the motion of the arm, that reduces the velocity on the ball.

Young pitchers will change-up simply by slowing up their motion.

Hitters who spend time studying physical tendencies will undoubtedly profit by such observations.

APPLICATION

Every smart hitter will process all the information he picks up as he goes along and adapt it to each turn at bat. His mental approach should also be affected by the changing pitch counts; particularly no strikes, one strike, and two strikes.

The O-strike count gives the hitter a great advantage. He can now exercise patience, look for his favorite pitch. It may be defined as a "zone one" pitch - a pitch that has the height and location favored by the hitter. It is equivalent to a 3-0 pitch on which the hitter has been given a green light.

Very few hitters will ever swing at a poor pitch in that situation. They realize that if they swing at a poor pitch when given the green light, they will never be given a chance to hit a 3-0 pitch again.

The disciplined hitter knows that the most important aspect of an the no-strike situation is to swing only at his ideal pitch. If his pitch happens to be a belt-high fastball over the middle, he will be expected to take the fastball on the outside corner at the knees, even if it is a strike.

It is crucial for the hitter to distinguish between hitting his pitch and taking the pitcher's pitch thrown for a strike. Whenever the batter swings at the pitcher's pitch with no strikes, the odds on establishing good contact will drastically drop.

A hitter will see about three "zone one" pitches a game. Any time he taps or pops-up the pitcher's pitch, he will lose one of his chances of seeing his ideal pitch. The more pitches that a hitter sees, the better. It will not only increase his odds on getting a "zone one" pitch, but will also make the pitcher work harder.

When the hitter does swing at his "zone one" pitch, he will be expected to make solid contact. The ideal "zone one" pitch will usually be a fastball. In fact, "zone one" pitches should never be anything but fastballs unless the hitter is a good curveball hitter or the pitcher has a habit of starting off a hitter with an offspeed pitch.

The batter's mentality should change when he has a strike on him. His thinking should move from a perfect-pitch mentality to a must-swing-at-a-strike concept. He must look for a pitch in "zone two", which can be defined as any pitch with the proper height and location in the strike zone. It can be a fastball, curveball, slider, knuckleball, change-up, or anything else in the pitcher's arsenal.

The hitter must still look for the "zone one" pitch, but he must understand that any strike must be attacked. As the hitter's image of the strike zone grows, it becomes vital for him to stay disciplined. He must not swing at any pitch that could be called a ball.

TWO-STRIKE COUNT

The final addition to the hitter's mentality is the two-strike count, which is called the "umpire's zone." It includes the "zone two" pitch and any other pitch that the umpire is consistently calling a strike that day.

It may not be a strike in the rulebook, but it is being called one by the man behind the plate. It may even be a pitch two inches outside.

With two strikes, the hitter must adjust to the "umpire's zone." Hitters who refuse to adjust to the "umpire's zone" usually end up arguing with the ump and losing their concentration, one of the cardinal sins in hitting.

The mental preparation preceding an at bat coupled with the zone theory of hitting will enhance the hitter's chances of succeeding.

By evaluating the pitcher's tendencies, the hitter will get a better idea of the next pitch; and by making the pitcher throw strikes, he will get better pitches to hit.

Kolin Holladay, Assistant Coach, Lipscomb University (TN)