Situational Hitting w/ Zone Hitting

[El_MaYiMbE]

In the past there have been discussions on Zone vs Directional Hitting, and I have been a big advocate for Directional Hitting.

Most of the discussion has always been about what is better and/or easier to use, but this thread is not about that necessarily.

I would like to know how do those who use Zone Hitting, go about hitting in situations where a ball needs to be influenced somewhere.

Example: Runner on 2B, 0 Outs, and you want to hit ball on the ground to the right to move runner over to 3B.

How do you do that? Or do you not do that at all, do you just hit the ball and hope for a favorable outcome?

[underdog13]

Re: Situational Hitting w/ Zone Hitting

I would either look to square up a ball that is away and try to be later on my timing. Or have the ball be on the right side of the pci zone so the bat pushes it to the right. Preferably still with the ball middle away.

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[El_MaYiMbE]

Re: Situational Hitting w/ Zone Hitting

I would either look to square up a ball that is away and try to be later on my timing. Or have the ball be on the right side of the pci zone so the bat pushes it to the right. Preferably still with the ball middle away.

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Do you feel that it's natural to do this in relation to "real" hitting or is it difficult to have ball end up on the right side of PCI zone?

[MetsFan16]

Re: Situational Hitting w/ Zone Hitting

Do you feel that it's natural to do this in relation to "real" hitting or is it difficult to have ball end up on the right side of PCI zone?

I feel it is more "real" with PCI because you have to time the pitch and maneuver the bat in a way to push the ball to the right side. As opposed to simply holding L-stick to the right.

[JayhawkerStL]

Re: Situational Hitting w/ Zone Hitting

I feel it is more "real" with PCI because you have to time the pitch and maneuver the bat in a way to push the ball to the right side. As opposed to simply holding L-stick to the right.

I've always considered it the opposite. When I am batting, I don't try to maneuver the bat, I see the ball and swing at it. If I'm not hitting it square, I don't work on my aim, I work on my stance and mechanics.

If I am wanting to push the ball to the opposite field, I keep my front shoulder in. If I am trying to pull it, I open up my shoulders. It's a binary choice, not a fluid aiming choice. Moving the stick to show which adjustment I made makes more sense and seems more realistic.

Usually that choice is based on pitch location, and not where I want to force the ball. Trying to force a a pitch the opposite way should decrease power and contact, but that's the trade off you give to accomplish a situational goal.

That said, using PCI does add a level of difficulty to the game some might prefer. If hitting is too easy using directional hitting, I see no problem with having something like PCI to help the game play more realistically for some. But I don't think there is anything inherently unrealistic about directional hitting.

[MetsFan16]

Re: Situational Hitting w/ Zone Hitting

I've always considered it the opposite. When I am batting, I don't try to maneuver the bat, I see the ball and swing at it. If I'm not hitting it square, I don't work on my aim, I work on my stance and mechanics.



If I am wanting to push the ball to the opposite field, I keep my front shoulder in. If I am trying to pull it, I open up my shoulders. It's a binary choice, not a fluid aiming choice. Moving the stick to show which adjustment I made makes more sense and seems more realistic.



Usually that choice is based on pitch location, and not where I want to force the ball. Trying to force a a pitch the opposite way should decrease power and contact, but that's the trade off you give to accomplish a situational goal.



That said, using PCI does add a level of difficulty to the game some might prefer. If hitting is too easy using directional hitting, I see no problem with having something like PCI to help the game play more realistically for some. But I don't think there is anything inherently unrealistic about directional hitting.

I was talking about maneuvering the "bat" by putting the PCI more towards the left of the ball so if goes oppo as opposed to squaring it up and trying to hit it a long way. Along with sit back and wait a split second to hit it oppo as opposed to judging the pitch and hitting it where it is pitched.

I wasn't talking about physically swinging in real life ha. That's a whole different discussion. If you're try to put a ground ball to second base in real life, you swing down on the ball, late, choke up to get better bat control. Stance doesn't change.

[stevostl]

Re: Situational Hitting w/ Zone Hitting

I feel it is more "real" with PCI because you have to time the pitch and maneuver the bat in a way to push the ball to the right side. As opposed to simply holding L-stick to the right.

this is exactly how i feel... but also more rewarding. I find it easier hitting with the PCI to be honest ... because I'm use to that

[El_MaYiMbE]

Re: Situational Hitting w/ Zone Hitting

I was talking about maneuvering the "bat" by putting the PCI more towards the left of the ball so if goes oppo as opposed to squaring it up and trying to hit it a long way. Along with sit back and wait a split second to hit it oppo as opposed to judging the pitch and hitting it where it is pitched.

I wasn't talking about physically swinging in real life ha. That's a whole different discussion. If you're try to put a ground ball to second base in real life, you swing down on the ball, late, choke up to get better bat control. Stance doesn't change.

You are highlighting why I think Directional is more "real". In game it is more of a challenge to hit with PCI but shouldn't hitting be relatively easy when playing as MLB players?

Their ratings not my skill should determine outcome where as my timing and direction input should determine how I want to play the situation....No?

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[underdog13]

Re: Situational Hitting w/ Zone Hitting

Do you feel that it's natural to do this in relation to "real" hitting or is it difficult to have ball end up on the right side of PCI zone?

Ummm, not sure if it's more realistic than Timing but I find it realistic compared to real life.

If it's an 88mph 4 seamer, I feel I can put it into any field I want it to. Not very hard to square the PCI up on it. When it becomes an 94mph 2seamer, It becomes just hit it back from where it came.

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[MetsFan16]

Re: Situational Hitting w/ Zone Hitting

You are highlighting why I think Directional is more "real". In game it is more of a challenge to hit with PCI but shouldn't hitting be relatively easy when playing as MLB players?

Their ratings not my skill should determine outcome where as my timing and direction input should determine how I want to play the situation....No?

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Just because they're major league players doesn't mean it's easy for them.

But if you don't want your skill to determine outcome, then it is easier for you to situationally hit. Which in turn makes it less realistic because hitting in the majors is not easy for anyone.

So the more realistic option is the harder one, PCI.


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[El_MaYiMbE]

Re: Situational Hitting w/ Zone Hitting

Just because they're major league players doesn't mean it's easy for them.

But if you don't want your skill to determine outcome, then it is easier for you to situationally hit. Which in turn makes it less realistic because hitting in the majors is not easy for anyone.

So the more realistic option is the harder one, PCI.


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I get what you are saying, and it's why I said relatively easy for MLB players specifically.

I could never hit .300 but Miguel Cabrera does every year and that's where the relative comes in.

Miguel doesn't need to aim his bat to hit ball to opposite field and the "ease" which he does doesn't seem to be represented with PCI.

I have always thought this but wanted to get others take to make sure I wasn't missing something.

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[killaxxbearsxxx]

Re: Situational Hitting w/ Zone Hitting

I get what you are saying, and it's why I said relatively easy for MLB players specifically.

I could never hit .300 but Miguel Cabrera does every year and that's where the relative comes in.

Miguel doesn't need to aim his bat to hit ball to opposite field and the "ease" which he does doesn't seem to be represented with PCI.

I have always thought this but wanted to get others take to make sure I wasn't missing something.

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I feel like wanting to take your skills out of the question in order to replicate real life mlb players would be sim, but not necessarily real.

I feel like "sim" and "real" work towards the same goal of achieve realism but "sim" aims to replicate real life secondary experience (watching the game, tracking stats, etc.) and "real" aims to replicate real life primary experience (playing the game)

There probably needs to be a better word than "real" but you get me. Also there is no value attached to wanting a primary or secondary experience. Please don't turn this into this one is better than the other. That is not my intention

[El_MaYiMbE]

Re: Situational Hitting w/ Zone Hitting

I feel like wanting to take your skills out of the question in order to replicate real life mlb players would be sim, but not necessarily real.

I feel like "sim" and "real" work towards the same goal of achieve realism but "sim" aims to replicate real life secondary experience (watching the game, tracking stats, etc.) and "real" aims to replicate real life primary experience (playing the game)

There probably needs to be a better word than "real" but you get me. Also there is no value attached to wanting a primary or secondary experience. Please don't turn this into this one is better than the other. That is not my intention

I think we are on same page and you broke it down better than me actually. I struggle with finding the sweet spot between real vs sim, and I am looking for the happy medium between the two.

I don't want to watch, I want to play, but I don't want it to be easy (that's not fun) but at times I feel the game is frustratingly hard even when playing as players who make it look easy in real life.

So in the quest to find that happy medium I still feel like zone hitting is too complicated to constitute as "real" because it conflicts with the part where I say "make it look easy".

So like you I don't want to turn it into one is better than other but def interested in how others use the hitting option.

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[killaxxbearsxxx]

Re: Situational Hitting w/ Zone Hitting

This is actually the reason I switched from directional hitting to zone hitting. If you turn the pci off everything feels super intuitive. Switich the swing from "X" to analog flick and its even better (I'm still adjusting to it).

If I need to spray it to the right side of the field I take my real life approach..I let the ball travel as deep as I can and pull the bat (hidden PCI) inside of the ball.

This is the same thing that has been said, but I guess my addition to the conversation is that if you use zone hitting and disregard the PCI, everything is intuitive and works the way it would in real life. At least in my experience with it so far

[El_MaYiMbE]

Re: Situational Hitting w/ Zone Hitting

This is actually the reason I switched from directional hitting to zone hitting. If you turn the pci off everything feels super intuitive. Switich the swing from "X" to analog flick and its even better (I'm still adjusting to it).

If I need to spray it to the right side of the field I take my real life approach..I let the ball travel as deep as I can and pull the bat (hidden PCI) inside of the ball.

This is the same thing that has been said, but I guess my addition to the conversation is that if you use zone hitting and disregard the PCI, everything is intuitive and works the way it would in real life. At least in my experience with it so far

See....I feel like it's counter-intuative because directional hitting is actually both timing and directional.

So if you hide PCI and rely on timing to pull/push ball you are actually using directional (and timing hitting) but with zone hitting enabled.

Now, taken at face value it works because if there is an inside pitch that you are early on (you will pull it) or an outside pitch you are late on (you will hit other way) and that's okay. However the issue is when you want to put ball on ground or in air.

How can you get under a ball enough to lift it or on top a ball enough to ground it? The ball is moving too fast and you don't know it's final location.

In real life at the plate you don't aim your bat under the ball to lift it in the air. I mean literally you do, but there is no true aiming, your hand-eye coordination and swing type allow you to get under ball, this happens almost instinctively.

I feel with directional hitting....by pulling the direction you want the ball to go you are telling the batter what type of swing you want to put on ball, and let his "hand-eye coordination", contact rating, power, etc....Determine how successful the attempt is.

Now despite me thinking that's the best method and more "realistic" more often than not the results aren't there, but I still feel like I tried. With directional I feel I can only control where the bat goes and not where the ball goes.

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