how to track the ball with zone hitting.

[FenwayMac]

If some of your veteran players can please place some of your wisdom upon my weak zone-hitting problem. I would really appreciate the feedback!

The issue is this. I have gotten better and patience, and choosing the proper strike pitches to hit...not the nibbles, but the one's that catch the better part of the plate.

The issue is that I am having trouble tracking the ball with the PCI properly. I could just leave it dead center, but most pitches are not dead-center and I am not getting enough of the meat on the bat to get great contact.

I am looking for techniques to help me track the ball with the PCI better. I am looking for all methods, like wiggling the stick a bit to get a better jump, starting at the top of the zone....etc...whatever it takes so that when I hit into an out I (for the most part) am squared up nice, and instead am just a victim to poor timing or statistics instead.

Nothing worse that looking at my summary to see that my PCI missed by eight yards!

I know that tracking pitches can be achieved through techniques and eventually it will be just muscle memory, but I need the technique to teach myself.

Can you please provide feedback?

Thank you!

[Gr33nthumb]

Re: how to track the ball with zone hitting.

Go into practice mode and and dont take one swing. Just practice following the pitch with your PCI. After you have done this so many times that you can almost always center the pitch, start practicing with swings.

[FenwayMac]

Re: how to track the ball with zone hitting.

Sounds pretty good, but in order to log the results to see how close I was, don't I need to swing the bat?

I guess I could just turn on the PCI?

Did you use this technique?

[Qb]

Re: how to track the ball with zone hitting.

I had, and still have, trouble aligning my PCI with the ball. I found that turning it on does help somewhat, but I still feel like it doesn't respond when I move the stick. I know it's me and my slow reactions, but I love zone hitting, so I just keep practicing.

[FenwayMac]

Re: how to track the ball with zone hitting.

How do you practice, what's your technique?

[Gr33nthumb]

Re: how to track the ball with zone hitting.

Sounds pretty good, but in order to log the results to see how close I was, don't I need to swing the bat?

I guess I could just turn on the PCI?

Did you use this technique?

Yes, sorry I should have mentioned this, but I forgot because I play with the PCI always on. Make sure its on to practice, but even if its not on you can still push L3 to see your results

[Qb]

Re: how to track the ball with zone hitting.

By practice I mostly meant just playing games, although I will go into practice mode now & then, usually the good at-bat training. I agree with the earlier poster regarding simply tracking the ball in practice mode without swinging.

As for in-game techniques, I'm probably not the best person to take advice from. But if you dare... I often like to sit on low pitches with the PCI since they're more frequent. I try to check my swing analysis often to make sure I'm moving the stick early enough. This is usually my downfall... I believe once we hit X, the PCI is locked. At times I tried putting the PCI over the ball while in the pitcher's hand to follow it all the way in, but I usually end up swinging too much when I do that.

Good luck, man.

[parkinson]

Re: how to track the ball with zone hitting.

I believe once we hit X, the PCI is locked.

Always curious at that point. Don't understand why they don't let us move PCI while we swing. Good batters like Ichiro track the ball until the end.

[Juiceman612]

Re: how to track the ball with zone hitting.

So, can someone help me clear the confusion here about the PCI? Can you actually move the PCI without swinging? I use analog swinging and I cannot move the PCI pre-swing (assuming you move it with the left stick) and with PCI turned to ON in the options it still disappears when the ball is pitched. The only way I can see how it covers is pressing L3 after I swing at a pitch. So, really I don't get at all why it matters to turn PCI to ON when you can't move it pre-swing anyway - might as well leave it off. I swear I could move it pre-swing in 2010, but I'm not 100% on that.

[parkinson]

Re: how to track the ball with zone hitting.

So, can someone help me clear the confusion here about the PCI? Can you actually move the PCI without swinging? I use analog swinging and I cannot move the PCI pre-swing (assuming you move it with the left stick) and with PCI turned to ON in the options it still disappears when the ball is pitched. The only way I can see how it covers is pressing L3 after I swing at a pitch. So, really I don't get at all why it matters to turn PCI to ON when you can't move it pre-swing anyway - might as well leave it off. I swear I could move it pre-swing in 2010, but I'm not 100% on that.

With analog hitting option, you can't move PCI. It's an automatic move based on your swing timing and player's attributes. PCI can be moved only with zone hitting option.

[Juiceman612]

Re: how to track the ball with zone hitting.

With analog hitting option, you can't move PCI. It's an automatic move based on your swing timing and player's attributes. PCI can be moved only with zone hitting option.

Gah! Thanks - no wonder I could move it last year and not this year.

This might move me back to button swinging. I really like to track the ball and it feels completely absent with analog swinging; like part of my swing technique is missing. It would have been nice to move the PCI with the left stick and swing with the right stick. Oh well.

[FenwayMac]

Re: how to track the ball with zone hitting.

so are most in agreement that the best way to learn to track better is to hit the cage and take tons of pitches until it is natural?

Any thoughts on where to start the PCI? Top of the zone? Dead-center? Down low? maybe start up around the pitch release and follow it all the way in?