Where To Stand in The Box

[radness]

I agree with the reason batters move up, but why would you want to get to a pitch before it moves off the plate? Just let it become a ball. Most breaking pitches in MLB are designed to be balls in the same fashion - best to learn to lay off.

Pitch may still be a strike.
But at the back of the box it will have moved farther away.
Most spin moves away from the strikezone.

For instance even a drop can be a strike at the front of the plate.
But drop low to back of the plate/ out of strikezone.
And much lower at the back of the box.

Opposite can be true of a riseball
also.

 

[radness]

For instance a curve only needs to nick the front outer corner of the plate/strikezone to be a strike.
It will continue traveling outside further.
At the back of the box the batter will be at greater task to then reach it and make a greater adjustment. If they can then reach it.

*Remember in Fastpitch the pitch starts in the strikezone and moves away from it!

 

[chinamigarden]

I agree with the reason batters move up, but why would you want to get to a pitch before it moves off the plate? Just let it become a ball. Most breaking pitches in MLB are designed to be balls in the same fashion - best to learn to lay off.

If the pitch catches the front corner black and then breaks away. It’s a strike.
A ball over the outer half that can be barreled up could be well into the river by the time it gets to the back part of the batters box.
The pitch does not need to be in the strike zone the whole length of the plate for it
To be called a strike.

baseball strategy is not always the right way to do things in softball.

 

[EC22]

All batters need to see the ball long enough to make a decision. If some need to see it longer to do that then they should move back.
Batters who move up for breaking pitches are typically trying to hit the ball before it moves off the plate, not because they can’t wait for it.

Yay. Someone got it right. It depends on the pitcher.

 

[Towny9]

I understand that baseball strategy is not always best, but Im just using math.

In the 37 feet from release to catcher the top pitchers might make the ball move 8-9” left, right, down over that 37 foot span (espn sport science). That’s about a half an inch of movement over that last 2 feet of plate. Now, every 12” you move up or back translates to almost 2 mph in speed difference. I would rather have the extra time vs the half inch.

Just a personal preference - ymmv

 

[chinamigarden]

I understand that baseball strategy is not always best, but Im just using math.

In the 37 feet from release to catcher the top pitchers might make the ball move 8-9” left, right, down over that 37 foot span (espn sport science). That’s about a half an inch of movement over that last 2 feet of plate. Now, every 12” you move up or back translates to almost 2 mph in speed difference. I would rather have the extra time vs the half inch.

Just a personal preference - ymmv

Does the ball break an equal amount over the whole distance, or does it break more as the ball slows?

 

[Towny9]

excerpt from Don Mattinglys book. I like what he says about adjusting closer to and farther away from the plate. Also, I agree with Gwynn about wherever you stand (front or back) stay there for the consistency.

 

[_MIA_]

Like I said in a different thread, and this sort of goes with what Gwynn was saying in the previous post, the brain uses previous information to figure out where a ball is going to end up. You start moving all around in the box and that screws that up imo.

That said, confidence is a big (probably the biggest) part of hitting so if a batter feels that moving around gives them an advantage then who am I to say don't do it....

 

[radness]

I stand front of the box.
Back foot in front of the plate.
(Toes about 4-5" away from the box line. This was with pitching rubber at 40')

Cuts off movement of the pitch.
Which can make the pitcher have to make an adjustment.
Cuts off the goal of the pitcher to use area's out of zone to their advantage.
Often pitchers would have to throw farther out of zone to keep pitch away from me...leading to more balls than strikes.

Timing is Timing

 

[Greatdaytobeawildcat]

This is all starting with the assumption that the box is drawn correctly, of course.

Or drawn at all.