You see it every game. The hitter who dominates in the cage looks lost at the plate. They're swinging at pitches in the dirt and freezing on fastballs right down the middle. Your "eye test" tells you they're struggling, but it doesn't tell you why
It's time to stop guessing.
This playbook gives you a simple, three-step play you can run in your next practice to get theobjective hitting data you need. This isn't about expensive technology; it's about smarter training.
PLAY 1: The Pitch Recognition Audit
OBJECTIVE: To move beyond the "eye test" and capture hard data on your hitters' swing decisions, revealing their true strengths and weaknesses against different pitches.
STEP 1: GATHER YOUR EQUIPMENT (The Tools for the Job)
To run this play effectively, you only need a few things.
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✅A Clipboard & Pen
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✅Our Printable Chart: [Link to a downloadable PDF of the chart below]
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✅A Three-Wheel Pitching Machine
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✅The Essential Tool: A "Clean Stimulus."
This last one is non-negotiable. To get accurate data, the hitter cannot know what pitch is coming. If they can guess from a coach's signal or the sound of a machine adjustment, your data is useless.
This is why the JZ Sports MC3 Pitching Machine Ball is the key to this entire play. Its patented design allows you to throw a random mix of fastballs, curveballs, and sliders without ever touching the machine. It creates the perfect, unpredictable environment needed for a true assessment.
STEP 2: RUN THE DRILL (The Execution)
Once your equipment is ready, the execution is simple and takes less than 5 minutes per hitter.
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Set Up the Machine: Position your three-wheel machine at your desired speed and location.
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Load the Pitches: Have a coach or player secretly load a random sequence of15 MC3 balls (e.g., 9 fastballs, 3 curveballs, 3 sliders). The hitter should not know the sequence.
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Chart Every Pitch: As the hitter completes their round, use the chart from Step 1 to log the outcome of every single pitch. Don’t interrupt; just observe and record.
STEP 3: ANALYZE THE FILM (The Post-Drill Breakdown)
This is where the magic happens. Your chart is now the "game film" of the hitter's brain. Sit down with them and analyze the results.
Look for patterns by asking these key questions:
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Where are the mistakes? Is the hitter consistently chasing the same pitch (e.g., the curveball in the dirt)?
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What are they taking? Are they taking hittable fastballs early in the count? This could signal hesitation or that they were fooled by the previous pitch.
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How does contact quality change? Do they crush fastballs but only make weak contact or whiff on breaking balls? This is a clear indicator that their recognition, not their swing, is the issue.
COACH'S Q&A (Common Questions)
YOUR NEXT PRACTICE
Stop guessing and start coaching with objective data. Run this play in your next practice to get an instant, accurate baseline for every hitter on your team. It's the first step toward building a smarter, more disciplined, and more dangerous lineup.
Get the equipment you need to run this play.Explore the JZ Sports MC3 Ball System today.
