Owning the Strike Zone

Owning the strike zone is easier than you think. It's often opined that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in all of sports. And when you break it down, it's true. Think about it. What other activity allows someone to have a 70% average of failure and still be considered "good"?  The U.S. Presidency aside, the answer would be none. If you swing a baseball bat correctly, however, you will be off to a good start.

Balancing Act
Before you have a good swing, you must have good balance, which starts with the lower body. Position your feet shoulder width apart, with weight evenly distributed, erring slightly to your back leg. Having your feet too far apart will decrease the amount of power and control that goes into your swing, while having your feet too close together will decrease the momentum you'll have going after the ball.

Making Strides
As you start to swing, stride forward slightly with your front foot. As you do so, make sure your front foot stays sideways to the pitcher. If your foot opens up to the point where your its toes are facing the pitcher or down the nearest baseline, it will become more difficult to keep your eye on the ball. Simultaneously, pivot your back foot forward as you swing; this is where any and all "turning" should take place.

Keep Your Eye on the Ball
It may be cliché, but it's also correct. You can't hit what you don't see (generally speaking). In order to maintain focus, imagine your head staying down on the ball, following it all the way in until it makes contact with your bat. The best hitters will tell you that hitting a home run feels like hitting nothing at all, which is the product of keeping focus on the baseball and connecting with it at its core.

Know The Ump's Zone
Every umpire has a different strike zone. In theory, the strike zone falls between a player's uniform letters and knees. The best bet is to watch your teammates' at-bats to see what pitches that game's umpire is calling for strikes. If you are the leadoff hitter, take a pitch or two and see what comes of it.

Know Your Zone
Obviously, every hitter is different when it comes to what pitches are hit the furthest. That's why it's important to learn yourself. If you are good at hitting high fastballs, look for those pitches to try and hit. If you're good at hitting low breaking balls, wait for those. When you are ahead in the count, it's wise to "sit" on these pitches, meaning that's what you look for, and you let everything else go by. However, when you're down in the count (two strikes), you're swinging at anything that's close and protecting the plate. It's better to make contact and foul a pitch off, or just put a ball in play, than to get too picky and go down looking.

Pull Against the Opposite Field
If a pitch is inside, that is when you want to pull the baseball. It requires quick wrist rotation and bat speed, but also provides your best shot of getting good wood on the ball. If a pitch is away, it can benefit you to "wait" on the pitch, hitting it to the opposite field instead of trying to pull it back the other way. But remember, know your pitch, look for your pitch, and try to put the ball in play.