At-Bat Approach Trainer Have a plan. Trust it. Win the at-bat.
A free hitting approach game for baseball and fastpitch. Before every pitch, pick your plan for the count: see ball, hit ball, sit fastball, sit off-speed, hunt a zone, plus count or the 2-strike approach. Then swing or take. Every pitch is graded on your plan, not just the result.
- Baseball + fastpitch
- Real counts and at-bats
- New Daily Game every day
At-Bat Approach Trainer
6 at-bats. Pick a plan before each pitch, then tap Swing or let it go. Space bar keeps the same plan, then swings.
Why approach wins at-bats
Great hitters don’t walk up hoping. They walk up with a plan for every count, and they let the plan decide the swing. That’s the Mental Approach, one of the 4 pillars every AHD hitter trains.
The plans
- See ball, hit ball: swing at strikes, take balls. Simple, and fine for a lot of counts.
- Sit fastball: be on time for the heater. If it’s off-speed early in the count, let it go.
- Sit off-speed: for the pitcher who lives on the slow stuff. Wait on it.
- Hunt a zone: middle, up, down, in or away. Your pitch, your zone. Everything else gets a take until two strikes.
- Plus count: damage pitch: when you’re ahead (1-0, 2-0, 2-1, 3-0, 3-1), sit on your best pitch, a fastball over the middle, and take everything else. The pitcher has to come to you.
- 2-strike: protect: shorter swing, a slightly bigger zone, fight off anything close.
How it’s graded
A on plan: you hunted it and swung, or you took a ball. B disciplined: you took a strike that wasn’t your pitch early in the count. C off plan: you swung at a strike you weren’t looking for, which usually means weak contact. D your pitch came and you took it. F you chased a ball, or took strike three. Your Approach Score is your average grade, shown as 0–100.
Training guide
What it trains
Building a plan for each count and situation, then sticking to it pitch by pitch.
Who it’s for
Hitters who go up without a plan, or who change it after one pitch.
How to get better
- Pick one pitch and one zone to hunt before each at-bat.
- Change the plan only with two strikes, and know what it changes to.
- After each at-bat, check whether you stuck to the plan, not just whether you got a hit.
- Talk through plans with a coach or teammate between innings.
Read more on the Backspin Blog
- Hitting Timing, Decisions & Adjustments
- Plate Discipline Is a Skill: Train Swing Decisions
- Two Strike Approach Baseball: How to Battle
- What Every Hitter Must Know: Hitting Is a System
Next step: run the free Hitter Combine to find your #1 priority, or train this skill start to finish in the Mental Approach course.
Questions
What is a hitting approach?
An approach is the plan a hitter takes into each pitch: what pitch and zone they’re hunting, and how that plan changes with the count. Early in the count you can hunt one pitch. With two strikes you shorten up and protect the plate.
What is a good two-strike approach?
Shorten the swing, widen the zone a little and fight off anything close. The worst two-strike outcome is a called strike three, because that at-bat never had a chance.
Should a hitter sit fastball?
Sitting fastball is a strong early-count plan for most hitters: be on time for the heater and let off-speed go until you have two strikes. The trainer grades you on sticking to it.
Is the At-Bat Approach Trainer free?
Yes. It runs in your phone or computer browser with no app and no sign-up, and scores are saved only on your device.