Where Will It Be? The ball hides partway. Where will it cross the plate?
Hitters decide with a lot of the flight still left, so the read has to come early. Watch the pitch out of the hand, the ball disappears, and you tap where it will cross. Every good read makes it hide sooner. Your score shows how many feet you had left when you made the read.
- 3 minutes
- Adapts to you
- Free · no sign-up
Where Will It Be?
Watch the pitch. When it disappears, tap where it will cross the plate.
Why early reads matter
A swing takes about 150 milliseconds. A fastball takes about 400. That leaves a hitter only the first part of the flight to see the pitch and decide. Occlusion training, hiding the ball partway, trains the eyes to pull more from that early look: release point, starting line, speed and spin.
That is the Hitting Processor, one of the 4 pillars every AHD hitter trains.
Training guide
What it trains
Predicting where the pitch will cross the plate after the ball disappears partway, the way the brain actually tracks a pitch.
Who it’s for
Hitters who swing at pitches that end up out of the zone, or who lose the ball late.
How to get better
- Read the first part of the flight, then trust your prediction. Great hitters predict, they don’t just react.
- Play the daily mode for one quick, scored set every day.
- Pay attention to spin as well as speed. Both change where the ball ends up.
- In the cage, call the location (up, down, in, away) before the ball arrives.
Read more on the Backspin Blog
- Why Great Hitters Predict, Not Just React
- Occlusion Training for Hitters: Read Pitches Early
- The Hitter’s Brain: How Neurons Shape Hitting
- The Ball Never Changes: Why It Looks Small or Fast
Next step: run the free Hitter Combine to find your #1 priority, or train this skill start to finish in the Hitting Processor course.
Questions
What is occlusion training for hitters?
Training where the ball disappears partway to the plate, so the hitter has to predict where it will end up from the early part of the flight. It builds the early read hitters need to swing on time.
How do you get better at reading pitches early?
Lock your eyes on the release point, read the starting line and speed, and practice with the ball hidden earlier and earlier. Daily short sessions work best.
Does it work for softball?
Yes. Fastpitch has its own pitch shapes, including the riseball and dropball.