Why Every Young Hitter Needs a Plan at the Plate

Every Swing Starts Before You Step in the Box

Great hitters don’t just react, they prepare. At The Armory Baseball & Softball Academy in Cumming, GA, we teach players that every at-bat begins long before the pitcher throws the ball. Having a plan at the plate separates the average hitter from the consistent competitor.A plan helps hitters anticipate, adjust, and execute. Without it, you’re just guessing. With it, you’re dangerous.

What Does a “Plan at the Plate” Actually Mean?

A hitting plan is more than hoping for a fastball. It’s understanding:

• The count — It doesn't matter! Every time you step into the box you should be looking for your pitch in your zone. Not thinking about the count will set you up for more success by allowing you to stay off pitchers pitches for weak contact, chasing out of the zone, and ready for your zone.

• Your strengths — What zone do you do the most damage in? The plate is seven baseballs wide, staying in a three ball zone or five ball zone will set you up for more success. Trying to cover the entire plate and multiple different pitches can lead to disaster. Simplify. Think small and shrink the plate into smaller zones and be ready when the pitch is there.

• The situation — Are there runners on? What’s the game calling for? How has he pitched other batters? Has he shown tendencies? This can also determine how the pitcher will pitch you during the at bat. Staying in our three or five ball zone we can also set our approach of seeing something up in the zone or down the zone. If the situation is runners on base one out, the pitcher will most likely be looking for a ground ball, so our approach would be see the ball up in the zone in our three ball zone. Knowing the pitchers tendencies and how they pitch different situations comes from paying attention in the dugout and preparing for your at bat before it happens.

At The Armory, we teach hitters how to control their approach based on the situation, not emotion. Plate discipline is one of the biggest components a hitter can have. Being disciplined at the plate and being able to dominate our three or five ball zone leads to more walks, less strikeouts, more contact, and best of all harder contact.

Control the Controllable

As Harvey Dorfman wrote in The Mental Game of Baseball, “The mind controls the body, and the body responds to the mind.” If you step into the box without a clear plan, you’re reacting instead of competing. With a plan, you’re calm, confident, and dangerous.

From The Mental Side of Hitting, Steve Springer emphasizes, “Compete with confidence, not perfection.” We remind players that failure is part of baseball. A good approach means you win the at-bat even if you don’t get a hit. You can’t control the outcome, only your plan, attitude, and effort.

At The Armory, we teach athletes to focus on what’s within their control: their breathing, their preparation, and their response after each pitch. That’s what builds consistency over time.

Final Thought

Having a plan at the plate isn’t just about baseball, it’s about preparation, discipline, and confidence. That’s what we build every day at The Armory Baseball & Softball Academy, helping players of all ages learn to compete with purpose.

Ready to develop your hitting plan? Book a lesson today at The Armory in Cumming, GA, where we don't do ordinary we develop players who own the game.