Why can't I hit?
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My issue is I peak after two games and start losing focus. I really enjoy playing ranked seasons. I would guess the first three games of a sitting I am hitting close to .275. I will then play another 3 but will barely be able to hit anything. I’ve played over 400 so far. I really lose focus quickly. If I was hardcore about my record I would cap it to two games in one setting
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@thumpasery said in Why can't I hit?:
I play virtually all my games on All Star difficulty in Ranked Seasons and am hitting around .225 online, which I know is really bad. I've watched tons of hitting tips videos and nothing seems to work for me. I try to look for the "bump" at the release point to determine if it's an offspeed pitch, but a fastball released just a little high looks the same to me, so I'm either late on the fastball or early on offspeed. I feel like I have to swing early to catch up with the fastball, so I'm often swinging at pitches out of the zone. I try batting practice with the sliders turned up, but I just flail for however long I take batting practice and don't notice any improvement, so it feels pointless. I play on a 55" Samsung TV in game mode, and for a variety of reasons a monitor isn't really an option, so I'm wondering if not having a monitor is the majority of my problem, or if there could be other factors at work. Does having a monitor make pitch speeds look slower? I have the original (pre-Pro) PS4; does having a Pro make a difference? My internet is Comcast with a WiFi connection and averages about 25Mbps when tested on the PS4; is that good? Bad? Irrelevant? I've read that connection quality can impact pitch speeds pretty dramatically; is this true, and how much of a factor is it compared to the difference a monitor makes? Do any of the TV settings apart from game mode (which HDMI input you use, HDR setting on or off, 1080 vs 720) matter?
I'm also probably at the upper end of the age spectrum for people playing this game (I'm 48) and my eyesight isn't perfect. I'm just wondering why I'm so bad at hitting and if it's one issue or a combination of things, and if there's anything I'm missing or if it's possible to just not be very good and not able to improve.
Thanks!
I would plug in directly to the router. Hardliners is always better. My connection for hard line is 200 mbps.
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@thumpasery said in Why can't I hit?:
@Bleeding-_-Me said in Why can't I hit?:
I think most of the problem for us older people playing is picking up the ball... what pitch it is and where it’s going. I can tell you that there is no way I am picking up any spin on the ball at all let alone fast enough to respond in time...
Do you think you’d be able to pick up the spin on the ball or have any real difference if you had a monitor? Are you able to see spin now?I wonder about this too. I wonder if, when you watch streamers play the game, you're actually seeing what they're seeing in terms of how much time they have to react to a pitch, etc. They're all playing on Hall of Fame or Legend, but they can get the PCI to the ball more consistently than I can doing one of the Moments on Veteran difficulty. One of the streamers, I think maybe College Lefty, has a video where he shows his PCI movement in slow motion, and he actually initially reacts one way, then kind of "double clutches" and redirects his PCI to the correct spot, which is something I simply can't imagine having the reaction time to do. Does a monitor buy you that reaction time, or do some people just have it ? Obviously not everyone can be a top 50 player, so it's probably some of both, but I wonder how much difference it truly makes if you're just old and slow lol...
Is there anyone out there who bought a monitor and didn't think it helped much, or thinks it's mostly a placebo effect due to increased confidence? I know part of my problem at this point is that I know I can't hit, so I go into games expecting to struggle, and it's hard to stick to an approach when you're not seeing much success and thinking "here we go again."
It’s funny you mention that. You watch their videos and when they are batting, the pitches come in so smoothly and so slowly. I think it’s probably just the way it looks post processing or whatever. But my pitches come in like teleporting missiles. I do think that people are having completely different experiences when playing online. It could be internet. It could be disparity of connection speeds between opponents. I don’t even know. I bought a monitor, and that definitely helped, but there are so many other factors that go into play beyond a monitor. Heck, what if the problem is with your hdmi cable? What if your controller is causing undue input lag? Maybe you just have the wrong settings selected on your tv or monitor? There are so many random things that can impact your gameplay experience. Sorry. I lost track of what my initial point was. What were we talking about again?
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All you guys in your 40’s listen up. Just keep playing the game and do some practice hitting on higher speeds than you are used to playing online. You will get better. I’m 65 and I’m 11-3 in RS and I win about 50-60% of the event games I play. It is doable so don’t let the fact that you are in your 40’s be a crutch.....wanna trade ages? lol
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@TEXAS10PT said in Why can't I hit?:
All you guys in your 40’s listen up. Just keep playing the game and do some practice hitting on higher speeds than you are used to playing online. You will get better. I’m 65 and I’m 11-3 in RS and I win about 50-60% of the event games I play. It is doable so don’t let the fact that you are in your 40’s be a crutch.....wanna trade ages? lol
Yeah, but do you have a monitor or magic internet?
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@vagimon said in Why can't I hit?:
I bought a monitor, and that definitely helped
When you say it helped, how would you describe the difference? Is pitch speed slower? Is it easier to see the difference between a fastball and a changeup? Can you wait longer before pressing X and still get a well timed swing? And is the difference dramatic or subtle?
Just curious.
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@thumpasery said in Why can't I hit?:
@vagimon said in Why can't I hit?:
I bought a monitor, and that definitely helped
When you say it helped, how would you describe the difference? Is pitch speed slower? Is it easier to see the difference between a fastball and a changeup? Can you wait longer before pressing X and still get a well timed swing? And is the difference dramatic or subtle?
Just curious.
Good questions. Pitch speeds are not slower. If your tv has a high input lag, you will be able to wait longer if you’re playing on a monitor. But there are some games I play where the pitch speeds definitely look slower and some where they are a blur. I think that’s from connection issues with your opponent though. But when speeds are jacked up, would you rather try catching up to those pitches with 30ms of input lag or 10ms of input lag? It seems like a small amount, but with timing windows being what they are, you want every advantage you can get. Do you know what the input lag of your tv is? You can check rtings.com if you don’t know.
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@thumpasery said in Why can't I hit?:
@vagimon said in Why can't I hit?:
I bought a monitor, and that definitely helped
When you say it helped, how would you describe the difference? Is pitch speed slower? Is it easier to see the difference between a fastball and a changeup? Can you wait longer before pressing X and still get a well timed swing? And is the difference dramatic or subtle?
Just curious.
The pitch speeds look the same. It looks a bit smoother on a monitor. The problem I think is the tv is showing you what happened a few milliseconds in the past. So if your timing is good with what you are seeing, you are still a few milliseconds behind, so in order for your timing to be good, you have to react before you rea what is actually happening. On a monitor, you are getting less of a picture delay, so you can react to what you see instead of trying to guess and be super early. Its subtle. Doesn't look much different, but its definitely better
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@thumpasery said in Why can't I hit?:
@TEXAS10PT said in Why can't I hit?:
All you guys in your 40’s listen up. Just keep playing the game and do some practice hitting on higher speeds than you are used to playing online. You will get better. I’m 65 and I’m 11-3 in RS and I win about 50-60% of the event games I play. It is doable so don’t let the fact that you are in your 40’s be a crutch.....wanna trade ages? lol
Yeah, but do you have a monitor or magic internet?
I have a BenQ gaming monitor that is about 4 years old. No magic internet either, I just make sure its hardwired. WiFi will jack with your hitting.
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@Boneman05 said in Why can't I hit?:
@thumpasery said in Why can't I hit?:
I play virtually all my games on All Star difficulty in Ranked Seasons and am hitting around .225 online, which I know is really bad. I've watched tons of hitting tips videos and nothing seems to work for me. I try to look for the "bump" at the release point to determine if it's an offspeed pitch, but a fastball released just a little high looks the same to me, so I'm either late on the fastball or early on offspeed. I feel like I have to swing early to catch up with the fastball, so I'm often swinging at pitches out of the zone. I try batting practice with the sliders turned up, but I just flail for however long I take batting practice and don't notice any improvement, so it feels pointless. I play on a 55" Samsung TV in game mode, and for a variety of reasons a monitor isn't really an option, so I'm wondering if not having a monitor is the majority of my problem, or if there could be other factors at work. Does having a monitor make pitch speeds look slower? I have the original (pre-Pro) PS4; does having a Pro make a difference? My internet is Comcast with a WiFi connection and averages about 25Mbps when tested on the PS4; is that good? Bad? Irrelevant? I've read that connection quality can impact pitch speeds pretty dramatically; is this true, and how much of a factor is it compared to the difference a monitor makes? Do any of the TV settings apart from game mode (which HDMI input you use, HDR setting on or off, 1080 vs 720) matter?
I'm also probably at the upper end of the age spectrum for people playing this game (I'm 48) and my eyesight isn't perfect. I'm just wondering why I'm so bad at hitting and if it's one issue or a combination of things, and if there's anything I'm missing or if it's possible to just not be very good and not able to improve.
Thanks!
I would plug in directly to the router. Hardliners is always better. My connection for hard line is 200 mbps.
Below is how I approach each at bat, may help you. I'm by no means a great player, but think I'm a little better than average and can compete most times. My online average is .274 and a 2.72 ERA. My ranked record is 25-14 on allstar. My current record on the the hall of fame difficulty event is 19-17, so not great but can hang.
I generally do not swing at the first pitch, unless it's a mistake pitch like down the middle or a pitch I feel really good about like low in the zone. When I have one strike, I will start cheating either high in the zone or inside with my PCI depending on the tendencies I'm picking up from the opponent. With 2 strikes I generally cheat high and inside as this is most peeps go to strikeout pitch. Biggest thing to remember is discipline, discipline, discipline. After about 2 innings or so, if my opponent is consistently pitching a first strike high in the zone or inside, then go ahead and start cheating and take advantage. Or wait till there are runners on base to get the big 3 run HR. Once you connect with a couple of these they will typically stop, so let them think they are getting one on you and then deliver when it counts the most. Hope this helps.
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@vagimon said in Why can't I hit?:
Do you know what the input lag of your tv is? You can check rtings.com if you don’t know.
It's a Samsung NU7100, so 13.7 ms according to rtings.com, which is... Pretty good for a TV? Definitely in the upper tier of the TVs they list anyway.
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@JiggidyJJ said in Why can't I hit?:
Below is how I approach each at bat, may help you. I'm by no means a great player, but think I'm a little better than average and can compete most times. My online average is .274 and a 2.72 ERA. My ranked record is 25-14 on allstar. My current record on the the hall of fame difficulty event is 19-17, so not great but can hang.
I generally do not swing at the first pitch, unless it's a mistake pitch like down the middle or a pitch I feel really good about like low in the zone. When I have one strike, I will start cheating either high in the zone or inside with my PCI depending on the tendencies I'm picking up from the opponent. With 2 strikes I generally cheat high and inside as this is most peeps go to strikeout pitch. Biggest thing to remember is discipline, discipline, discipline. After about 2 innings or so, if my opponent is consistently pitching a first strike high in the zone or inside, then go ahead and start cheating and take advantage. Or wait till there are runners on base to get the big 3 run HR. Once you connect with a couple of these they will typically stop, so let them think they are getting one on you and then deliver when it counts the most. Hope this helps.
This is helpful, thank you. I sometimes think a pitch is going to be a mistake pitch and then it drops, but I suppose that happens at times to everyone. I will try to be consistent with this and see how it goes.
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@eatyum said in Why can't I hit?:
It sounds like you are in your head way too much. Hard to get consistency when you're trying to do a million things at once.
As for your other questions,
- Yes a monitor would probably help some
- A monitor isn't really making the pitch speed slower, it's more about input lag. (As in from the time you press the button to the batter swinging etc)
- No having a pro really doesn't make any significant difference.
- 25 Mbps is not bad, not great, kinda average.
- Connection can affect gameplay at times yes
25 mbps is average... Well eff. I rock 75 to 85 every day. Lol internet in my area went up in price... Blah.
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@thumpasery said in Why can't I hit?:
@vagimon said in Why can't I hit?:
Do you know what the input lag of your tv is? You can check rtings.com if you don’t know.
It's a Samsung NU7100, so 13.7 ms according to rtings.com, which is... Pretty good for a TV? Definitely in the upper tier of the TVs they list anyway.
Is that at 1080p? I wouldn’t recommend playing on 4k. The frame rate gets pretty choppy.
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@vagimon said in Why can't I hit?:
Is that at 1080p? I wouldn’t recommend playing on 4k. The frame rate gets pretty choppy.
Yeah, 1080p. I have the regular PS4 that doesn't support 4K.
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Maybe we (older folks 40+) should start an "Old Timers League".
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@bonion said in Why can't I hit?:
Paper rock scissors. Guess your OP pitch and location and lay off everything else. On x/2 counts cover 1/2 the plate and don’t mind striking out looking. IMO striking out looking is better then chasing balls
This is the best thing I've heard lately
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@thumpasery said in Why can't I hit?:
@JiggidyJJ said in Why can't I hit?:
Below is how I approach each at bat, may help you. I'm by no means a great player, but think I'm a little better than average and can compete most times. My online average is .274 and a 2.72 ERA. My ranked record is 25-14 on allstar. My current record on the the hall of fame difficulty event is 19-17, so not great but can hang.
I generally do not swing at the first pitch, unless it's a mistake pitch like down the middle or a pitch I feel really good about like low in the zone. When I have one strike, I will start cheating either high in the zone or inside with my PCI depending on the tendencies I'm picking up from the opponent. With 2 strikes I generally cheat high and inside as this is most peeps go to strikeout pitch. Biggest thing to remember is discipline, discipline, discipline. After about 2 innings or so, if my opponent is consistently pitching a first strike high in the zone or inside, then go ahead and start cheating and take advantage. Or wait till there are runners on base to get the big 3 run HR. Once you connect with a couple of these they will typically stop, so let them think they are getting one on you and then deliver when it counts the most. Hope this helps.
This is helpful, thank you. I sometimes think a pitch is going to be a mistake pitch and then it drops, but I suppose that happens at times to everyone. I will try to be consistent with this and see how it goes.
If this happens a lot to you then you may try starting your pci low in the zone and moving up to the higher pitches. Point being, compensate to your weakness for me it was high and inside pitches that I really struggled with. I was flailing pretty bad with just keeping the pci in the middle and trying to move to the ball. Once I made this adjustment it helped tremendously and now am getting more comfortable with keeping the pci in the middle. I ain't going to lie though its not an overnight fix. I've put a lot of ABs in
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@JiggidyJJ said in Why can't I hit?:
@thumpasery said in Why can't I hit?:
@JiggidyJJ said in Why can't I hit?:
Below is how I approach each at bat, may help you. I'm by no means a great player, but think I'm a little better than average and can compete most times. My online average is .274 and a 2.72 ERA. My ranked record is 25-14 on allstar. My current record on the the hall of fame difficulty event is 19-17, so not great but can hang.
I generally do not swing at the first pitch, unless it's a mistake pitch like down the middle or a pitch I feel really good about like low in the zone. When I have one strike, I will start cheating either high in the zone or inside with my PCI depending on the tendencies I'm picking up from the opponent. With 2 strikes I generally cheat high and inside as this is most peeps go to strikeout pitch. Biggest thing to remember is discipline, discipline, discipline. After about 2 innings or so, if my opponent is consistently pitching a first strike high in the zone or inside, then go ahead and start cheating and take advantage. Or wait till there are runners on base to get the big 3 run HR. Once you connect with a couple of these they will typically stop, so let them think they are getting one on you and then deliver when it counts the most. Hope this helps.
This is helpful, thank you. I sometimes think a pitch is going to be a mistake pitch and then it drops, but I suppose that happens at times to everyone. I will try to be consistent with this and see how it goes.
If this happens a lot to you then you may try starting your pci low in the zone and moving up to the higher pitches. Point being, compensate to your weakness for me it was high and inside pitches that I really struggled with. I was flailing pretty bad with just keeping the pci in the middle and trying to move to the ball. Once I made this adjustment it helped tremendously and now am getting more comfortable with keeping the pci in the middle. I ain't going to lie though its not an overnight fix. I've put a lot of ABs in
p.s. practice mode helps alot. If your playing on allstar, practice on hall of fame and face a tough pitcher like kluber. All star will get much easier.
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So.... i just tried a couple games on a monitor and it seems much better. Albeit I still suck and was playing on a 55 inch walmart special. When I was just a tad bit late I'm now a tad bit early. I'm starting to learn in this game that every millisecond counts. Could also be the placebo affect. Will update if i think it does make a substantial difference after a larger sample size
