OP-- i really relate to a lot of things in this thread. I am a long time player in my mid 30s now, who just switched from directional to zone this year. i had tried zone in years past but couldn't master it and always went back to directional.

i'm a .220 hitter in RS this year so far, with a 95-65 record. Made CS once so far. about a month or two into the year i decided to give zone a real shot and went down a similar path as you. watched a ton of vids, etc. here are some random thoughts:
-- KFs have definitely helped me. i use the high rise, convex kind (color doesn't matter) and i feel they allow me to do "small movements" a lot better than just the stick by itself. honestly, for $15 it is well worth trying. I don't think any of the streamers play without them.
-- got a monitor maybe 2 weeks ago. has made a difference but not as much as the KFs imo.
-- as a zone hitting/PCI noob, i have good days and bad. when i am having a bad day it is usually because i am wildly flailing trying to reach every pitch. This is not a good approach for me. focus on small movements with the PCI (like, tiny) and try to hunt pitches in the middle 1/3rd of the zone. ignore high and low pitches.
-- related to the above, again as a PCI noob, i find it helps me if i tell myself to focus on lateral movements of the PCI only. partially this is because the game auto-moves the PCI down if you swing late and up if you swing early. focus on moving the PCI left-right only and hunt pitches in that middle zone only. refuse to swing at pitches not in that zone (much easier said than done)
-- one other thing that really helps me is, pre-pitch, i have started aligning my PCI vertically with the release point. i find that this REALLY helps me read where a pitch will end up because i can "see" both the release point and the PCI in my periphery. sometimes leaving the PCI in its initial resting point means i can't really "see" my PCI because i am so focused on the pitcher's release point.
-- oh and that really is the #1 hitting tip-- find the pitcher's release point. this is the absolute #1 key to becoming a better hitter.
-- try SZ offset view if you have trouble with high/inside pitches, esp fastballs. it leaves me a bit vulnerable to reading outside pitches when facing same handed matchups, but in oppo handed matchups, it is fantastic, because it makes it so the pitcher's release point is in the middle of the strike zone rather than the edges (if that makes sense)
-- if you're super frustrated with your hitting in RS, try playing some BR. i find that hitting against some crappier pitching on AS difficulty can really help me feel good about my hitting (have put up some big crooked numbers that rarely happen for me in RS, makes me feel good at least even if it doesn't translate lol)

i'm hitting .260 this season and able to compete for the most part. biggest thing is i am slowly becoming more disciplined and able to take walks again as i get better with PCI. even though i miss zone hitting, i am enjoying learning and getting better at the PCI and hope i can make WS some day.

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