How could so many baseball players not know how to accurately describe the strike zone? We asked groups of baseball players to take a survey in which they had to simply draw the strike zone on top of an illustration of a batter at homeplate. We gave them a front and side view. The results were surprising.

Most of the players polled drew the strike zone as a two dimensional window at the front of homeplate. They knew the bottom started at around the hollow of the batter’s knees and it topped out at about the letters. What they didn’t understand was that the strike zone also went back 17 inches from the front of the plate to the pointed tip at the back of the plate. This means that the distance from the front of the pitcher’s rubber, to the beginning of the strike zone, is actually 59 feet 1 inch and the back tip of the zone is 60 feet 6 inches. Most players also thought the strike zone was 60 feet 6 inches away. It’s only 59 feet 1 inch from the rubber. When you factor in the pitchers mechanics and release point it will be even less.

Expand The Strike Zone and Expand Your Approach to Pitching

At last, pitchers can escape the two dimensional mentality and start visualizing the strikes they have been neglecting. The 3DKZONE was designed to help pitchers refine pitch control where it matters the most, through the zone. Satchel Paige developed tremendous control by aiming at a matchbook cover tacked to a wall. The first thing he did was learn to hit a spot. Now, imagine being able to hit a spot, coming from any angle, to a point 8 to 17 inches behind the matchbook cover. Now we’re talking about control! When we talk about expanding the strike zone, we have to discuss more than just the fact that the strike zone has depth. We also have to discuss working the outside perimeter of the strike zone. Ted Williams illustrated that if a pitcher could throw strikes just two inches around the outer part of the strike zone, it would actually increase the size of the zone by 35%. The really good news for pitchers is that anything located in those areas are pitches that are difficult to hit. Remember, the diameter of the ball is larger than two inches, so as long as the ball touches the 3DKZONE, technically these pitches are strikes. For a pitcher, they are good strikes. The 3DKZONE allows you to isolate the outer edges of the zone. Consider that Williams was only addressing the two dimensional window at the front of homeplate and expand that to include the sides, top and bottom of the zone and you just increased the zone much more than 35%. A 12 to 6 curveball that comes in high and drops down to just nick the rear point of the three dimensional strike zone would not even be close to the perimeter of the zone described by Williams. The implications are staggering! Now remember, the strike zone is defined by the leagues who sanction play. We can’t concern ourselves with the ability of umpires to call strikes according to those definitions. We can only work within the parameters of those definitions and hope to educate everyone as to how these definitions impact the game as we know it. The Ephus pitch, which has been credited to Rip Sewell, of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1930’s, was a high trajectory, slowly thrown, junk pitch, designed to catch hitters off guard. It came down from a very high angle through the top of the zone. Some major league pitchers still use this pitch. The concept of utilizing the three dimensional strike zone is not new. In 1930 pitchers fully understood the definition of the strike zone. The 3DKZONE was designed to help pitchers refine pitch control where it matters the most, through the zone. Satchel Paige developed tremendous control by aiming at a matchbook cover tacked to a wall. The first thing he did was learn to hit a spot. Now, imagine being able to hit a spot, coming from any angle, to a point 8 to 17 inches behind the matchbook cover. Now we’re talking about control!

You can practice nibbling at the corners of the strike zone. More advanced pitchers can try throwing a back door curve ball and hope it breaks into the zone, but can you be really sure you did it perfectly with a two dimensional target or even a catcher? The pitcher has the most difficulty in seeing the result of his pitch. It’s hard to focus on the path of the ball while completing the delivery and getting ready to field. Instantaneous feedback is vital to the pitcher to understand how their movement and adjustments translate into potential improvement. The quality of a pitcher’s feedback has a direct relationship to his progress. If someone else verbally tells the pitcher he did something well (in his opinion) it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s 100% true. If it’s close, it’s just an opinion. Any time we have to rely on human feedback, it becomes subject to error. If you hit the white top or bottom or the blue sides of the 3DKZONE, you will see the 3DKZONE move and hear the ball make contact. As you continue to practice working the outside of the zone you will refine your ability to place pitches exactly where you desire. Don’t forget, the batter is going to help you by swinging at pitches he thinks he can hit. In fact, every experienced pitcher knows that sometimes a breaking ball in the dirt is a great pitch! With the 3DKZONE, pitching practice moves to the next level. Now pitchers can visualize at a level that actually exceeds real game conditions. You can’t get this much reliable feedback while pitching in a game. Let’s face it. If your strikes are too close to the middle of the zone, the only feedback you will get is a scorching line drive past your head! You won’t get as much reliable feedback during a real game because you can’t tell for sure if you just barely hit your spots. Umpires are human. Sometimes they don’t get it right. So if it’s a close pitch and it’s called a ball or a strike, it’s subjective. With the 3DKZONE, you get direct feedback on every pitch.

When computerized visual technology was installed in major league ballparks, it changed the way balls and strikes were called. Ask Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine They’ll tell you just how much it changed. With the 3DKZONE, you are going to see curveballs come in high and drop, barely nicking the back of 3DKZONE for strikes. Imagine the catcher setting up six inches off the plate. The ball is thrown at the 3DKZONE and it just catches the outside part of the zone on its way to the glove. If done correctly, six inches off the plate may once again be a strike. Pitchers will be able to refine their control to the last seventeen inches through the strike zone. It doesn’t sound like much, but it is positively huge.

After training with the 3DKZONE, many pitchers report an improvement in their accuracy but they also claim that they can visualize the 3DKZONE during real game situations. In other words, they are able to see the 3DKZONE floating above the plate in their mind’s eye. The brain remembers the experience of working with the 3DKZONE and it carries that into the real game pitching experience. It’s one thing to be zoned into a spot. It’s a whole new ballgame when you can work the entire dimensional zone.

The results were surprising when we first tested the 3DKZONE. We didn’t know what to expect. We told pitchers to warm up as usual, get on a mound and throw ten pitches at the 3DKZONE. We asked them to throw normally. Pitchers are supposed to be able to throw strikes. Some nervousness is to be expected when you try anything for the first time. Your results may vary, but most pitchers had a problem hitting the target at all! Many pitchers didn’t hit the target until the last 3 pitches. It seemed so easy. It wasn’t easy at all. Some polished pitchers can hit the 3DKZONE three or four times out of ten, their first time using the device. If you are merely trying to get a statistical result, instead of a transformation, then you should have no problem lobbing the ball at the target to get a higher score. This won’t help you realize your goal! Purchase a 3DKZONE and you will also save your catcher’s knees!