The biggest mistake I made as a hitter... I used to TAKE the first pitch fastball. I told myself I needed to get my timing. "See one first." "Time the pitcher." "Get comfortable." At the time, it sounded like a smart strategy. The problem? It wasn't strategy. It was fear. Fear of swinging and missing. Fear of making an out. Fear of looking stupid on the first pitch. But I disguised it as "getting my timing." What changed everything was a hitting journal. Throughout pro ball, I tracked everything. Every pitch I saw. Every pitch I swung at. The count. Pitch location. What I was thinking. What I was feeling. After a full season, I sat down and started digging through the numbers. One stat jumped off the page. On 0-0 fastballs... I was hitting .367. Not only that, a huge percentage of my doubles, triples, and home runs came on that pitch. I couldn't believe it. The pitch I was letting go by was one of the best pitches I'd see all at-bat. It completely changed my perspective. That's when I learned a lesson I'll never forget: Don't confuse fear with strategy. A lot of hitters do it. They pass on good pitches because they're "getting their timing." They become passive because they're "being disciplined." They play careful because they're "trying not to do too much." Sometimes that's true. Sometimes it's fear wearing a different uniform. My journal exposed it immediately. From that day forward, I stopped trying to get comfortable. I started preparing to hit from pitch one. If you're someone that is unsure of swinging at the first pitch... Here's my "first pitch crusher plan" I'd Do Tonight to help you: 1. Front Toss (10 Swings) Treat every pitch like it's 0-0. Be ready to attack your pitch immediately. 2. Short Box (10 Swings) Every pitch starts 0-0. Compete from the first pitch instead of easing into the round. Short box is in between front toss & Batting Practice distance. If front toss is 10 feet away, and BP is 20 feet away, Short box is 15. What I like to do is sit on a bucket and throw from that distance. 3. Batting Practice (10 Swings) Look for a first-pitch fastball you can drive. Train yourself to be ready from pitch one. One thing I've learned from baseball: The best hitters don't wait to get comfortable. They prepare themselves to compete from the very first pitch. Thank you for reading, Jermaine Curtis P.S. - If you enjoyed this and found it helpful, please share it. (This tells me you want more content like this.)