When great hitters discuss their keys to success, many cite “being aggressive” as an essential factor. But others attribute their success to being more “patient and selective.” These two approaches seem conflicting, so it’s no surprise they can confuse young hitters.
So, what’s the best mental approach with a fresh at-bat? Should you try to be as aggressive as possible? Or is it better to be patient in hopes of the perfect pitch?
Well, here’s the truth:
The winning formula is not about choosing between aggressiveness and patience but finding the right balance between them.
The fact is, you have limited opportunities each game as a hitter.
Not every pitch is crushable—that is, not every pitch is a strike, not every pitch is in your sweet spot, and not every pitch is what you’re looking for. Plus, you won’t have perfect timing with every pitch.
But a handful of pitches each game will be pitches you can do serious damage with. The stars will align, you’ll get the pitch you’re looking for, and your timing will be perfect.
When that happens, you want to seize the opportunity. As the saying goes, strike while the iron’s hot.
And that’s why it’s essential to be aggressive, not passive.
You’ll only be ready to pull the trigger and swing the bat if you have an aggressive approach.
If you’re too selective or passive, you’ll let plenty of good pitches go by and often find yourself behind in the count.
So, being aggressive and ready to hit is a massive key to taking advantage of your limited opportunities.
But being aggressive has a downside, too.
Overdoing it can lead to a lot of trouble (along with many self-inflicted outs).
And that’s where patience comes into play.
If you’re a hitter who can’t wait to swing, you’ll tend to expand the zone and start swinging at pitches that aren’t strikes.
You’ll fall behind in the count, which favors the pitcher.
And I don’t know about you, but hitting is hard enough. There’s no need to make the pitcher’s job any easier.
As you can see, it’s about balancing being aggressive and being patient simultaneously.
The best hitters on the planet all do this. They combine aggressiveness and patience in their approach, hitting with what I call “aggressive patience.”
You want to avoid letting good pitches go by, so you must be ready to swing at every pitch. But you also need to realize that you won’t literally swing at every pitch.
In a way, it’s like playing blackjack. While you know four aces are in each 52-card deck, it’s a mystery when they will get dealt.
Hitting is the same way.
You know you’ll get a few pitches you can do some damage with, but you never know when they’ll arrive. So you must be ready to swing when they inevitably come.
It’s about being aggressive and ready to swing the bat but patient enough to wait for a good pitch to hit.
In other words, don’t force it. Let the game come to you. Make the pitcher work and force him to throw strikes over the plate. Avoid swinging at bad pitches or pitches that fool you, especially when you have count leverage.
I’ve found that the easiest way to use this “aggressive patience” approach is to adopt the yes, yes, no mentality. This means you’re ready to swing at every pitch until you recognize it’s a ball or a pitch you’re not looking for, then you stop your swing. It’s like a traffic light: green means swing, red means stop.
You want to commit to swinging when you step into the batter’s box. Your approach should be, “YES, I’m swinging. I’m swinging until it’s a ball.”
You can even repeat “yes, yes, yes” to yourself.
Instead of making a split-second decision about whether to swing, this approach forces you to pre-commit to swinging. You’re already committed. You’re swinging—until you recognize it’s a ball or a pitch you’re not looking for.
Then, it’s easy to tap the brakes and say “no.”
If you try this, you’ll notice that it eliminates that terrible frozen feeling you get when you cannot pull the trigger.
It’ll put you in the perfect frame of mind to be aggressive on strikes but patient enough to wait for a good pitch.
So, to answer the question, “Is it better to be an aggressive… or a patient hitter?”
My answer would be that the best hitters find the perfect balance between both.