Luke

All your irons should be hit with the same tempo and rhythm. Place the ball forward of center, maybe in line with your left eye (assuming you are right handed). Do not try to kill it but hit the ball with the pace similar to how you would hit your 9 iron. The key is you are not trying to take a big divot with this club but you are sweeping the club through the hitting area. Your setup, alignment, ball position, and tempo are all the keys you need to hit this club. I always felt if you can hit your fairway woods well you should be able to hit long irons well also. Give it a try.

DV

I second what DV wrote. Nice tempo is all you need

Luke

Put it back in your stance, way back in your stance, so far back in your stance that your 3 iron ends up in your closet or garage or attic.
Now go get fitted for a Titleist hybrid. Personally, I like the 816 H2.

I always hit it like a normal shot.
with my CB, I still get very good hight on the shot if I want to.

Most of the time it's not about where you place the ball in your stand! It's more about your swing!
Once read that Rory hardly never changes the lie of the ball in his stands

I'm with DV on this one, except that I prefer my ball position for the 3i a touch further forward in my stance. The mechanics of my swing don't change but having the ball slightly further forward helps me mentally think about sweeping rather than driving the ball.