An average baseball or softball swing takes approximately 150 milliseconds to complete. While coaches and players alike have trained their eyes to look for certain markers throughout the swing, it is still an incredibly fast process to decipher, especially when developing (or breaking) hitting patterns and habits.
Since an average swing takes the same amount of time as the blink of an eye, coaches and players have been filming swings (and pitches, too,) for decades to better analyze this incredibly fast and fluid sequence.
As video and filming technology has advanced, so have the capabilities to slow down this 150-millisecond process into more digestible bits and pieces. This is no more evident than in the extremely high frame rate videos we see in game broadcasts or featured on players’ social media accounts.
With the introduction of INSIGHT, the ultimate swing analyzer, Rapsodo has been able to integrate the sought after, high-frame rate video with the renowned data that has become synonymous with our company’s name.
Use INSIGHT to Analyze Your Swing
INSIGHT allows you to analyze each swing alongside its data points, making it easier to connect the mechanics of your swing to each hit.
We asked a couple of our former softball playing-employees to come out of retirement and show how INSIGHT and HITTING 2.0 data can be used to correct even the rustiest of swings.
INSIGHT in Action
HITTING 2.0 can measure data off a tee, with soft toss, or during live batting practice – and the same goes for INSIGHT. Here, you’ll see Alyssa hitting off a tee.
This swing resulted in a ground ball, as the data pane shows a negative launch angle and short distance traveled. Although she thought her swing felt strong, she could see on the film that she dropped her hands and rolled them over little bit.
After reviewing the video, she was able to make mechanical adjustments and lift the ball off the tee in the second video. Her exit velocity dropped a bit, but her other data points, including launch angle, improve.
Knowing this information, Alyssa can continue to make adjustments to improve her mechanics, focusing more on improving her exit velocity metric while still remaining conscious of her hands.
We backed up the camera a bit to film Kristen hitting front toss.
Kristen was looking to hit bombs. In order to get the optimal launch angle to do so, she needed to get under the ball.
Kristen dropped her hands a little too much on this pitch, causing a ton of backspin that sent the ball high up in the air. Once she saw this on video, she worked on keeping her hands higher. Her next hit had less spin, but her exit velocity increased by nearly 20 mph. If she wants to hit for power, she should continue to throw her hands at the ball more and work to increase spin without dropping her hands.
Instantly Connect Mechanics With Data
As you can see in our examples above, no matter how you choose to position your INSIGHT camera, you’ll be able to get a detailed view of your swing mechanics, movement patterns, and quality of batted ball contact.
INSIGHT integrates directly with our existing HITTING 2.0 device and app, so you won’t have to wait to upload videos to start assessing performance. These features allow you to make real-time suggestions (if you’re a coach) or adjustments (if you’re a player), and you’ll see the results in both the high frame rate footage and the data overlay that is included in every video.
To learn more about INSIGHT and how it can help you design your perfect swing, visit www.rapsodo.com.
