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A Review of Blast Motion Baseball and Its Swing Metrics

blast motion baseball

If you don’t own a Blast Motion baseball sensor, you should.  We’ve been using Blast sensors for quite some time now and we are very impressed.  Frankly they are very easy to use and they don’t require calibration prior to hitting.  The only shortfall we discovered early on was how all the metrics related to each other, which actually prompted this internal write-up.  Blast reports 3 swing quality scores, Plane, Connection and Rotation, which they also refer to as PCR.  Their scores (20-80) are based on relative measurements of similar age groups and skill levels.  The sensor provides 10 pre-contact metrics categorized as follows:

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What to Consider with In-Season Baseball Workouts

At this time of the year, after a full off-season of strength training, upcoming tryouts and practices, sitting on the bench in a kyphotic posture and waiting to get your reps on the mound are a few of the variables that can wreak havoc on an athlete’s body and more importantly his arm/shoulder. There are several considerations when you’re looking to maintain your strength and mobility with in-season baseball workouts.
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You’re Projectable… But What’s Your Trajectory?

Projectable…  How many times have we heard this term from coaches, showcase operators and scouts. Let’s be blunt, it means you are a player with potential but you are expected to grow and you are expected to fill out.  But here is a simple question… What’s your trajectory?  Imagine, two 14 year-old players with equal talent, equal height, equal weight and equal metrics, do they have the same trajectory? Continue reading “You’re Projectable… But What’s Your Trajectory?”

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Attack Angle, Baseball’s Step-Child Metric

attack angle baseball

Today, we’re going to review the Attack Angle n baseball and the important role it plays in the swing path.  While everyone is focused on the Launch Angle, it often seems like Attack Angle is playing second fiddle.  Sometimes, the hardest part about Data Analytics is accepting what it tells you.  This article isn’t about what’s right or what’s wrong, or whether rotational is better than linear hitting (even though it is… Lol!).  Thanks to Rapsodo (post-contact) and Blast Motion (pre-contact) we can now sync up the results of a “hit” and reach some decent conclusions… Continue reading “Attack Angle, Baseball’s Step-Child Metric”

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Improving Speed and Power from the Stretch

The back leg is the initial power source in pitching and when pitching from the stretch, the ability to load and the unload the back leg gives a pitcher the greater advantage with runners on.

Faster more elastic athletes can stretch their tendons quickly and better harness energy while loading without requiring high levels of strength. But for more “strength-based” athletes who like to load slower in order to maximize power mostly from their muscles contracting, the stretch can be a nemesis, especially you have runners on base. So, training to get more elastic can go a long way in putting another essential tool such as getting quicker in the stretch into their toolbox, which brings us to the concept of Reactive Strength and how you test it. Continue reading “Improving Speed and Power from the Stretch”

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Baseball Strength Training at RPP, Why and How it Works

baseball strength training

Every off-season I see dedicated athletes spinning their wheels and settling for ineffective baseball strength training programs, simply because the location is convenient, or they’re feeling pressure from the travel coach.  The reality is that often they’re experiencing mediocre gains or no gains at all when they should be improving dramatically. Bottom line is if your performance has remained the same year-over-year your training probably SUCKS!  A customized baseball strength training program goes a long way towards improving your level of performance. Continue reading “Baseball Strength Training at RPP, Why and How it Works”