Most hitting video is almost useful. Here is how to film an at-bat that Coach Bass can actually evaluate.
Why most swing video falls short
In Coach Bass's words:
Most hitting video I get sent is almost useful. It cuts in late, it is shot from behind the backstop, or it is a slow-motion cage rep with a tee. I can see something in all of it. I just cannot see the swing that shows up in a game.
The three things a useful video does
A useful at-bat video does three things. It shows the whole swing, from the moment the pitcher starts his delivery through the finish. It is shot from the side, camera about even with the hitter, so the path of the hands and the turn of the body are visible instead of hidden. And it runs at real game speed, one complete at-bat, live pitching, nothing sped up or slowed down.
Send this:
- The whole swing, from the moment the pitcher starts his delivery through the finish.
- Shot from the side, camera about even with the hitter.
- Real game speed. One complete at-bat, live pitching.
Don't send:
- Video that cuts in late and misses the start of the swing.
- Shot from behind the backstop, or up in the stands.
- Slow motion, or anything sped up.
- A cage rep off a tee.
- A highlight clip.
Why the side view matters
From behind the plate or up in the stands, everything flattens out. You lose the direction the barrel is moving and you lose what the lower half is doing. From the side you see the load, you see when the front foot gets down, you see whether the barrel is working through the ball or around it.
Why game speed matters
Cage swings are a choice. Game swings are a decision made in a fraction of a second against a pitch the hitter did not pick. The habits that cost at-bats show up under that pressure, not off a tee.
How the Free Hitter Scan works
- Film one at-bat: a full game at-bat, from the side, at real speed. Not a cage rep, not a highlight.
- Upload it: one video, from your phone or computer, into your free family account.
- The technology reads it, then Coach Bass reviews it. Nothing is released until Coach Bass has personally read it.
- The report lands in your player's profile: what the video shows, the first thing to address, and what one at-bat cannot tell you.
What the Free Hitter Scan report covers
Upload one complete game at-bat and the report comes back reviewed by Coach Bass before it is released. Its sections:
- What I See: the supported observations from your video. Never manufactured, never padded.
- What the Ball Tells Me: included only when the video actually carries ball evidence.
- First Thing I Would Address: one correction, with the headline, the why behind it and what to tell the hitter.
- What Could Not Be Determined: the honest limits of one at-bat. The report says what it cannot see.
- Your Plan and Your Drills: the development focus, what to work on, and the drills for it.