Should You use a Baseball Swing Analyzer? | App, Reviews, Software Analysis

Is a Baseball Swing Analysis worth it?

Our general experience is, for most serious players, yes. Although swing analyses done by a third party hitting instructor or a gadget and app will never substitute for real practice, our two years of experience with these devices and services prove their worth. Whether it is the right fit for you, and which service or device to select, are more difficult decisions. We hope to make those decisions easier with the following.

Baseball Swing Analyzer Article Contents

Baseball Swing Analysis Recommendations

If we were only allowed to choose between an online hitting instructor who used slow motion video and some onscreen drawings, or a gadget that attached to our bat and gave us swing metrics on our iphone or android app, we would choose the online hitting instructor. That is assuming, of course, we used an online hitting instructor who knew what they were talking about.

Why Line Drive Nation?

There are several options, but we like the pricing and ease of use with the group at linedrivenation.com. At $20 a month for unlimited individual hitting video submissions and a decent library of drills and insights, we think it a good buy. Our review of the service from personal experience, gets top marks for timely responses and good, specific feedback.

Why Zepp Labs Analyzer?

If we already felt we had competent and top level hitting instruction with video analysis and still wanted a gadget for our bat, then we would choose the Zepp Labs sensor. While the Blast Motion and Diamond Kinetics have made great strides in the last 12 months, the Zepp Labs’ access to MLB player side by side swing comparisons is difficult to beat. The pricing differences between the three options are not large enough to justify the downgrade.

Last we checked, the app for this analysis device ran on both an iphone and android platform.

Price check the Zepp Labs Analyzer on Amazon

Baseball Swing Analysis Market Overview

The more recent increase in accessibility of slow motion video and swing analyzer gadgets have exploded the baseball swing analyzer market. Today, there are at least a few gyroscope competing apps and a host of online video analysis groups looking for your purchase or subscriptions. These work on both android and iphone and deliver data from the sensor to an app you download. We have spent hours using each of them. Below, we detail our results and make some recommendations to get you on your path.

Baseball Swing Analyzer Sources

We have written in depth reviews on both the Zepp Labs Sensor and the Blast Motion Sensor. If the sensor route is your pick, we recommend those articles for details. More information on swing analyisis video offerings can be found at places like linedrivenation.com and coach Lisle’s website. Both are great sources that offer more than just video analysis

Where to Start

It is possible you need neither an online hitting video analysis, nor a hitting gadget. Practice, which is usually free, might be the best next step.

For many others, especially those still reading this article, it is likely specific hitting analysis would be beneficial. We would suggest you start with a $20 subscription to linedrivenation.com and see what their hitting coaches say. (We have no connection with them whatsoever).

After getting a feel for their direct feedback, we think a gadget to measure your bat and hand speed is quite helpful. This will document your progress to both justify your video analysis work, as well as keep your player interested in tracking results.

What a Swing Analyzer is NOT

Before jumping on a new app with a bluetooth connected device or an online monthly service, let us remember what a swing analyzing service is NOT. It is not practice, and as they say, there really is no substitute for good old fashioned practice. Of course, a good swing analysis should improve practice, and as they also say, perfect practice makes perfect. But before you go signing up for something or dropping some dough on a new gadget, don’t assume it will solve your problem.

In other words, if you are not practicing A LOT right now, don’t expect a baseball or softball swing analyzer to fix that issue.

Service vs Gadget

We think the idea of a gadget that fits on the end of your bat sending you direct feedback on swing metrics to an app on your phone is nifty, but we do not think it is ultimately more useful than video hitting feedback from professionals. Not yet anyway. Gadgets deliver an unprecedented look at your swing’s metrics directly to an app on your phone, but they are yet incapable of delivering the type of feedback needed to improve those metrics specific to each individual.

What a Swing Gadget Does NOT Do

Gadgets and their accompanying apps do link to helpful and useful videos for particular drills that may improve a function of your swings metrics. However, they can’t yet tell, among other things, if you row your back elbow enough, if your leg kick is getting in the way of your hips’ power or if your head is on the right plane. Worse yet, even if they could tell those things, they have not yet grasped the ability to explain that to the player in a manner in which he or she can see it.

In other words, hitting coaches are not the next to go in terms of the artificial intelligence revolution. Maybe someday, but not today.

What a Swing Gadget Does Do

That does not mean we think gadgets are useless. Quite the opposite. We use them often and see a bunch of folks have success with them. Tracking the number of swings on a phone app is a very useful feature. Tracking swing and hand speeds over time, as well as measuring the difference in swing speeds with different bats, is fantastic information. Swing Analyzing gadgets have a useful place in the market.

But, they are not hitting coaches. And we think they are only significantly useful in the long run, if paired with good hitting instruction.