Valuable Information The Hitter Handicap Provides
The Why
Objective: To educate softball and baseball players and coaches on how to test, train and develop a players swing and approach. The Hitter Handicap measures the ability of a hitter to focus and produce a swing within their specific capability.
Summary: Objective data-driven feedback that can quantify swing efficiency provides the most valuable tool in perfecting a player’s swing and approach. The Hitter Handicap is a proven testing and training process that measure the capacity and skill of a hitter at a specific period. Once a benchmark testing has been completed, ongoing adjustments can be made in the training process to calibrate the best swing for the player.
The Hitter Handicap is easy for all players to use when testing, training, and developing their swing. If you are not testing…YOU ARE GUESSING! Unfortunately for the players working on perfecting their swings, they do not have a data-driven objective approach to take when training and trying to figure out their approach. The Hitter Handicap solves this problem by quantifying the players hitting capacity and skill level.
The additional use of the ACE Capacity testing process will further provide the specific details necessary for each player to better dictate the hitting approach which will yield the best success for them in competition and will better allow coaches to recruit players who can contribute more specifically to what the coaches expect.
What’s Next: The Hitter Handicap answers the questions as to what is next. Every hitter needs to have a plan of attack and needs to have a proper objective foundation to determine what that plan of attack should be. The Hitter Handicap is an ongoing process that allows the hitter to continually adapt to their physiological growth and mental maturity. You will always have direction and get instant feedback that gives you specifics on what you need to do daily to gain mastery of skill as a hitter.
Hitter Handicap Score
Hitter Handicap Score- You take the high and the low exit velocity from each round and subtract them from one another creating the difference. Once all three rounds are calculated you average the three handicaps to get the overall Hitter Handicap.
Skill Assessment Details- The Hitter Handicap score indicates the hitter’s ability to duplicate a swing within parameters that display the level of skill. Measures the misses and dictates the purity of a swing. A good Hitter Handicap requires a good swing path, so this is reflected in the numbers. A 3 Hitter Handicap is considered exceptional and would indicate a very skilled hitter no matter their age. Typically, the lower the handicap produces a lower Total MPH as better contact hitters do not typically have great power numbers. The better the Hitter Handicap core the more likely the hitter’s speed is associated with the number. Often you see the player with the best Hitter Handicap also have the most stolen bases on the team. Typically, the players with the lowest Hitter Handicap play middle infield or center field. Typically, the lower Hitter Handicap with the lower Total MPH are the leadoff and #2 hitters. The balance between the Hitter Handicap Score and Total MPH dictates the potential production and hitting style the hitter should focus on. The Hitter Handicap reflects on the hitter’s ability to focus and their ability to understand their capacity as a hitter staying within the limitations of what they can produce in a consistent manner. Barrel Awareness is another term that is utilized with the Hitter Handicap as it displays the ability for the hitter to squarely hit the ball in the sweet spot of the bat. The lower the Hitter Handicap the more likely the hitter is to be able to produce the right swing to the right spot with the right timing.
Total MPH
Total MPH- This is the total of all the exit velocity of all 30 swings.
Skill Assessment Details- Total MPH provides you with the hitters “Capacity”. The capacity is important to be able to determine the approach the hitter should take. Power hitters are going to have the highest total MPH and will typically bat in the 3 or 4 holes depending on how the rest of the talent in the lineup. Total MPH will reflect Home Run production and extra base hits so more emphasis is on the slugging percentage and driving in runs than the Hitter Handicap. Bigger Total MPH numbers typically have more hiccups and less runs in the testing due to the nature of the approach. When training with the Hitter Handicap process you may see big hitters, numbers go down on Total MPH the second time they take it because they realize they can not sustain the big swing, max effort approach. The total MPH also is indicative of the size of the hitter and the speed of the hitter as they typically will be driving in runs and not stealing bases. The player with the highest total MPH on the team is typically A DH, 1B, 3B or Catcher. The player with the highest total MPH usually has the highest grip strength on the team and if the Hitter Handicap is low, they will also have the best broad jump if the Hitter Handicap is High, they most likely will have a lower end broad jump.
MPH Per Swing
MPH Per Swing- This the average swing exit velocity of all 30 swings.
Skill Assessment Details- MPH per swing is a quick look at the output or production of the hitter. This puts things in perspective as to a consistent exit velo that will determine the makeup of the player and where they hit in the lineup. The Hitter Handicap allows you to calibrate the value of the average MPH so that a precise number can be put on the hitter and used to develop their approach.
A 1-10 ranking is used in our Pure Hitting process when instructing hitters how to use the Hitter Handicap to develop their approach. A 1 represents the least amount of effort give on a swing while a 10 represents the highest amount of effort on a swing. Having a specific number to reflect on when training, the athlete can calibrate their swing to a 7.5 or 8 which is typically the right swing for them.
Being able to quantify the number allows reflection on the Hitter Handicap scorecard for the hitter, coach, and scout to quickly understand what level of player they hitter is and how that matches up to a specific position on the field.
Variance
Variance- The variance is calculated by taking the MPH per swing and subtracting the Hitter Handicap.
Skill Assessment Details- Variance is a detailed look into in game production and what expectations should be. The Variance considers the strength of the hitter to hit the ball hard, but it also incorporates the consistency in which the hitter is going to produce. You may have a player with a High MPH per swing that looks sexy when they do square balls up, but the variance allows you to realistically determine how likely that hitter is going to be able to execute that swing in a game situation. Many times, a player and a coach have high expectations because the potential is there, but they are often disappointed in results in competition. The Variance is the reality check of maturity of the hitter and the hitter’s ability to adjust.