Objective Measurement – Bat Speed represents objective data, meaning it can be measured. Objective measurement is not opinion it is a raw number or the quantitative result of a single or series of actions.  Testing Events are designed around this idea

"If you don’t know where you’re at, you can’t possibly know where to go." This is a powerful statement that simply means that if you measure your swing output, you can then know whether it is mechanically efficient or not. If you are NOT measuring your skills objectively, you are simply taking a stab in the dark when you make adjustments in your swing. Is your swing efficient?  Or, don’t you know?

Swing Efficiency – The most efficient swing movements produce the most power, the most consistency and are the least likely to cause player injuries. What constitutes an efficient swing…that’s when you need someone that understands objective measurement, has the ability to test for it, and in turn, based on the test results can determine whether or not a player is maximizing his power and consistency while at the plate.

Consistency – When a round ball is hit with a round bat, the odds are that one of the objects will be above or below center of the other. The odds are also very good that the bat will be early or late relative to the speed of the ball. Through a series of objective tests, a player will know how close to perfect each contact is with each swing of the bat. Much like a batting average, objective measurement of consistency yields a percentage relating to perfect contact.  Consistency will be tested both off the tee as well live pitching. 

Power – Through a series of interrelated objective tests, a player will receive quantitative feedback including his maximum power, average power and how consistent the player’s swing is while performing at maximum power.    

Quickness -- The ability to see, identify and react to a pitch without knowing what speed or pitch type is one of the toughest skills for a hitter.  Once again, through a series of interrelated objective tests, a player will know “hands down” what his ability is to see, identify a pitch type, and invariably react to a variety of pitches at various speeds.

Physical Screening – Designed to determine what a player CAN and CANNOT do in relation to his own body, the physical screening tests will uncover the physical strengths and weaknesses of a hitter’s body.  After you know what the body can do, then and only then can a player begin to maximize his natural abilities and skill sets.

Detailed Video Analysis Available At The Event -- You can order a detailed video analysis of your swing from Perry Husband at the event or in advance.  The analysis are limited so register early if you would like this service.  

       

 

Taking the GuessWork Out Of Hitting Instruction
The aim of the Hitting Is A Guess method of teaching hitting is to try to eliminate as much of the GuessWork out of the equation as possible by helping you truly understand the factors involved.  The truth is, in hitting there are a lot of factors out of the control of the hitter.  Below are many reasons why Hitting Is A Guess and the more you understand about the Guess, the less of a Guess it is.  Knowledge is the great equalizer and you are in the right place if truth about your swing mechanics and approach is what you seek.

Objective Measurement

There are a few keys to limiting the Guessing involved and one of those is to identify what it is you can control and learn to focus only on those things.  The other main key is to find out where you are by testing your swing objectively for power, consistency and efficiency.  Objective Measurement simply means to measure output without opinion and it is the key to any true growth in your swing.  Many skills involved in hitting are measurable and very improvable.  

 

Testing Events
Our testing events are designed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of hitters through objective measurement, putting data on the video screen so that you can see the output of the swing as well as the movement causing it.  You can't really make decisions about where to go next if you don't know where you're at right now.  The only real way to find out is to test.  Otherwise, you are just Guessing about where you're at.  Measuring bat speed tells hitters how much energy their body is producing.  Ball exit speed is the amount of that energy that is being used on the ball and the difference between the two is the swing efficiency.  How much energy does your swing produce and are you at your max level?  How much of that energy is making to contact in the form of ball exit speed?  You might be surprised to find out the answers to these questions.  If you are serious about getting to the next level, test your swing and find out.   

 

The Four Learning Modes & Video Analysis
Players learn using four different modes; Visual, Audio, Reading and Feeling.  Video analysis is one of the most powerful learning tools available because it uses all four of these modes to instruct players.  The video analysis program (V1 Professional Analysis Software) allows us to use all the latest drawing tools to highlight movements, slow motion analysis, split screen, overlays and many other visual aids to help the "visual" learners.  Text on screen is used for the "literal or reading" learners as well as audio voiceovers to describe what a drill or action should feel like for the "audio" learners as well as the "feel" learners.  Video analysis are up to 10 minutes of high quality video of your swing to make sure you know what is causing the output, good or bad. 

 

 

Why Is Hitting A Guess?

 

Physically -You can't control contact.  To hit a perfect line drive, you have to hit the ball exactly in the center with 2 round objects and exactly on time.  Even off the tee, this is difficult.  No hitter can hit the ball exactly the same every time.  So if you can't control contact, contact is a guess.

Perceptually - You can't see the ball hit the bat.  Scientists that study hitting agree that the eye does not work fast enough to allow you to actually see the ball at contact when the pitch is in the 90's, so without seeing contact, it becomes a guess.

Predicting Pitches - You don't know what type of pitch, what location, what speed or what kind of movement the pitch will have.  Great pitchers have command of 4 pitches.  If they throw each inside and outside that is really 8 different arrival times.  Most hitters can adjust to about 2 or 3 of those arrival times and be anywhere near 100% on time.  That makes knowing what pitch to expect really a guess.

Psychologically -You can't directly control the results.  As much as you would like to, you can't control whether you get a hit or not.  You might hit the ball perfect and make an out.  You are completely guessing about the outcome and trying to control the results is the most common lead in to slumps.  Slumps are one of the great mysteries of baseball.  From a mechanical standpoint, when you understand the forces that are causing you to hit the ball solid, it is not such a big mystery when you are not.  If however, you do not understand the forces that govern contact, you will struggle for the answers and that struggle without knowing is the definition of a slump.  From a timing perspective, there are some factors that will be uncovered through the release of the NEW BOOK SERIES -- DOWNRIGHT FILTHY PITCHING - The Science Of Effective Velocity, that will shed some much needed light on the subject of slumps and the other half of the cause.  Timing is a very misunderstood element of hitting and pitching and this series is the first to take on this illusive subject matter and offer some real proof to support the ideas behind the part that timing, and the lack of understanding it, play in the development and continuation of slumps.  Knowledge is the key to getting to the root cause of a slump.  If a pitcher fools a hitter with a certain velocity at a certain location and causes the hitter to be late, that hitter will likely attribute the problem to slow hands and go the next day to the cages and work on the physical cause of his slump.  The problem is that it is not a physical problem in this case. 

Philosophically - You can't prove which swing method is best which makes choosing a hitting style a guess.  Until now, when you take the time to actually TEST your swing and compare the mechanical method you use now versus the mechanical movements in this video series in the 2 most important facets of hitting, power and line drive consistency, you will find out the same thing that everyone else that goes through this process finds out, there is a best set of movements to produce the max levels in power and consistency both.  After the swing mechanics are tested and perfected, then it's time to talk about hitting.   

Hitting is a guess on many levels.  The most important level to start with is your physical swing mechanics.  If you are not making the 3 Key Movements, you are not at your maximum levels in power or consistency.  Don't take my word for it, though, just test it.  Test your swing for power and consistency and chart the results, then implement the 3 Key Movements and retest.  Most hitters increase from 8% to 20% in power and up to 60% in their ability to consistently hit line drives.  "Hitting Is A Guess, and the more you understand about the guess, the less of a guess it becomes."  This video and book series is designed to take you through step by step to take as much guesswork out as possible.