As I mentioned in Analyzing Video Part 1, one of the things we have to take into account when looking at video is the angle at which it was taken. Another thing we have to consider is the context. If you look up the definition of context you will find this:
“The circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed.”
So the “event” in this case is the pitch, the hitter’s reaction and the result. In order to fully understand the hitter’s reaction and result, we need to understand the circumstances of which it took place. This is where it gets tricky. There are an infinite number of variables for each pitch of each at bat. I’ve come up with a small list of the more obvious ones below:
The pitcher, past history between the batter and pitcher, count, inning, outs, score, baserunners, pitch type, pitch speed, pitch location, the batter’s box, the batter’s footwear, the bat, batter’s eye or other background, crowd noise, the batter’s intent, approach and state of mind, time of day, weather, number of at bats that day…
The list can go on and on. This is one of the main reasons why the videos on this site include more than just the swing. (It would be even better to have the entire at bat!) The more information regarding the context of the event (pitch, batter’s reaction and result) that is included the better. It all helps to tell the story of what happened. In other words, the batter’s swing didn’t happen in isolation like it does in a more controlled environment like a tee or front toss. It’s a reaction to the perception of the environment and the pitch. Let’s take a look at a few examples below using Mike Trout.
The top two swings are on fastballs and the bottom two swings are on off-speed pitches.
I’m sure after looking at each swing you can tell that they were all different. To make the point even more clear, I’ll take a snapshot of them at contact.
We often talk about a player’s swing and whether or not we like it. But the reality is, there isn’t one swing. Each swing is a unique reaction to the context and the player’s perception. So in order to better understand a player, you have to look at his/her swings with context in mind AND in all different contexts. It’s only then that you will start to gain a full understanding of the hitter, their mechanics, tendencies and reactions and that is where we as coaches can have the biggest impact.
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