Wy are some people calling the ProVelocity Bat one of the best training bats for youth and adult baseball? What's all the hype about?
What is the ProVelocity Baseball Training Bat?
Here a summary of what this baseball training bat can do to help hitters. We'll go more into each of these below.
- Increases bat speed with resistance
- Improves swing path and helps fix a push swing
- Get Instant feedback on swing quality
- Builds strength without negatively affecting swing mechanics
- Adjustable difficulty level so it grows with you as you get stronger
- Batting cage/field are optional for dry swings (no ball) or with a real baseball
- Training Partner is not required so you can work on a more powerful swing while home alone
What kind of Results Can You Expect from the ProVelocity Training Bat?
According to data from ProVelocity, hitters using this new swing trainer were able to improve their bat speed significantly:
- First-Year Pros: 4% increase
- College Athletes: 8% increase
- High School Athletes: 10% to 15% increase
- Little League: >25% increase
Those are big claims.
The data is supported by an independent study conducted by the Bledsoe Agency.
According to the study, after 4 weeks of training with the Provelocity bat, gains in bat speed for elite college players and 1st-year professional players were statistically very significant.
The data on High School and Youth baseball players was gathered by Coach Nate Headley, a former SEC coach and head of RBI Baseball in Knoxville TN.
Even better, the gains from ProVelocity training are supported by all the customer reviews, which certainly seem to back up the claims about this swing trainer with pages and pages of reviews like these.
Professionals Love the ProVelocity Training Bat Too
In this video, professional baseball player Eric Ostberg explains how the Pro Velocity bat works, and why he recommends this hitting aid for youth baseball.
Video (Click Play)
Click play on the video above to hear the audible "clicks" created when the player has correct swing mechanics and enough bat speed to overcome the resistance.
Video Transcript
As a pro baseball player, I'm always looking for emerging technology that I can implement into my day-to-day training. The Pro Velocity Bat is one of the most helpful products in baseball right now. What makes it unique is the audio and physical feedback. If the swing mechanics aren't there, this product will give you feedback immediately.
You can use the Pro Velocity Bat in a dry swing setting to calibrate your mechanics and create awareness. The cool part is you can actually hit live baseballs, and that's very uncommon among swing trainers. I've seen a lot of different products, and none have the same impact on the swing as the Pro Velocity Bat does.
You can increase the resistance on the slotting barrel, and this enables you to build bat speed over time. To my knowledge, this is the only product on the market that will enable the player to build more bat speed while encouraging proper mechanics.
It's universally applicable to any competitive athlete who wants to become a better hitter. No matter if you're a professional player or you're a coach, a parent, a youth player, this product is for you, and I would recommend it.
How Does the ProVelocity Bat Work?
At first glance, this training bat might look odd as it's definitely the first of its kind. But there's a lot of science behind it.
The ProVelocity Bat is a weighted bat with a sliding barrel. It uses a system of resistance bands to hold the barrel in place near the hands. When you swing, the force of your swing overcomes the resistance and moves the barrel into "the sweet spot" position so you can make contact with a baseball. When the barrel moves (by a swing with enough bat speed and correct bat path) it generates 2 clicks. (More about that below.)
Adding resistance bands changes the amount of bat speed required to get the barrel to release to the end of the shaft... and also to produce the two audible clicks. When you hear the 2 clicks, you know it was a high-quality swing. Only hear one click? Your mechanics were off.
How much resistance the player uses depends on the training objectives and the player's current strength/swing speed.
"When you swing fast enough to overcome the set resistance, the sliding Power Barrel is driven down the bat shaft to the impact position enabling you to make contact with a ball... A "double click" confirms you have achieved your preset swing speed." (Source - ProVelocity)
Plus, when you use the Swing Analyzer app, those clicks are used to give additional information about your swing, such as bat speed and on-plane efficiency.
Click here for more technical details on how the ProVelocity Bat works
How does the ProVelocity Bat Increase Bat Speed?
In the Bledsoe Agency study players showed significant bat speed gains after 4 weeks of using this hitting training aid.
Many coaches and baseball instructors who tried this with their players say their high school students have been able to increase bat speed by as much as 15 mph. And for youth baseball, the change is even more dramatic.
Here are some of the reasons they say this training bat makes such a big difference for hitters.
Building Strength
Swinging a weighted bat is a common drill to increase strength and hit for more power.
Because many other weighted bats are "end loaded" or carry the bulk of the weight on the end, this setup can cause hitters to develop bad habits in the swing. For example, think of an axe where all the weight is at the end of the axe head. When you swing the axe, it pulls the hands away and creates a long slow swing, rather than one where the bat is being whipped through the zone.
In contrast, the ProVelocity training bat is a heavy bat with the weight initially front-loaded (by the hands) to help players learn good hitting mechanics.
Then as you swing, something really interesting happens.... underweight / overweight training occurs with every swing.
Underweight / Overweight Training
The team at ProVelocity says, "The ProVelocity Bat feels "light" when the power barrel is near the batter's hands. It becomes "heavier" as centrifugal force drives the weighted power barrel to the far end of the bat. When the ProVelocity bat is "light," batters learn to use their fast twitch muscles to drop the bat into the on-plane position quickly. Once on plane, the bat becomes heavier as larger muscles drive the power barrel down the shaft of the bat developing a powerful on-plane rotary swing."
Slowly Adding Resistance
This baseball hitting aid is unique because it allows you to incrementally add resistance to increase your bat speed by adding resistance bands.
The sliding Power Barrel of the ProVelocity Bat is driven to the impact position allowing you to make contact with a ball when your pre-set swing speed is achieved.
Correcting a "Push" Swing
A "push swing" is always going to be slower than one that "whips" the bat through the zone. And the reviews say this training bat does a great job helping hitters correct this bad habit.
Other Factors (Independently verified)
When the Bledsoe group did their independent study, they measured positive impact in:
- Increase Exit Velo
- Develop Early Bat Speed
- Improve Swing Sequencing
- Increase Angle of Attack
There are many ways this unique swing trainer can help hitters develop better mechanics and more strength and ultimately increase bat speed.
Click here to purchase the ProVelocity Bat
Improves Swing Path
The ProVelocity Bat can help fix a poor swing path.
Hands that cast which produce a looping barrel will not produce the audio feedback and effectively amount to weak ground balls or fly outs real at-bats. You'll know immediately if the swing is incorrect.
In contrast, a swing where hands are connected to hips, legs, and core is more powerful, and the barrel reaches the hitting zone more quickly. And the Mobile App (more on that below) gives a lot more feedback on that, including "on plane efficiency" --- which means keeping your barrel in the zone longer!
Secondly, the weighted part of the bat is closer to the hands. This is very important for helping young players learn proper hand path. (It's also why you should never let them learn to swing with a weighted bat where the weight is end-loaded. That creates a very bad swing path.)
INCLUDES FREE 10 WEEK "BAT SPEED" WORKOUT PLAN
Coach Nate Headley is a former SEC coach and head of RBI baseball in Knoxville TN. His students are using a custom 10-week, exit velocity training program for the ProVelocity Bat with protocols for ages 10U to Professional
Results after 4 weeks on the program using the swing trainer include:
- First-Year Pros: 4% increase
- College Athletes: 8% increase
- High School Athletes: 10% to 15% increase
This 10-week plan is specific to the ProVelocity Bat and is available for free on their website.
Batting Cage Optional
To the frustration of many energetic young baseball players who would LOVE to spend more time working on their baseball skills, hitting a real baseball requires space or a batting cage. Sadly for eager athletes, there aren't very many hitting drills you can do at home where you are actually increasing power and bat speed.
The ProVelocity training bat solves that problem.
Yes, you CAN use the ProVelocity Bat to hit a real baseball in a cage or off a tee.
However, the ProVelocity Bat can ALSO be used without hitting a ball. When taking "dry swings" the player still benefits from the sound feedback (you'll hear it for yourself in the video above).
For example, if the bat path is round and loopy, or if the swing speed is too low, they can't generate the "click"
This means players can work on their swing at home, even when a cage or net isn't available.
Use With or Without a Partner
Just taking dry swings at home with the correct resistance for your height, weight, and strength allows you to work on proper hitting mechanics to increase bat speed without ever needing a partner to throw you the ball.
Difficulty Level is Adjustable
The ProVelocity Bat has 8 levels of difficulty. Your starting point is based on your height, bat size, and other factors.
Then as you develop strength, you level up, so you're always being challenged.
The Provelocity Mobile App
The ProVelocity Swing Analyzer App uses your height, bat size, and resistance settings to calculate your preset Bat Speed (this will tell you what resistance level is right for you, so you're never left wondering. It provides a more scientific approach).
Then the App uses the ProVelocity Bat's unique audio feedback to calculate Time At Speed, On Plane Efficiency, and Early Bat Speed Position.
In other words, those 2 clicks it makes when you swing are providing all sorts of important data to analyze. The following metrics are measured by the app:
- Bat Speed
Calculate your preset swing speed (aka what bands you want to use) based on your height, bat length, and resistance setting. Get alerted when a "double-click" is achieved indicating you reached your preset speed.
- Time At Speed
By measuring the time between clicks, the ProVelocity Bat app calculates your Time At Speed.
- On Plane Efficiency
Since swings de-accelerate relatively at the same point in a batter swing, the only way to significantly increase the Time At Speed is to learn to whip the barrel on a plane for earlier bat speed and greater On Plane Efficiency.
Learn to increase On Plane Efficiency before moving to higher resistance settings for more time in the strike zone, and a better chance at contact.
- Early Bat Speed Indicator (EBSI)
The EBSI indicator shows the position in your swing relative to the impact position where you achieved your preset Bat Speed. Use the EBSI to learn to get on plane and up to speed earlier.
Click here to purchase the ProVelocity Bat
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