Vertical Bat Angle is a measure of the barrel’s angle parallel to the ground at time of impact.
This means that when the barrel of the bat is held flat and parallel with the knob, the Vertical Bat Angle will be 0. When the barrel drops below the knob, the VBA will be negative.
You can think of Vertical Bat Angle as the “steepness” of the bat at impact. A steeper swing with the barrel much lower than the knob indicates a larger (steeper) VBA.
Measurement
Vertical Bat Angle can be directly measured by a bat sensor. It is represented by a degree number, almost always negative because negative values indicate the barrel is below the knob at impact, and this occurs with almost every batted ball.
It’s important to note that your VBA can vary greatly on a pitch-by-pitch basis, typical VBA’s range from -25 to -35 degrees.
The movement and location of the pitch will ultimately determine what VBA you will create to make solid contact. A pitch down and in on your knees will require a very steep (very negative) VBA to make contact, while a pitch high and over the plate will require you to swing your bat more level, resulting in a lower VBA.
VBA is critical in determining your swing plane as the bat sensor takes your VBA at impact and then works backward to construct your ideal swing plane for that specific pitch. This is ultimately used to help evaluate or determine metrics such as On-Plane Efficiency and Early Connection.
This metric can indicate your torso tilt (body angle) as you adjust to pitches in different locations. The most efficient swings are those that have a strong correlation between VBA and body angle, which means you adjust your posture and body angle early in the swing to create the ideal bat path that offers full coverage of the zone where the pitch is located.
Summary
Vertical Bat Angle helps us understand more about our swings upon impact. This is a metric that can be easily tracked during practice to monitor and evaluate how well a player adjusts to different pitch types and locations.
Related Links
https://www.drivelinebaseball.com/2018/05/using-swing-plane-coach-hitters-deeper-look/
https://rocklandpeakperformance.com/a-review-of-blast-motion-baseball-and-its-swing-quality-metrics/
https://diamondkinetics.com/support/swingtracker-baseball/science/control/
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