Blast Motion Aims For Complete Data

Astros shortstop Carlos Correa has used Blast Motion’s hitting analysis tools to help him improve his swing.

With a .3-ounce sensor attached to the end of a bat, Blast Motion Baseball’s 360 “hitting solution” uses an algorithm to track swing data from youth baseball to the major leagues and displays the results.

The most recent release of the Blast product—also the official bat sensor of Major League Baseball—has expanded its baseline metrics beyond swing speed, time to contact, swing direction and power to include vertical bat angle, body rotation scores and swing plane data, a new metric for the industry that Blast Baseball manager Justin Goltz says came from dissecting information from top-level players.

“It stuck out after collecting data and understanding the swing more and more to see what data is important and what is not,” he said. “Top-level players maintain their swing plane 69 to 97 percent of the time.”

The Blast sensor, on the market for roughly two years with products for baseball, softball and golf, has taken its latest iteration after mining data from the company’s close relationship with professional teams, coaches and players, especially in the minor leagues. But the sensor has seen use everywhere from MLB—the Astros have come on board in a big way—down through college and high school teams to the growing youth demographic.

Goltz says Blast prides itself on accuracy, having spent years in labs validating numbers and metrics versus those in the industry and then backing that internal data with third-party studies. “Information is only good information if it is accurate information,” he said.

The other components that Blast says set it apart are found in its ease of use, which includes a patented dynamic calibration system that allows users to snap the sensor onto the knob of the bat and get to work without walking through calibration steps. Blast has also worked to merge its data—which gets sent in real-time via Bluetooth to both iOS and Android devices via the Blast app—with video. Swing videos taken via the app get spliced into swing clips, then slowed down and overlaid with data.

“You are able to see your swing visually through your own body instead of an avatar recreating it,” Goltz says. “Having the data overlaid gives (the swing) objectivity. The data and metrics help solidify it.”

Blast has seen a variety of uses for its data-gathering, whether its from youth hitters looking to improve swings through the app’s coaching features, high school coaches pairing drills with data to find improvement or Houston’s Carlos Correa using it as a baseline tracker.

Once a team signs a contract with Blast, they can access data that provides a baseline on swing metrics that can be used to track progress—or regression—over time. Players will use the data, often when hitting off a tee to reduce variables, to understand what improvements and tweaks are needed in their swing. Younger athletes can pair the data with coaching and training tips. Blast was also approved for on-field use in the minor leagues, allowing teams to compare the information with cage and tee data to see how players react.

Moving forward, Goltz says to expect Blast to start offering an even wider representation of the whole picture. Blast focuses on pre-impact swing metrics, but the future will include post-impact data and beefed up information on strength and conditioning-based improvements. The recent addition of swing plane data really came from Blast looking to create a body rotation score. Even with just the single sensor, Goltz says they can infer plenty in terms of hip and shoulder separation or the movement of hands. Continually adding new metrics with tips for how to improve the swing will remain one of Blast’s constant efforts. “We are continuing to make it,” he said, “a more holistic and all-encompassing solution.”