New Balance Hit Club is now available on the Zepp app and adds more dimensions to the baseball and softball swing analysis provided by the Zepp sensor system. Zepp has attachable and integrated sensor systems that can track swing motions, and the app provides real-time analysis, evaluation, and advice from MLB pros on how to improve. (Photo via Zepp)
The world of sports has been increasingly impacted by the power of technology, and the metrics, as well as the supplemental guidance provided by Zepp, helps players improve faster and contribute to the recent and apparent renewal of America’s pastime. Zepp already enjoyed a strong endorsement from arguably the MLB’s best hitter in recent years, Mike Trout, in which he said, “Introducing a Smart Bat is a big moment for the game," and that it helps him, “...improve [his] swing and have consistency throughout the season,” and now they’ve partnered with New Balance to introduce NB HitClub.
Their website describes HitClub as an app that offers swing challenges, achievements, leaderboards, and prizes for the winners of monthly challenges. Now, not only do players benefit from the data analysis and specific suggestions, they’re pushed more by the introduction of a little competition and even further incentivized by prizes.
On the website, Zepp states that their multi-sport sensor can provide instant feedback after a few swings, and that information includes a 3-D swing analysis which measures, “...bat speed, time to impact, launch angle and more,” as well as targeted advice from Smart Coach: tailored video training programs led by MLB players and coaches.
The attachable sensor system fits directly onto the end of the bat (as shown above), and it costs $150 while the Zepp app and NB HitClub, available on both Android and iOS platforms, are free. The integrated Smart Bat from Old Hickory, on the other hand, ranges from $105 for youth bats up to to $155. The revamped sensor includes faster charging, twice the battery life, an additional high-speed gyro, and Bluetooth capability (Bluetooth 4.0 and newer).
All of these components of Zepp’s app and sensor system, in addition to their recent partnership with New Balance and their alliance with Mike Trout and Old Hickory, are all evidence of the increasing interaction between tech and sports worlds and could add to the recent reinvigoration of this facet of American culture.
Watch the video below to see how the swing system works.
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