We are excited to announce that a reaction time training feature has just been added to the BFE ProBaseball suite.
From the moment the baseball pitcher begins the coming set of their pitch to when the ball crosses the plate, the batter has roughly 0.40 seconds of reaction time to:
- determine the type of pitch
- determine if it's a strike or a ball
- determine the speed of the pitched ball
- finish the stride and get their foot down
- get the bat to the ball
It is an understatement to say that 0.40 seconds is not a lot of time to react to the fastest of pitches. Players, with their coaches and trainers, devote years to improving their form and discerning ability to bring down their reaction time in order to connect the bat with the ball. The Biofeedback Federation of Europe (BFE) ProBaseball team has created a software suite that can help with this issue: the ProBaseball Reaction Time Suite. It trains the hitter's mental decision process, so that they can lower their reaction time and improve their hitting average.
The software has a few different designs, but all are based on the principle of training the batter to shorten the time it takes to make the mental decision for reaction when they're at bat. We're not training technique or physical method. The player watches a computer screen and reacts as quickly as possible by clicking a push button, according to the correct conditions of the design:
1) The first design is a compatibility protocol, where the hitter learns to correctly identify the pitcher's curveball and fastball grips in shorter-and-shorter amounts of time.
2) The second design is improving the speed as which they identify the fastball or curveball spin of the baseball as it approaches them.
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| These are images of what the batter is watching for this reaction time design. The baseballs are spinning in the live session. |
3) The third design is discerning when the baseball is over the strike zone or heading off to the side as a ball.
The equipment we used is ProComp Infiniti System manufactured by Thought Technology Ltd., which is reliable for continuously measuring reaction times accurate to 4 milliseconds. The computer setup requires two monitors - one for the batter as they watch for the reaction time images, and the other for the trainer as they monitor the reaction time statistics.
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| The left side is for the trainer to monitor the session and the right side is what the player is watching. |
All data is saved in the system, and a simple excel report of the stats can quickly be generated for the player and the trainer's files.
We all know the batter is doing a lot more than simply waiting for the ball. You can train their physical technique for faster reaction, but with the help of the ProBaseball Reaction Time Suite you can also train their brain for quicker reactions.
BFE ProBaseball Suite
The ProBaseball suite is designed to work with Infiniti software. In addition to the reaction time training screens, it includes a stress assessment and an upper trapezius evaluation along with excel reports, notes for quick data interpretation, and useful training tips. It can be purchased online as a direct download in the BFE shop. Click here for more information.
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