Blast Connect | Metrics

What is On Plane?

The On Plane metric measures the percentage of your swing that the sweet spot of the bat is considered to be On Plane. The reference plane is defined at the moment of impact. The percentage of your swing On Plane is determined by the amount of speed generated within that reference plane.

Why is On Plane important?

An efficient swing gets On Plane early and stays On Plane as it approaches impact. In an efficient swing, the hitter wants to build as much forward Bat Speed On Plane as possible, to maximize functional Bat Speed at impact. Swinging the bat On Plane is one of the most important skills necessary to becoming a high level hitter. It is also one of the most variable swing components when comparing hitters. An efficient swing is one in which the hitter gets the barrel On Plane very early and deep in the swing path, which allows them to better optimize acceleration of the barrel through the strike zone. Changes in swing plane are the direct result of changes in arm and wrist kinematics relative to the Body Rotations. The better the hitter is at minimizing these variable arm/wrist degrees of freedom, the longer the hitter's bat will be On Plane. In a connected swing, the hitter will read the pitch early and make adjustments through the core and body instead of the arms and wrist in order to align the swing plane with the pitch location.

What should On Plane be?

In an ideal world, the hitter wants to maximize their On Plane percentage. The higher this percentage value, the better, as that requires less conscious and active control from the hitter during the dynamic downswing. There is a high correlation between the hitter's setup posture and the On Plane percentage metric. A hitter that has more body tilt towards the plate will tend to be On Plane longer than someone who stands more upright at the beginning of the swing and drops the barrel down into the swing plane as the swing progresses. A good functional swing will have an average On Plane percentage starting at 60% or higher. A typical dynamic range for On Plane percentage will be 55%-65%. For the On Plane metric, moving the value higher is desired and directly indicative of a more connected swing.

How do I improve On Plane?

All players should understand what their typical On Plane percentage is for a middle-middle (mid-height and middle of plate) pitch. The best way to accomplish this is with tee work with the tee setup in the middle of the plate at an approximate height near the hitter's belt line. In this use case, the hitter should focus on achieving On Plane percentages of 55% or higher. The best types of drills for improving On Plane percentage are connection drills, which reinforce rotational patterns between the body and hand paths. This often involves constraint drills where the barrel of the bat is constrained to move with the upper body, such as with the back shoulder or back of the neck during the swing. There are also training aids that connect the arms to the Body Rotations during the swing, which help with this. As the hitter is able to consistently achieve a high On Plane percentage of 55% or higher, they should introduce variability in pitch location into their training program. The goal is to maintain these On Plane percentage values while learning to adjust to pitch locations by altering core and torso movement patterns. Monitoring Vertical Bat Angle with the hitter's On Plane percentage is very valuable from a feedback perspective.