Get Swinging with BigHitter (Quick Start Guide)

Hey there! We are excited you're jumping into BigHitter. Here's how to get started, quick and easy:

1. First things first, look up top! See that "My Tools" link in the main navigation? Give that a click after you've bought or started your trial.

2. Alright, now for the fun part. You'll see "Launch BigHitter" in your "My Tools" console. Hit that button!

3. Let's get your swing analyzed. Pop in the player's info, guide the AI, select your video and hit "Run BigHitter."

4. You'll get your AI analysis sent to your email. Reply to the email to ask questions, deep dive into training protocols or drills.. or ask BigHitter anything you like about softball or baseball.

BigHitter Pro Video Guide: Capture Killer Baseball & Softball Action for AI Analysis!!

BigHitter's powerful AI analyzes every pitch, catch, throw, run, slide, swing, and defensive play. Basically, if it happens on the diamond, BigHitter is built to see it and break it down!

This guide is your secret weapon for feeding the AI the best possible video using just your phone. You don't have to follow this to get results – BigHitter is designed for real-world footage. But if you want to squeeze every last drop of analytical goodness out of the app... read on.

The Basics: Keep it Real, Keep it Smart

• No Hollywood Needed: Your standard phone camera is perfect! Our AI thrives on real-world videos like game footage or practice drills, not fancy productions.

• Quality Sweet Spot: Stick to default video settings like standard HD 1080p. 4K resolution can yield accurate results but it creates large files so keep your clips quick to stay under the 200 MB limit.

• The 30-Second Rule (Mostly): Aim for clips around 30 - 60 seconds long to capture several actions while staying under the 200 MB upload limit. Shorter clips might be needed if you use higher quality settings.

Capture Techniques: Getting the Goods

• Use Pause & Resume for Highlight Reels: Hit record, capture the action, pause, wait for the next play, then resume—all in one file! This cuts dead time, packs more action per upload for faster insights, and is perfect for stringing together multiple reps efficiently.

• Power Up with Slow-Mo: Use your phone's "Slow Motion" or "High Frame Rate" mode (check Camera settings/modes on iPhone & Android). It captures more frames per second (like 120/240 FPS), letting the AI see tiny mechanical details, but be aware these files can be larger.

• Enable Timestamps (If Available): Check your camera settings to see if you can overlay the date/time directly onto the video. This can sometimes help you and the AI pinpoint exact moments, useful for tracking progress.

Pro Strategies: Level Up Your AI Results

• Frame the Entire Action: Keep the athlete AND relevant objects (ball, bat, glove) fully in the frame throughout the entire motion—setup, action, and follow-through. Don't cut off feet or hands, and watch out for obstructions like fences or people walking by.

• Keep it Steady: Use a tripod if you have one! If not, prop your phone securely on something stable (bucket, bag, fence) or brace yourself to minimize camera shake. Stable video leads to much cleaner AI analysis.

• Capture Multiple Angles: While one good front-side or slightly angled view is okay, capturing the same action from different angles (side, front, behind) gives the AI much more data for a richer 3D understanding of the movement. Think about what you want to analyze (e.g., side view for pitching mechanics).

• Tune Your FPS (Frames Per Second): For analyzing fast actions, check if your phone's regular video settings allow 60 FPS (instead of the default 30 FPS). More frames capture smoother motion and finer details, but create larger files, so adjust clip length accordingly. Slow-mo modes offer even higher FPS (120/240).

• Get Closer Smartly - Optical > Physical > Digital: Fill the frame without losing detail! Prioritize Optical Zoom (using your phone's different lens options like 1x, 2x) as it magnifies without quality loss. If that's not enough, physically move closer to the action (safely!). As a last resort, avoid Digital Zoom (pinch-to-zoom beyond optical limits) because it just crops and enlarges pixels, degrading quality and making it harder for the AI to analyze clearly.

• Lock Focus & Exposure (AE/AF Lock): Before the action, tap and hold on the screen where the athlete will be until you see "AE/AF Lock" (or similar). This prevents the camera from distractingly refocusing or changing brightness mid-play, keeping the AI's view consistent.

• Aim for Clean Backgrounds: If possible, film against a simple background (plain fence, open field) rather than a visually cluttered one. This helps the AI focus solely on the athlete's movements.

• Consider Clothing Contrast (Practice Tip): When possible (like practice), wearing clothes that contrast with the background (e.g., light shirt against dark fence, not green on green grass) can subtly help the AI track the body more easily by improving visual separation.

• Light it Right: Use bright, even lighting. Overcast days are often better than harsh direct sunlight which creates strong shadows. Crucially, avoid shooting with the sun behind the athlete (backlighting), as it creates silhouettes. Well-lit indoor facilities work well too (avoid flicker if possible).

• Wipe That Lens!: Seriously, give your phone lens a quick wipe with a soft cloth before recording. Fingerprints and smudges are the enemy of clear video and good analysis.

• Capture the Whole Story: Don't just film the moment of impact or release. Record the entire sequence: the setup, the action itself, and the follow-through or recovery. This provides crucial context for the AI.

• Desktop Edits are Fine: Feel free to trim clips or make minor adjustments on your computer before uploading, just watch that file size.

• Stick to the Guidelines: Remember the ~30-second duration and <200MB file size suggestions. Adjust clip length down if using high FPS or resolution settings that increase file size.

The Bottom Line

We built BigHitter to analyze the action you capture every day. These tips just help you feed the AI the clearest, most detailed information possible. The better the video input, the sharper and more insightful the analysis output!

Experiment, see what works best for your setup, and keep sending that awesome footage our way. We're constantly improving BigHitter's brainpower!

Now go capture some diamond magic!

Add BigHitter to Your Home Screen for Quick Access!

Want to access BigHitter with just a tap? Here's how to add a shortcut to your home screen or desktop:

Android (Chrome):

1. Open Chrome on your Android device and navigate to the BigHitter app page.

2. Tap the three vertical dots in the top right corner of the screen.

3. In the menu that appears, select "Add to Home screen." You can then edit the shortcut's name and tap "Add." Chrome will place the shortcut on your home screen, just like an app icon.

**Many Android device now require the home screen to be unlocked. If you get a message telling you to "unlock home screen" it is generally here: Settings > Home screen > toggle off "Lock Home screen layout.

iPhone (Safari):

1. Open Safari on your iPhone and go to the BigHitter app page.

2. Tap the "Share" button at the bottom of the screen (it looks like a square with an arrow pointing upwards). Scroll down and select "Add to Home Screen."

3. You can edit the name of the shortcut and then tap "Add." Safari will add the shortcut to your home screen.

Windows (Chrome):

1. Open Chrome on your Windows computer and navigate to the Bighitter app page.

2. Click the three vertical dots in the top right corner of the Chrome window. Go to "More tools" and then click "Create shortcut..." You can edit the name of the shortcut and choose whether to open it as a window.

3. Click "Create." This will create a desktop shortcut for quick access to BigHitter.

By following these simple steps, you can create a convenient shortcut to BigHitter, allowing you to access it with a single tap or click whenever you need it!

Understanding Your BigHitter Credits: Fueling Your Analysis!

We've made some tweaks under the hood to keep things running smoothly as BigHitter now analyzes all the awesome baseball and softball action you throw at it – pitches, hits, fielding, base running, you name it! To make this happen, we've moved to a simple credit system. Think of credits like tokens you use to access the powerful AI brainpower needed for your detailed analysis.

Here's the lowdown on how it works:

• Video Upload Credits: These are your go-to credits for getting insights. You'll use one Video Upload Credit each time you upload a video for BigHitter to work its magic on. This covers the complex process of breaking down the motions, actions, and objects in your footage.

• Reply Credits: Got questions or want to dive deeper into a specific analysis via email? That's where Reply Credits come in. You'll use one Reply Credit each time you reply via email to engage further with the results of a particular video analysis.

Your Credits & Plans:

• Plan Credits: Your chosen BigHitter subscription plan comes loaded with a specific number of Video Upload Credits and Reply Credits each billing period (usually monthly). Check your plan details to see your allowance!

• Use 'Em or Lose 'Em (Plan Credits): Heads up! The credits included with your plan are meant to be used within that billing period. They do not roll over to the next month, so make sure to take full advantage of them!

• Need More? Store Credits to the Rescue! If you run out or need extra flexibility, you can buy standalone credit packs directly from the BigHitter store.

• Store Credits NEVER Expire: Here's the great part – any credits you purchase from the store roll over indefinitely and never expire! They'll stay in your account until you use them.

Keeping track of your credits is easy – your balance is displayed in the BigHitter app and your reply credit balance is also printed at the top of every reply.

This system helps us manage the resources needed to provide detailed analysis on every aspect of the game while giving you flexibility.

Got questions about credits or your plan? Our support team is always happy to help!

Leveraging User Guidance for Enhanced BigHitter Analysis

Introduction

BigHitter utilizes advanced AI and computer vision to perform comprehensive biomechanical and performance analyses of baseball and softball actions captured on video. While our system is engineered to conduct a thorough baseline assessment, the User Guidance feature empowers you to direct the focus of the AI's computational engine, tailoring the analysis to your specific objectives and questions. This document provides a detailed methodology for effectively formulating Guidance inputs to maximize the value and specificity of your BigHitter diagnostic reports.

Understanding User Guidance: Directing the Analytical Lens

It is crucial to understand that the User Guidance input is not a conversational prompt designed to elicit freeform text generation. Instead, it serves as a set of directives or focus parameters for BigHitter's established analytical framework. When you provide Guidance, you are instructing the AI on which aspects of its potential analysis to emphasize, what specific metrics to prioritize, or what comparative context to consider within its calculations.

The AI still performs its core biomechanical and kinematic analysis based on the video data. Your Guidance refines the reporting of these findings, ensuring the emailed diagnostic report highlights the information most relevant to your immediate needs. The fundamental structure of the report remains consistent, but the emphasis and potentially included comparative data points will be adjusted based on your input.

Principles for Formulating Effective Guidance

To achieve the most precise and insightful results, consider the following principles when crafting your Guidance input:

1. Maximize Specificity: Vague inputs yield broad analyses. The more specific your Guidance, the more targeted the report.
2. Clearly State the Objective or Question: Articulate the specific problem you're trying to solve or the question you need answered.
3. Reference Specific Actions or Phases: If the video contains multiple actions or you're interested in a particular part of a movement, specify it.
4. Request Comparative Analysis (Contextualization): BigHitter can contextualize your metrics. Specify the basis for comparison.
5. Combine Principles for Complex Queries: You can merge these approaches for nuanced analysis.

Illustrative Examples of User Guidance

User Guidance InputExpected Influence on Analysis Report "Analyze this video" Performs a standard, comprehensive analysis covering detectable actions and key performance indicators (KPIs). "Analyze my pitching" Prioritizes pitching-specific KPIs: velocity (if detectable), arm slot, stride length, shoulder rotation, etc. De-emphasizes other actions (e.g., background). "Focus on my bat speed and launch angle." emphasizes these specific metrics in the hitting analysis section of the report, potentially providing more granular data points or trend analysis if applicable. "Analyze my inside-out bat path, I need to generate more power on ground balls" focuses analysis on bat path geometry (e.g., attack angle, vertical bat angle) and correlates these with body segment velocities (e.g., torso, arms) linked to power. "Compare my pitching mechanics to Nolan Ryan" identifies key kinematic parameters in the user's pitching motion and contrasts them with corresponding parameters derived from BigHitter's model/data of Nolan Ryan. "Evaluate my stride consistency during hitting. Is my timing variable?" focuses on stride length, timing of foot plant relative to pitch release (if visible), and potentially head movement during the stride phase across multiple swings. "Analyze shoulder abduction and external rotation during my pitching windup compared to benchmarks." Provides specific angular measurements for these joint actions and contextualizes them against normative data ranges stored within BigHitter.

Understanding Limitations: What Guidance Cannot Do

• Generate Novel Content Types: Guidance directs analysis, it doesn't ask the AI to write an essay or create graphics beyond the standard report format.
• Override Physics or Core Analysis: The AI analyzes the actual motion captured. Guidance cannot make the AI report physically impossible results or ignore fundamental biomechanics.
• Analyze Unseen Elements: The analysis is limited to what is visually discernible in the video (e.g., it cannot analyze muscle activation without sensors).
• Provide Medical Diagnoses or Predictions: BigHitter identifies biomechanical patterns; it does not offer medical advice or guarantee future performance outcomes.
• Engage in Conversation: The Guidance field is for analytical instruction. For conversational interaction about the report or baseball/softball science, use the dedicated conversational AI support feature after receiving your report.

Conclusion

The User Guidance feature transforms BigHitter from a powerful analytical engine into a personalized diagnostic partner. By formulating clear, specific, and objective-driven Guidance, you can direct the AI's focus to extract the precise insights needed to accelerate player development, refine coaching strategies, and achieve peak performance based on robust, quantitative data. Experiment with different Guidance inputs to discover the optimal approach for your unique analytical requirements.

Welcome to the BigHitter Pro Mode guide. This mode is designed for experienced players, coaches, and analysts who require granular control over the AI analysis process, enabling deeper dives into specific mechanics, data points, and situational contexts beyond our standard structured reporting.

Pro Mode allows you to leverage the advanced capabilities of the AI, including object tracking, pathing analysis, OCR, event counting, and precise positional assessment. By providing targeted directives, you can tailor the analysis to your specific needs and the unique characteristics of your video footage.

Accessing Pro Mode:

Simply select the "Pro Mode" radio button on the analysis submission form. This will reveal the advanced options panel and disable the standard "Guide Your Analysis Track" text area, as instructions will now be provided through the dedicated Pro Mode fields.

Understanding Pro Mode Options:

The Pro Mode panel is divided into sections, each designed to guide the AI's focus and capabilities:

1. Focus & Output:

• Primary Analysis Focus: This dropdown directs the AI's overall analytical lens. While the AI assesses all visible actions, this selection influences the primary emphasis and depth in specific areas.
• Desired Output Style: This influences the primary format of the results delivered in your email report.

2. Enable Specific AI Capabilities:

This section activates advanced AI functions. Check the relevant box and provide specific details in the associated text field for optimal results. Leaving the text field blank while the box is checked will result in a more generic application of the capability.

Object Tracking:

• What: Identifies and monitors the position of specified objects frame-by-frame.
• Why: Assess movement consistency (e.g., head stillness), path efficiency (e.g., hands), or the relationship between moving parts (e.g., hip-shoulder timing).
• How: Check the box. In the text field, list the specific objects to track, separated by commas (e.g., ball, bat head, front foot, glove, pitcher's head). Be precise.

Object Pathing Analysis:

• What: Analyzes the trajectory or path an object takes over time.
• Why: Evaluate swing path (bat path), pitch trajectory, throwing motion arc, or route efficiency.
• How: Check the box. In the text field, specify the object whose path needs analysis (e.g., bat path through zone, pitch release to catch, runner path 1st to 2nd).

Read Text/Numbers (OCR):

• What: Optical Character Recognition attempts to read visible text or numbers in the video.
• Why: Extract data from timestamp overlays, scoreboards, radar gun readings, or sensor data overlays (like Blast Motion, Rapsodo – if clearly visible).
• How: Check the box. In the text field, specify what text/numbers the AI should focus on or the context (e.g., timestamp during swing, scoreboard inning/score, velocity overlay, bat sensor metrics). Providing context improves accuracy.

Count Events / Repetitions:

• What: Counts the occurrences of specific, visually distinct actions or events.
• Why: Quantify repetitions, track specific outcomes (e.g., number of strikes thrown), or analyze frequency within the video duration.
• How: Check the box. In the text field, clearly define the event(s) to count (e.g., full swings, pitches thrown, ground balls fielded, successful blocks). Ensure the event is visually unambiguous.

Positional Analysis:

• What: Assesses the position of objects or body parts relative to key landmarks or each other at specific moments.
• Why: Evaluate stance setup, position within the batter's box/strike zone, defensive positioning, limb angles at key points (e.g., foot plant, release point).
• How: Check the box. In the text field, provide the context for the positional analysis (e.g., batter position vs plate, pitch location vs strike zone, infielder depth, arm angle at release).

3. Request Specific Data Points:

• Common Metrics: Check the boxes for standard baseball/softball metrics you want the AI to attempt to estimate visually. The AI's ability to provide these depends heavily on video clarity, angle, and the presence of necessary visual cues. Estimates will be provided with confidence notes.
• Other Specific Data Points: Use this text field to request metrics not listed or specific calculations. Be extremely specific about what you want measured and between which points/events (e.g., time from first movement to foot strike, peak hand speed relative to contact, degrees of shoulder rotation at contact). Visual feasibility is key.

4. Video Characteristics:

Check the boxes corresponding to features present in your video. This provides crucial context for the AI:

• Multiple Camera Angles: Informs the AI that different perspectives might be available within the same clip (requires clear cuts or identifiable transitions).
• Timestamp Overlay Visible: Primes the AI to potentially use OCR for timing analysis if requested.
• Slow-motion Segments: Indicates that detailed breakdown of high-speed motion might be possible in certain parts.
• Sensor Data Overlay: Tells the AI to look for and potentially use OCR on visible data from devices like Blast Motion, Rapsodo, etc., if requested.

5. Pro Mode - Specific Instructions & Context (Optional):

This textarea is your primary way to provide nuanced guidance in Pro Mode. Use it to:

• Elaborate on your selections in other sections (e.g., "For object tracking, focus specifically on bat head stability during the forward swing phase only").
• Request specific comparisons within the video (e.g., "Compare hip rotation speed on the first swing versus the last swing").
• Provide crucial context not captured elsewhere (e.g., "Player is working on hitting outside pitches, analyze path on those specifically," or "Ignore reps where the batter clearly took the pitch").
• Ask targeted questions related to the video and your selections.

Best Practices for Pro Mode:

• High-Quality Video is Paramount: Advanced features require clear, stable, well-lit video, preferably at a higher frame rate (60fps+) for motion analysis. Multiple angles are highly beneficial.
• Be Specific, Yet Realistic: Clearly define what you want tracked, counted, or analyzed. However, understand the AI relies on visual information – it cannot measure what it cannot see clearly.
• Combine Features: Use features synergistically. Track the bat head and request bat path analysis. Enable OCR and note that a timestamp overlay is visible.
• Iterate: Use the initial Pro Mode analysis to refine your requests for subsequent submissions or follow-up questions.
• Context is Key: Use the "Specific Instructions" field to provide context that helps the AI interpret the visual data according to your goals.

By utilizing Pro Mode effectively, you can unlock a new level of detailed, customized AI-driven analysis to accelerate player development and gain deeper insights into performance. Should you encounter issues or have further questions, please refer to our support resources.