An Inside Look at The Four-Pillar System for Building Game-Ready Hitters

In today’s baseball and softball world, players and parents hear a lot about numbers. Bat speed, exit velocity, launch angle, sweet spot %, hard-hit %, attack angle, and other analytics.

These numbers matter but numbers alone don’t make hitters. Great hitters are built through a combination of skills that work together, not in isolation.

At Swing Angry, we train hitters using a complete system built around four pillars:

1. Bat Speed & Exit Velocity

2. Bat-to-Ball Skill (Collision Efficiency)

3. Swing Decisions

4. Plan & Approach

When players develop all four, they become dangerous hitters who consistently impact games at every level.

Let’s break it all down.

1A. Bat Speed: The Engine Behind Exit Velocity

Bat speed is the speed of the barrel at contact or the “engine” of the swing. If the bat isn’t moving fast enough, the ball simply cannot come off the bat hard, no matter how “pretty” the swing looks.

Bat speed is influenced by:

• Strength

• Rotation

• Sequencing

• Mechanics

• Intent to move fast

Players with higher bat speed have a higher ceiling for power and contact quality.

Faster swings give hitters:

• More room for error

• Better ball flight on mishits

• More production in games

But bat speed alone is not enough…because power is wasted if the hitter doesn’t square up the ball.

1B. Exit Velocity: The Result of the Swing

Exit Velocity (EV) is simply how fast the ball comes off the bat right after contact. EV matters because hard-hit balls turn into hits more often.

Exit velocity comes from:

• Bat speed

• Collision efficiency

• Contact point

• Pitch speed (minor factor)

A player with high bat speed but low EV has a breakdown somewhere. A player with high EV but low bat speed is leaving potential power on the table.

The best hitters maximize both.

2. Bat-to-Ball Skill: Turning Bat Speed into Hard Contact

Bat-to-Ball Skill, also called collision efficiency or smash factor, measures how well hitters convert their bat speed into actual exit velocity.

The Basic Smash Factor Formula

Smash Factor = Exit Velocity / Bat Speed

Example: A baseball player swings the bat at 60 mph and produces 78 mph exit velocity.

78/60 = 1.3

Smash factor is simple: if the number is above 1.0, you’re transferring power. The higher the number, the better the barrel accuracy, timing, and contact quality.

This tells us how many mph of exit velocity the hitter creates for every 1 mph of bat speed.

Two hitters can have the same bat speed and get completely different results:

Hitter A:60 mph bat speed → 75 mph EV (Good efficiency)

Hitter B:60 mph bat speed → 62 mph EV (Low efficiency)

Collision efficiency is all about how cleanly the hitter strikes the ball.

Collision efficiency is influenced by:

• Squaring up the ball

• Staying on-plane

• Contact point

• Swing path

• Timing

• Barrel accuracy or hitting the sweet spot

Great hitters swing fast AND hit the ball flush. We want hitters who, hit the ball hard, hit it flush, and do it consistently.

That combination produces:

• Line drives

• Extra-base hits

• Run production

But even elite bat speed + elite contact skill isn’t enough without the next two pillars…

3. Swing Decisions

Swing decisions are often the separator between average hitters and great hitters.

Poor swing decisions can ruin great mechanics. Great swing decisions can elevate hitters with only average mechanics. Swing decisions answer the question: “Did I swing at a pitch I can actually drive?”

Good swing decisions lead to:

• Fewer strikeouts

• More hard-hit balls

• Better counts

• More confidence

• More consistent production

4. Plan & Approach

Approach is the hitter’s plan, mindset, and competitive identity in the box.

It answers questions like:

• What am I hunting with less than two strikes?

• What’s my two-strike plan?

• How does this pitcher attack hitters?

• Which pitch can I do damage on?

A strong approach helps hitters:

• Play to their strengths

• Stay disciplined and make adjustments

• Compete with purpose

• Handle pressure

• Understand counts and situations

• Stay mentally locked in

Your plan and approach determine your ability to utilize your skills.

How Swing Angry Trains the Four Pillars

We train hitters in dynamic, game-like environments through a combination of blocked and random practice.

Mirror/Movement Prep > Tee > Front Toss > BP > Live/Machine

For Bat Speed & Exit Velocity:

• Rotational movement efficiency

• Overload and underload hitting

• Intent-based bat speed training

• Athletic performance and strength training

For Bat-to-Ball Skill:

• Skinny bats, flat bats

• Blocked training: inside/outside, high/low

• Bat-path precision drills

• Sweet-spot challenges

• Variable training with different pitch shapes and locations

For Swing Decisions:

• Decision making drills

• Mixed, variable BP

• Pitch recognition games

• Velocity and shape variability

• Simulated at-bats

  
  

For Plan & Approach:

• Count-based hitting games

• Zone hunting drills

• Approach scripting

• Live at-bats

• Situational hitting

We blend controlled work with moving, unpredictable environments because hitters must learn to apply their swing in real situations. Our training bridges the gap between practice swings and game swings, always centered around this reality:

The pitcher is trying to get us out, so our job is to train in ways that help players create fewer outs.

Nothing in our system is accidental. Every drill connects directly to one of the four pillars.

How Swing Angry Measures These Skills

We use objective measurement tools to track and improve each pillar:

Bat Speed:

• Blast Motion Sensors

• Swing Speed radar

• Monthly bat speed testing

Exit Velocity:

• HitTrax (Max EV and AVG EV)

• Pocket Radar

• Hard-hit rate tracking

Bat-to-Ball Skill:

• Smash factor

• Line Drive %

• Zone-specific contact data

Swing Decisions & Approach

• Quality ABs

• Two-strike performance

• First-pitch readiness

• Zone discipline (swing %, take %, chase%)

• Hitter Game logs and video review

We don’t just train — we measure, track, compare, and improve.

Summary: What Makes a Game-Ready Hitter?

A game-ready hitter is not built by one drill, one number, or one mechanical fix.

They are built by developing all four pillars:

1. Bat Speed & Exit Velocity → Power

2. Bat-to-Ball Skill → Clean, consistent contact

3. Swing Decisions → Choosing hittable pitches

4. Plan & Approach → Competing with purpose

When hitters master these four, they become:

• Confident

• Powerful

• Disciplined

• Dangerous

• Consistent

• Game-ready competitors

This is the Swing Angry system. This is how real hitters are developed.