Tunnel Point
Also known as: pitch tunneling point, decision point
The tunnel point is the spot in a pitch's flight where two pitch types still share nearly the same path. It is roughly where the batter must decide to swing.
A hitter has a fixed, very short window to decide whether to swing. It comes roughly at the point where the ball has traveled about half the distance from the mound to the plate. Some pitches share the same release point, arm speed, and initial trajectory through that decision window. They are said to be "tunneled" because the hitter cannot yet tell them apart. What happens after the tunnel point is what separates the pitches. The fastball continues straight while the slider breaks glove-side. Or the changeup simply arrives later than the identical-looking fastball did.
The tighter two pitches tunnel, the more swing-and-miss or weak contact they generate. Tighter means they travel longer on the same apparent path before diverging. The hitter's decision is made on incomplete information. Tunneling is a function of release-point consistency above all else. Some pitchers throw the fastball and slider from visibly different arm slots or release heights. That gives the hitter an early tell, collapsing the tunnel before it can do its job.
Example
Video overlay showed his slider and fastball traveling on an identical path for the first 25 feet before diverging, a tight tunnel that made the slider nearly impossible to distinguish out of the hand.
Why it matters
Tunneling is one of the clearest video-verifiable deception metrics. Film different pitches from the same spot behind you and compare where their paths split; Motion Lab does not track the ball's flight.
How it shows up on video
On video, a well-tunneled pair of pitches shares the same release point, arm speed, and early trajectory. A poorly tunneled pair shows visibly different release heights or an arm-speed change that telegraphs which pitch is coming before the tunnel point is even reached.
Common mistakes
- Throwing pitches from subtly different release points without realizing it, which gives hitters an early read before the tunnel point
- Changing arm speed between fastball and off-speed pitches, destroying the tunnel regardless of how similar the pitches look on paper
- Focusing only on individual pitch shape and ignoring how two pitches look together out of the hand, which is what tunneling actually measures
In SwingVantage Motion Lab
Motion Lab does not track the ball or know which pitch you threw, so it cannot find where two pitches split.
Frequently asked questions
Is tunnel point the same thing as tunneling?
They are closely related — tunneling describes the overall effect of pitches sharing a flight path. At the same time, the tunnel point is the specific location on that path where the hitter must commit to a decision.
Related terms
- Pitch TunnelingPitch tunneling is throwing different pitch types on the same early flight path so they separate late. The hitter can almost never tell them apart in time.
- Pitching DeceptionPitching deception is any part of a pitcher's mechanics, grip, or delivery that delays or confuses the hitter. It disguises pitch type, speed, or location.
- Release PointRelease point is the precise spatial location in front of the body where the pitcher lets go of the ball — consistency here is the foundation of command.
- Backdoor Breaking BallA backdoor breaking ball starts off the plate and breaks back over the outside corner for a called strike. It looks like a ball until the last instant.
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