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Sports Glossary
Learn the language of your game — answer-first definitions across every SwingVantage sport, each with a real example. Free to explore.
All sportsGolfTennisPickleballPadelBaseballSlow-Pitch SoftballFast-Pitch SoftballCricket Analysis Concepts
211 terms
- Sweep ShotAdvancedThe sweep is a cross-bat shot played on one knee to a good-length ball, usually from a spinner. It sweeps the ball around to the leg side to counter turn and length.Cricket
- Swing BowlingAdvancedSwing bowling makes a fast-bowled ball curve sideways in the air, toward the batter (inswing) or away (outswing). The angled seam, helped by keeping one side shiny, makes the air flow differently over the two sides of the ball.Cricket
- Swing LengthAdvancedSwing length is how far the barrel travels from the start of the swing to contact. A shorter path generally needs less time, at some cost to peak bat speed.Baseball
- Swing SequencingAdvancedSwing sequencing is the downswing order in which hips, torso, arms, then club peak in speed. It separates efficient power from a swing that only looks fast.Golf
- Swing WeightAdvancedSwing weight measures how heavy a club feels in the swing, based on where its weight sits. It uses a letter-number scale (commonly C9 to D5), not grams.Golf
- The SlotAdvanced"The slot" is the club's ideal downswing channel: inside and shallow, between the target line and shoulder plane. It allows an efficient, in-to-out strike.Golf
- Third Shot LobAdvancedA third shot lob is a high, arcing third shot by the serving team, instead of the more common drop or drive. It is aimed over the returning team as they move up to the kitchen line.Pickleball
- Tiebreak StrategyAdvancedTiebreak strategy is how players adjust tactics for a tiebreak's short, high-pressure points: serve selection, return aggression, and side-switch pacing.Tennis
- Time to ContactAdvancedTime to contact is the split-second a swing takes from trigger to ball. It sets how late a hitter can afford to start swinging against a given velocity.Baseball
- Toe-Down ImpactAdvancedToe-down impact is the natural drooping of the clubhead's toe during the downswing, caused by shaft dynamics and gravity. If setup does not account for it, the effective strike location shifts toward the toe.Golf
- Tools Grade Scale (20-80)AdvancedThe 20-80 scale is how scouts grade each of a player's tools. A 50 is Major League average, 80 is elite, and 20 is well below usable at the top level.Baseball
- Topspin DinkAdvancedA topspin dink adds forward spin to a kitchen-line dink so it dips quickly after crossing the net and kicks up on the bounce. This makes it harder to reset cleanly.Pickleball
- Topspin LobAdvancedA Topspin Lob is a lob struck with forward topspin so that after clearing the net players, it dips quickly and then accelerates and kicks off the turf and back glass. This makes it much harder to smash than a flat defensive lob.Padel
- Trail Elbow CollapseAdvancedTrail elbow collapse is the trail elbow over-folding and losing structure in the downswing. The club loses width and speed, often forcing an early release or chicken wing.Golf
- TransitionAdvancedThe transition is the moment the swing changes direction from backswing to downswing. How the body starts this moment determines sequencing, lag, and the resulting club path.Golf
- Tunnel PointAdvancedThe 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.Baseball
- Two-Wall Combination (Side + Back)AdvancedA two-wall combination is a ball that rebounds off both the side and back glass, usually after a shot into the corner. Its path is harder to read, so defenders must let it fully develop.Padel
- Two-Way MissAdvancedA two-way miss is missing both left and right, sometimes hooking and sometimes pushing. The cause is face and path compensating for each other inconsistently.Golf
- Upper CutAdvancedThe upper cut is an attacking stroke played to a short, wide, high ball outside off stump. It sends the ball over the slips or gully area for four or six.Cricket
- Uppercut OvercorrectionAdvancedUppercut overcorrection is swinging much steeper than the pitch's descent angle while trying to add loft or fix topped balls. It trades grounders for pop-ups.Slow-Pitch Softball
- Vertical Gear EffectAdvancedVertical gear effect is how hitting above or below the face's center of gravity changes spin and launch. High strikes add backspin and launch; low strikes reduce spin.Golf
- VíboraAdvancedA víbora (Spanish for "viper") is a sliced overhead with wrist-snap sidespin that skids low off the side glass. It adds more pressure than a bandeja but keeps you at the net.Padel
- Víbora GripAdvancedThe víbora grip turns the index knuckle slightly further under the handle than a neutral continental. It frees the wrist to snap sideways at contact, which gives the víbora its sidespin.Padel
- Wedge GrindAdvancedWedge grind is how a wedge's sole is shaped and trimmed beyond its loft and bounce. It fine-tunes turf interaction for specific conditions and shot styles.Golf
- Weighted On-Base Average (wOBA)AdvancedWeighted On-Base Average (wOBA) gives each hitting outcome a run value. It combines walks and hits into one rate that is scaled like on-base percentage.Baseball
- Western Forehand Grip TimingAdvancedWestern forehand grip timing is about the narrow contact-height window this grip demands. Contact too low or too high costs far more than with a neutral grip.Tennis
- Western GripAdvancedThe western grip rotates the hand fully under the handle (base knuckle on bevel 4–5). This enables extreme topspin on high balls while making low-ball and flat shots very difficult.Tennis
- Windshield Wiper ForehandAdvancedThe windshield wiper forehand finishes with the racquet sweeping across the body like a car's wiper. The extra face rotation adds heavy topspin.Tennis
- Wrist Lay-BackAdvancedWrist lay-back is the cocked-back wrist that forms naturally as the racquet head lags the hand late in the swing. It stores energy released at contact.Tennis
- Wrist SnapAdvancedWrist Snap in padel is the rapid rotation of the forearm and wrist through impact used primarily in the vibora, bandeja, and aggressive topspin drives to generate additional pace and spin beyond what arm acceleration alone provides.Padel
- Zone Contact RateAdvancedZone contact rate is the share of swings at in-zone pitches that make contact. It is a core measure of bat-to-ball skill on pitches a hitter should handle.Baseball
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