Skip to main content
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
37 terms
- Attack Angle (Batting)AdvancedAttack angle in batting is the vertical angle of the bat path through the hitting zone. A slightly upward attack angle (+5° to +15°) matches the pitch plane for hard contact.Baseball
- Backdoor Breaking BallAdvancedA 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.Baseball
- BarrelAdvancedA barrel is a batted ball with both high exit velocity and an optimal launch angle. That combination is the one most likely to produce extra-base hits.Baseball
- Barrel AccuracyAdvancedBarrel accuracy is how reliably a hitter finds the bat's sweet spot rather than the handle or end cap. It differs from the formal "barrel" stat.Baseball
- Called Strike RateAdvancedCalled strike rate is the share of in-zone pitches a hitter takes for a strike. It mirrors chase rate, measuring missed chances instead of bad swings.Baseball
- Called-Strike-Plus-Whiff Rate (CSW%)AdvancedCSW% is called strikes plus swinging strikes (whiffs) as a share of all pitches thrown. It shows how often a pitcher gets a strike without a ball in play.Baseball
- Chase ContactAdvancedChase contact rate is the percentage of swings at pitches outside the strike zone that make contact. It shows how well a hitter survives a swing at a bad pitch.Baseball
- Collapsing Back SideAdvancedCollapsing the back side is when the back knee and hip buckle and drop instead of staying stacked. It robs ground force and leaves the arms to do the work.Baseball
- Cut FastballAdvancedThe cutter is a fastball with late glove-side movement — harder than a slider, smaller break than a slider — that jams or cuts away from hitters.Baseball
- Diving Catch TechniqueAdvancedDiving catch technique is how a fielder extends fully, glove-first and parallel to the ground. It is a last resort for a ball just out of running range.Baseball
- Drag BuntAdvancedA drag bunt is a bunt started while already moving toward first base, usually by a lefty. It aims to beat out a hit, not sacrifice an out.Baseball
- Eephus PitchAdvancedThe eephus is a very slow, high-arcing pitch thrown with little arm speed, often 30-40 mph slower than a fastball. It is built to disrupt a hitter's timing.Baseball
- Effective VelocityAdvancedEffective velocity is the idea that how fast a pitch feels depends on location, not just the radar gun. Inside pitches feel faster, outside and low ones slower.Baseball
- Framing a PitchAdvancedFraming is how a catcher receives a borderline pitch so it looks like a strike. The catcher uses soft hands and sticks the pitch where it arrives.Baseball
- Front Door Breaking BallAdvancedA front door breaking ball starts at a same-handed batter as if it might hit them. Then it breaks back over the inside corner for a strike.Baseball
- Ground Ball vs Fly Ball TendencyAdvancedGround ball versus fly ball tendency is the overall shape of a hitter's batted balls. It shows whether their attack angle produces grounders, fly balls, or a mix.Baseball
- Hard-Hit RateAdvancedHard-hit rate is the percentage of batted balls struck above a set exit-velocity threshold — usually 95 mph in MLB, scaled lower for amateur levels. It measures contact quality independent of luck.Baseball
- In-Between HopAdvancedThe in-between hop is an awkward bounce at shin or knee height. It is too high to pick off the dirt and too low to field out front, a common cause of errors.Baseball
- Knuckle CurveAdvancedA knuckle curve is a curveball gripped with a bent finger pressed knuckle-first against the ball. It gives a tighter spin axis and a later, sharper break.Baseball
- On-Plane SwingAdvancedAn on-plane swing travels along the incoming pitch's flight path through the hitting zone. This keeps the barrel and ball aligned for a longer window and converting timing errors into contact rather than misses.Baseball
- Pitch SequencingAdvancedPitch sequencing is the art of ordering pitches to exploit a hitter's tendencies and set up future offerings — making each pitch more effective because of what came before.Baseball
- Pitch TunnelingAdvancedPitch 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.Baseball
- Pitching DeceptionAdvancedPitching 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.Baseball
- Pop Time (Catcher)AdvancedPop time is the time from a pitch hitting the catcher's mitt to the throw reaching the glove at second base. It measures a catcher's throw on a steal attempt.Baseball
- Quick PitchAdvancedA quick pitch is a pitcher delivering the ball before the batter is set and ready in the box. It is an attempt to catch the hitter off guard that is illegal at most levels of play.Baseball
- Range FactorAdvancedRange factor is a traditional defensive stat: putouts plus assists per game (or per nine innings). It roughly estimates how much ground a fielder covers.Baseball
- Reading the Ball off the BatAdvancedReading the ball off the bat is judging a batted ball's path, speed, and landing spot just after contact. It uses bat angle and early flight, not the full arc.Baseball
- Spin Rate (Pitching)AdvancedSpin rate is how fast the ball rotates in revolutions per minute (RPM) after leaving the hand — higher spin amplifies the Magnus effect and increases pitch movement.Baseball
- Splitter / ForkballAdvancedThe splitter is an off-speed pitch gripped with the fingers spread across the seams. This produces late diving action that generates weak contact or swings below the zone.Baseball
- Squared-Up RateAdvancedSquared-up rate measures how close exit velocity comes to the theoretical max for that swing and pitch. It tracks contact precision, not raw bat speed.Baseball
- Squeeze Play (Bunt)AdvancedA squeeze play is a called bunt to score a runner from third. The runner goes on the pitch in a suicide squeeze, or once the bunt is down in a safety squeeze.Baseball
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
Available in other languages
See these terms in your own swing
SwingVantage analyzes your swing against these benchmarks — free to start.
Analyze My Swing Free