The SPINAID™ is a training device perfect for any baseball player wanting to improve throwing efficiency. The device is the size and weight of a regulation baseball with two flattened sides. When thrown, the flattened parallel sides provide instant visual feedback to help players of all skill levels better understand ball flight, movement, and rotation. An inefficient delivery is present when the device appears to wobble when thrown. The visual feedback provides an athlete means to improve their throw through experimentation and self-directed learning. Athletes can use the device to learn how to apply different finger pressure, grip, and release, to their delivery, improving efficiency in real-time.
- Genuine leather cover with four-seam orientation
- Same diameter and weight of regulation baseball
- Low tech device that provides high tech results
- Can be used with fastball, off-speed, and breaking grips
- Immediate visual feedback to improve throws
- Shape design inspired by the hockey puck
In the Spring of 2017, a minor league pitching coordinator asked the Oates Specialties team if they could provide him with a hybrid ball with flattened sides similar to a hockey puck. He requested a ball with the look and feel of a baseball with seams that provided a realistic grip. Since the team was unfamiliar with such a ball, he explained it would be used for drills giving a visual depiction of ball flight. This was the genesis of the Spinaid™ and its five-year development odyssey.
The Spinaid™ can help pitchers, catchers, and coaches understand the movement of a thrown ball. The unique shape will travel straight when thrown with good technique but wobbles if there is an issue with release point, grip, or finger pressure.
With a guided discovery approach, coaches can use Spinaid™ to help players understand and discover the best way to achieve efficient ball flight. The design of the Spinaid™ provides a visual understanding of ball flight, giving meaning to coaching corrections. A great feature of the Spinaid™ is you can use it with virtually any throwing drill needed to focus on particular skills.
The Spinaid™ provides an excellent means for athletes to experiment individually and learn through discovery learning, using the visual feedback provided by the device. Changing finger pressure, repositioning grip, or altering release points can affect the flight of the custom ball to eliminate the wobble. After achieving the goal of throwing the Spinaid™ efficiently, throws of the device should be blended with throws of a regular baseball (alternating throwing the Spinaid™ and baseball), transferring newly acquired skills.
The Spinaid™ is the diameter and weight of a baseball. It has a leather cover and standard baseball seams (similar to minor a league baseball) in a four-seam orientation. With a realistic baseball feel, the Spinaid™ is a valuable tool to ingrain the proper mechanics of overhand throwing for all players. The Spinaid™ is a throwing tool and not intended to be batted; it can be thrown to another player or into a net but not into walls or hard surfaces.
Product care should be provided to the Spinaid™ in the same fashion as any high-quality leather baseball. Instructions for use are not included.
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