Rapsodo, anyone?

[DonnyS]

I did a search (both on the website and through Google for replies on this site), but could not find anything more recent than approx. 2018/19. From what I could tell it was a mixed bag back then with most leaning negative or against. Please let me know if I missed a thread.

Is anyone using the Rapsodo system or otherwise familiar with it? Anyone use it and then decide it was not worth?

I have to believe with Covid issues over the last year and half or so that colleges had to utilize data more. But maybe I am mistaken in that assumption.

Any other thoughts/opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Westwind]

DD’s hitting coach used it.

It seemed to work very well.

Unlike other tech I have used, it seemed like the sound off the bat and visually how hard it came off the bat and the tech readings corresponded. It even measured spin and showed the ball tailing off if the ball had side spin.

 

[DonnyS]

DD’s hitting coach used it.

It seemed to work very well.

Unlike other tech I have used, it seemed like the sound off the bat and visually how hard it came off the bat and the tech readings corresponded. It even measured spin and showed the ball tailing off if the ball had side spin.

Thanks for the response Westwind. I feel the same about some of the less expensive tech we've tried as well.

We haven't used it yet, but now have access to Hittrax. Looking forward to trying it out this "offseason."

I'm hoping somebody has some input on the pitching version of the Rapsodo.

 

[Westwind]

DD’s school has Hittrax and I’ve seen it used in several settings.

She‘s not too impressed with it and I’m really not either. She says things like “it never works” and it seems like someone has to stand at the computer and tinker with it constantly.

There is a strong possibility that the Hittrax I have seen isn’t being used by someone that knows what they are doing but the one and only Rapsodo I have seen was pretty flawless and he is a one man show.

 

[Josh Greer]

Seems like there was a stink over on the Twitterverse (About all there is over there) about some new pricing updates on Rapsodo's cloud data service. I can't seem to find the thread now, so if I'm misrepresenting I will certainly correct this post. But it looks like they drastically increased the cloud price for existing customers. High schools were pretty concerned that after justifying the original investment, the increase in cloud cost pushed them over budget. So I would suggest looking into it to make sure you would have room for increases and not just the initial costs.

 

[Hillhouse]

There's 2 programs for this, pitching and hitting. One is something like $5K, but you can get both for $7K or something. I've seen people use these but I've never used one myself. I'm sure this is a great tool for people for various reasons. Personally, I don't measure student's spin rates, etc. The goal is to always try to get more, no matter what the current RPM rate is. I'm also fortunate enough during lessons that I can see the spin pretty clearly when I jump back to catch a few pitches. I do this to see the spin, check the direction of spin, etc. So, I can see if a dropball (for example) is not spinning straight without the need for a Rapsodo. However, I can see how this would help others with spin direction, etc. who don't see it the same as I do. I'm not saying this makes me superior in any way, don't get me wrong. We can debate how to correct spin, how to get more of it, etc. but, right/wrong spin isn't really something that should be in dispute.

 

[DonnyS]

DD’s school has Hittrax and I’ve seen it used in several settings.

She‘s not too impressed with it and I’m really not either. She says things like “it never works” and it seems like someone has to stand at the computer and tinker with it constantly.

There is a strong possibility that the Hittrax I have seen isn’t being used by someone that knows what they are doing but the one and only Rapsodo I have seen was pretty flawless and he is a one man show.

Good to know! I think we'll actually have access to both Hittrax and Rapsado this winter. It will be interesting to compare.

 

[DonnyS]

Seems like there was a stink over on the Twitterverse (About all there is over there) about some new pricing updates on Rapsodo's cloud data service. I can't seem to find the thread now, so if I'm misrepresenting I will certainly correct this post. But it looks like they drastically increased the cloud price for existing customers. High schools were pretty concerned that after justifying the original investment, the increase in cloud cost pushed them over budget. So I would suggest looking into it to make sure you would have room for increases and not just the initial costs.

Good point Josh. When I looked at it this summer there were two options 1 for $500 and 1 for $2000. The $2000 option seemed like a new option from when I looked at it before.

 

[DonnyS]

There's 2 programs for this, pitching and hitting. One is something like $5K, but you can get both for $7K or something. I've seen people use these but I've never used one myself. I'm sure this is a great tool for people for various reasons. Personally, I don't measure student's spin rates, etc. The goal is to always try to get more, no matter what the current RPM rate is. I'm also fortunate enough during lessons that I can see the spin pretty clearly when I jump back to catch a few pitches. I do this to see the spin, check the direction of spin, etc. So, I can see if a dropball (for example) is not spinning straight without the need for a Rapsodo. However, I can see how this would help others with spin direction, etc. who don't see it the same as I do. I'm not saying this makes me superior in any way, don't get me wrong. We can debate how to correct spin, how to get more of it, etc. but, right/wrong spin isn't really something that should be in dispute.

We are at the point where I have to focus on just catching the ball and not taking one to the face! LOL! And she keeps throwing harder with more movement the older she gets.

I can see the different spins but do not know enough to correct. She does and can, but really I'm just looking for another tool to help her get to where she wants to be if it makes sense. Especially if colleges are looking for it. There is nobody within 2+ hours drive that has the system as far as I can tell.

I'll leave it to her pitching coaches to correct/increase spin etc., but if we can make her home practices more efficient that is a good thing.

Thanks for your feedback!

 

[DonnyS]

Bumping for the weekday crowd to see if there are any others with experience or thoughts.