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iTrac FAQ's

How do  you prove iTrac works?
One word: RESULTS.  Baseball is a game of numbers and stats, it is how fans and organizations have compared players throughout history. We have worked with some of the best hitters in the Majors for over a decade and on the days they train with iTrac, they have averaged an increase in their batting average of 40-60 points.  If iTrac was a person who produces these results, that person would be the most sought after hitting coach in the world. 

How is iTrac different from other vision programs?
The iTrac Vision Training System is the most functional vision training system for hitters.  iTrac hitters are trained at game distance, at velocities at and above game speed, track a ball, and swings a bat while their body moves in the exact manner in which a hitter swings and has to produce in a game.  The philosophy is, if you want to perform better in the game, train in conditions that are game-like or even more challenging. Hitters have traditionally prepared for competition in conditions that are not “game-like.”  For years hitters have practiced their swing off the tee or having a ball flipped to them, but they have not worked on tracking pitches from release through to the point of contact.

What are the expected benefits of consistent iTrac vision training?
They are as follows: 

How does iTrac “slow the game down”?
The iTrac Vision Training System utilizes pitches at velocities 30 to 40 M.P.H. faster than the average MLB fastball.  The 130+mph velocity makes pitches in the game seem like they are in virtual “SLOW MOTION”.  Once the game, or pitch is slowed down, iTrac hitters are trained to identify, interpret, and make better decisions on any given pitch while they become able to track deep into contact. After slowing the game down with iTrac, instead of swingers “guessing” what pitch might be thrown, our hitters can “read” the pitch that is about to get hit. The slow motion effect has many benefits and many big leaguers have stated the iTrac Vision Training System locks them in at the plate mentally and gives them an increased sense of confidence. 

How does iTrac help hitters identify pitches?
How the pitch looks (trajectory, rotation, etc) will tell the hitter everything they need to know about where the pitch is, where it is going, and when it will arrive at a location it can be hit.  Tracking a number 1/3 the diameter of the baseball enables trainees to sharpen their focus on a specific part of the ball, thus making contact with a regulation size ball easier because it is perceived as larger. By training the hitter’s to “see” information encoded on the ball, over time a hitter can identify the characteristics of the ball earlier.  We refer to our hitters’ ability to identify pitches as “reading baseball”, much the same way someone refers to reading English or Spanish. 

 How does tracking pitches deep impact hitters?
As the hitter’s ability to track becomes more efficient, the hitter can track a pitch deeper.  Most of our trainees can continuously track a pitch all the way to the point of contact because they are trained to slow the game down.  Refining a player’s visual skills will directly improve their visual concentration and eliminate distractions of pressure, stress, mechanics, or fatigue allowing the batter to stay focused on the ball.  When we become proficient performing a task in a short amount of time, we feel more relaxed when given a greater amount of time.  When a hitter is able to relax, they tend to quiet the mind and trust themselves.  When a hitter is confident and relaxed they usually make better decisions and utilize their talent to its full potential. Research has shown that an average Major League hitter loses sight of a pitched ball approximately 4-6 feet before it reaches home plate.  This loss of vision forces the hitter to guess what path the ball will ultimately take as it approaches.  Hitters who are able to see the ball closer to the plate are able to make more accurate adjustments to their swing before losing sight of the ball, therefore giving them a greater chance of making solid contact.

iTrac helps slow down  fastballs, but does it help with off-speed pitches?
In addition to helping slow down a major league fastball, hitters at the major league level will also have to recognize curve balls, sliders, splitters, cutters, sinkers, changeups, knuckleballs, etc.  A hitter can improve his ability to hit pitches other than the fastball through iTrac training by tracking the ball to the point of contact.  The iTrac Vision Training Program trains a hitter to identify the rotation of the ball earlier and allows him to track the ball effectively. 

Why has baseball taken so long to understand iTrac?
Baseball was a little behind on the curve on resistance training.  It took baseball organizations longer than some other sports to make weight training the norm, but now players/teams would not be able to compete without a first rate resistance training regimen.  The iTrac Vision Training System is still relatively new to baseball, a game that has been around for over 100 years.  The players and teams who are currently training are looking for an ADVANTAGE.  But in the near future, those who are not working on these skills will be competing at a DISADVANTAGE.

 Can iTrac improve an elite hitter?
For players who have tapped out their potential in aspects of their performance, like speed, power, strength, mechanics, they can work on their visual skills and train themselves to process visual information more efficiently, improve timing and reactions, coordination, mental toughness, and condition their entire body to make the proper response. 

How does iTrac help the mental side of hitting?
Hitters that train with iTrac are generally able to eliminate over thinking at the plate.   This allows the hitter to trust what their eyes are seeing and teaches the hitter how to lock into the mind set of simply seeing the ball and reacting.  In essence, it allows a hitter’s “vision” to do the work; enabling the hitter to let his natural instincts take over when swinging. 

What does tracking “continuously to contact” mean?
The human eye does not look at their visual field in a steady, continuous fashion.  Instead, our eyes together make quick, simultaneous movements in the same direction to focus on different objects of interest.  These movements are saccades.  Simply stated, saccades are a fast movement of the eye.  Saccades are the fastest external movements that we perform with our bodies.  The duration of a saccade is usually between 20 and 200 milliseconds.  Just like every player has a physical blueprint that will determine how fast they can run or throw, every player trains their body to perform at their individual best.  iTrac will not make you superhuman, but instead allow each hitter to reach their own functional potential in regards to tracking pitches.  iTrac improves a players ability to focus and concentrate, or “get locked in” on every pitched ball. 

Why is it important to rotate your head in with a pitch?
Human beings see best within 15-degrees of the center of their face.  Keeping the ball in a straight line of vision, or keeping the nose pointing close to the center of the ball, enables the brain to process information clearly and quickly. In addition to seeing better by looking straight at the ball, if the hitter does not turn his head their nose will block their outside eye from the pitch.  Moving outside of the 15-degress of macular (nose pointing at the object being viewed) vision, the type and quality of vision is dramatically altered.  As the hitter’s head rotates into the contact zone, the eyes remain as level to the given pitch as the pitch and swing will allow.  Eliminating excessive tilting of the head and eyes allows a hitter to maintain their depth perception.  Depth Perception deficiencies can lead to increased difficulty in judging the speed of the pitch, an aspect considered by many to be the most difficult obstacle in hitting.  So we never say keep your eye on the ball, but instead, we train our hitters to keep their “nose on the ball” so they can keep both eyes on the ball.

Will iTrac Vision Training negatively alter a hitter’s mechanics? 
NO.The required movements and body positions for each drill are consistent with popular Major League swing mechanics, bio-mechanically sound, and based in the laws of science.  Certified iTrac Vision Trainers focus solely on the “Patented” iTrac Vision Training System, and adapt to each hitters skill and ability level.       

What vision skills are addressed during iTrac Vision Training?
Dynamic Visual Acuity, Visual Recognition, Visual Processing Speed, Fusion Flexibility/Stamina, Binocular Vision, Depth Perception, Visual Concentration, Stereo Acuity, Dynamic Hitting Vision, Eye Fatigue

What are common places where the iTrac’s methodology is seen?
Hitters have used a weight or “doughnut” for years to make their bat feel lighter, so this idea of overload has been in baseball for years.  In recent years, many players and coaches have attempted to mimic training at a higher velocity by reducing the distance between the “pitcher” and the hitter, but iTrac is the first program to apply real velocity overload to tracking.  Training at game distance is why iTrac’s training carries over into results in the game.  One place everyday people can get an idea of the effects of iTrac’s over speed training is after driving on the expressway for an extended period of time then driving on a side street.  The driver tends to feel as though they are barley moving. iTrac is like a training to drive like a NASCAR driver.  Speeds less than 130+mph seem slow.