Yann Auzoux - The Sweet Spotter.

[JackB1]

it would be funny if one of you guys came up with something better than what Yann did and for cheaper too!

[nyc]

Originally Posted by JackB1

it would be funny if one of you guys came up with something better than what Yann did and for cheaper too!

The product is only part of the equation....think marketing, endorsement, reputation as a player and coach, distribution etc etc.

Part of the product cost needs to finance those aspects.

[beernutz]

Hey, its pretty in pink. Unfortunately there was only one color available for t-ball bats at Wallymart. For $15 beggars can't be choosers.

Luckily I have neighborhood courts where I am very likely to be alone when I try this thing out. I got called for some impromptu doubles yesterday and its raining today so it the test run may not be until tomorrow at the earliest.

[nyc]

Originally Posted by beernutz

Hey, its pretty in pink. Unfortunately there was only one color available for t-ball bats at Wallymart. For $15 beggars can't be choosers.

Luckily I have neighborhood courts where I am very likely to be alone when I try this thing out. I got called for some impromptu doubles yesterday and its raining today so it the test run may not be until tomorrow at the earliest.

What's awesome is that in case you:

1 - lose your doubles or
2- somebody makes fun of the BSS (Beernutz Sweetspot Scepter)

you already have a blunt object in your hands.

[beernutz]

Originally Posted by nyc

What's awesome is that in case you:

1 - lose your doubles or
2- somebody makes fun of the BSS (Beernutz Sweetspot Scepter)

you already have a blunt object in your hands.

How intimidating would it be to pull that thing out of your bag before a match and actually be able to warmup up with it?

I think a continential grip would be appropo for bopping anyone with ridicule on their minds.

[Rafaboy]

Originally Posted by beernutz

How intimidating would it be to pull that thing out of your bag before a match and actually be able to warmup up with it?

I think a continential grip would be appropo for bopping anyone with ridicule on their minds.

You wouldnt need to worry about what grip you had, since there is no face to the strings.

[beernutz]

Originally Posted by Rafaboy

You wouldnt need to worry about what grip you had, since there is no face to the strings.

You can tell what type grip you are using because it has a tennis racquet handle. I wouldn't want to do an overhead bat smash using a semi-western grip.

[beernutz]

Originally Posted by beernutz

Hey, its pretty in pink. Unfortunately there was only one color available for t-ball bats at Wallymart. For $15 beggars can't be choosers.

Luckily I have neighborhood courts where I am very likely to be alone when I try this thing out. I got called for some impromptu doubles yesterday and its raining today so it the test run may not be until tomorrow at the earliest.

So I took the pseudo-SweetSpotter to my neighborhood courts and first tried to hit some balls tossed at about half speed on my Silent Partner Star. ZOMG, I was shanking balls everywhere with about 10 out of the 50 or 60 or so I tried to hit actually leaving the court area over the fence. I think I got about 3 or 4 solid hits that felt good. The weight of the bat wasn't too bad as I didn't get tired at all but the barrel having only a 2.25" diameter was the real problem. That is not a lot of hitting area it turns out and the margin for error is consequently tiny.

I also tried to hit some volleys and instead of hitting them over the fence I was wiffing about the same percentage of them outright. Again, I think I made solid contact with maybe 5% of the ones I tried. Embarrasing. It will be a LONG time and many more practice sessions before I am confident enough in my masculinity to post video of that spectacle.

[nyc]

Kudos for trying!

I think that's the challenge here - creating a large enough bat without increasing weight.

[Federerkblade]

Loldoes this mean the sweetspotter cant be easily replicated?

Kudos for trying and for posting review

[zapvor]

so whos buying one??

[OHBH]

After whiffing a few too many I now have some major neck pain, I'm beginning to think this training tool is something you all might want to avoid.

[Relinquis]

why not just get a small headed wooden racquet (ideal solution), or a PS 85, PS 88 or such (less ideal, but still better than a bat)?

[SFrazeur]

Originally Posted by Relinquis

why not just get a small headed wooden racquet (ideal solution), or a PS 85, PS 88 or such (less ideal, but still better than a bat)?

That's what I have been saying.

Save your money and save a woody!

-SF

[db10s]

I learned to hit my serve with a T ball bat years ago. Now my serve is my main weapon of choice. For hitting serves, it can't be beat.

[stapletonj]

interesting. I learned to play in the early 80s from a former lower level touring pro. She was fantastic with all kinds of gadgets and chalk and stuff. I never knew what she was bringing to the next lesson.

My follow through on serve was all over the place and also was generally sucky. She shows up for a lesson on serve and hauls out an actual wooden baseball bat. gives it to me. says, Here, you can hit serves with nothign else for the next month.

in 30 days, my serve went from absolutely nothing to the single best weapon in my admittedly small arsenal. I did hit my shin with the end of my followthough once .... once (with apolopgies to Johnny Dangerously). never did that again!!!!!

She also had me practice and even warmup before tourny matches with a woodie. It worked amazingly well. (of course, this was the 80s and the superllight super thick sticks had not come out yet)

So yeah, I think these ideas have a LOT of validity...

[Avles]

Mmm... what about turning the grip 90 degrees and trying to hit your serves with the frame? If a bat works well, that should work even better..

[THESEXPISTOL]

Rings a bell?

[wihamilton]

Hey everyone,

So I've hit with the Sweet Spotter and here are my thoughts:

- People think the sweet spot is hitting the ball in the center of the strings, but that's not true. You have to hit the ball in the center of the strings AND have the correct body position (posture, balance, etc.) AND correct relationship between the racket and the body.

The Sweet Spotter is extremely unforgiving, and that's a good thing. The only way you'll get the ball to go in is if you hit the "true" sweet spot. You can't cheat like you can with a racket, where you can get the ball to go in even if you catch it late, you're off balance, etc., as long as you hit in the center of the strings. So the several suggestions above about using a racket with a small racket head won't work.

The circular shape prevents cheating. You HAVE to be perfect.

- An unexpected benefit of hitting with it was a longer, more complete swing thanks to the weighting. For example, my follow through on my backhand was longer after I used the Sweet Spotter, and I had more racket head speed (re: the last point, was the same on the forehand). I think this could be especially big for all of you who "stop short" on your swings. Pretty common problem at the recreational level.

- One drawback (which I've talked with Yann about) is that you spray balls all over the place, and can golf them (FOUR!) over the fence. In a country club or public facility setting this is obviously problematic. I suggested to Yann that he use quick start (low compression) balls to reduce spraying but I haven't gotten any feedback on the results.

I'm excited about the potential for this thing. As with any prototype, some tweaks are necessary, but I definitely noticed a positive difference after hitting with it for about 15 minutes and watched a significant amount of before / after footage Yann shot of recreational players - the benefits were very clear.

Hope that helps,

Will

[zapvor]

so will is endorsing this........interesting