REVIEW – Most swing trainers ask you to change something about how you hit. The Blast Motion Blast Softball sensor doesn’t. It’s a small puck that rides on the knob of the bat, and it just watches. Clip it on, take your normal cuts, and it hands you numbers and video afterward. At $149.99 it’s an affordable way to get real feedback on your swing instead of guessing.
What’s in the Box
The Blast Softball Sensor is the puck itself. The clear sleeve is what actually grips the bat. Pair those with a phone running the free Blast Motion app over Bluetooth (iPhone, iPad, or Android all work) and that’s the whole system.
There’s no wall plug in the box, so you’re borrowing one from a phone charger or just running the cable into a laptop’s USB port.
Getting It On the Bat
The sleeve is stretchy, see-through rubber, and once the sensor is wedged in there it’s shielded from drops and knocks. It’s also rated waterproof, so a sweaty grip or a little rain isn’t a concern.
Fresh out of the box it took roughly an hour to hit a full charge.
Once it’s topped off, the sensor and sleeve slide over the knob end of the bat, and that’s the whole setup.
Putting It to Work
I have exactly zero softball talent, so I brought in someone who actually knows what a good swing looks like. My friend Daniella Roselli plays for Division Ave High School on Long Island, a 2019 graduate who was named one of Newsday’s top 100 Long Island players (one of only six sophomores to make that list), earned All-County honors, and ranked 5th on Long Island in home runs as a sophomore back in 2017.
She was a fan of the Blast Motion setup and got real use out of the app’s features, telling me the readings were accurate and consistent, and noticeably better than a comparable sensor she’d tried before, the Zepp.
Having the puck on the end of the bat didn’t throw her swing off at all. It’s light enough and the sleeve grips firmly enough that she said she genuinely forgot it was there.
Inside the App
After a set of swings, the app’s analytics are where the sensor earns its keep. “I like how I was able to track my bat speed and set goals to increase it each time,” Daniella said. One feature she and I both liked is the Blast Factor, a rolled-up score for each individual swing so you can measure one rep against the last.
The app also records real video of every swing for studying your mechanics afterward, auto-clips highlights synced to the metrics, and has a built-in adaptive slow-motion mode.
For anyone who wants to go further, Blast Motion also sells a subscription called Blast Connect, $59.95 a year, that adds detailed swing analysis, performance history, a media library of your swings, and a real-time leaderboard against other athletes. I didn’t test Blast Connect for this review.
Final Thoughts
The Blast Motion Blast Softball sensor impressed both of us. It’s competitively priced, genuinely quick to set up, and fun to use. The one catch is that the base experience hands you raw data and basic analytics and leaves the interpretation to you; if you want deeper coaching-level analysis, that’s what the Blast Connect subscription is for. Even without it, this is an easy addition to a serious hitter’s training bag.
Specifications
Mobile Operating System:
- Apple iOS 8.x, iOS 9.x, iOS 10.x, WatchOS 3.x
- Android OS 5.x (Lollipop), 6.x (Marshmallow), 7.x (Nougat – Moto Z, Galaxy S7, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Pixel XL, Pixel only)
Compatible Apple iOS Devices:
- iPhone SE, 5, 5c, 5s, 6, 6S, 6 Plus, 6S Plus, 7, 7 Plus
- iPad Mini 2, Mini 3, iPad 3, iPad 4, Air, Air 2, iPad Pro 9.7″, iPad Pro 12.9″
- Apple Watch, Apple Watch 2
Compatible Google Android Devices (metrics + video):
- Samsung Galaxy S5, S5 Active, S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+, S6 Active, S7, S7 Edge, Note 4, Note 5
- Google Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, Nexus 6P, Pixel, Pixel XL
- LG G3, G4, V10
- Motorola Moto X (2nd Gen.), Droid Maxx 2, Droid Turbo 2, Moto Z
Compatible Google Android Devices (metrics only):
- Samsung Galaxy J7, Note 3, HTC One (m8), LG G5, Motorola Nexus 6
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Blast Motion. Please visit their website for more info.
