On March 19, states across the country began issuing stay-at-home orders to their residents. Schools, stores, gyms, and studios nationwide were ordered to temporarily close their doors at a moment’s notice, effectively halting business operations and stopping the normal flow of revenue.
D-BAT Baseball Training Facilities were no exception.
D-BAT is one of the top indoor baseball and softball training franchises in the country, aiming to provide quality teaching environments and high quality instruction for athletes of all ages, from little league to the pros.
Upper Hand understood the importance of providing quality training to athletes, and immediately began working on a video analysis solution for the business.
“With so much out of our control, our team has been working around the clock to focus on what is in our control to help you. And to help you immediately” said Kevin MacCauley, Upper Hand Founder and CEO. “While you cannot control closing your facility for now, there are ways to take advantage of the situation to engage, communicate, and continue to deliver to your members through video and on-demand instruction and training.”
Just 4 days after states began shutting down, Upper Hand released an app called D-BAT Video Hub. This app, a white-labeled environment of APEX, was released to all D-BAT franchise locations, allowing them to use its powerful video analysis technology to continue training, coaching, evaluating, and supporting their athletes.
In a matter of days, coaches and instructors were receiving videos from their athletes that they could analyze and provide valuable feedback on, enabling athletes to continue progressing in their training and keeping operations for the franchise locations running. In the first 36 days after being released en masse, over 4,000 training videos were submitted by 1,000+ users.
Travis Naraine, Professional Baseball and Softball Instructor at D-BAT Perimeter, says
“With the tough circumstances we are facing right now, the app has been extremely valuable to keep up with my athletes, both on the field and off the field. Their safety and well-being is my main priority and if I can help take their minds off of the circumstances we are facing and provide a little bit of normalcy for them and me, then it’s a win.”
Traditionally, baseball and softball athletes go to D-BAT’s impressive sports facilities for world-class in-person training and instruction. However, even with doors closed, D-BAT coaches didn’t miss a beat in evaluating athlete sessions. In fact, many instructors plan to continue utilizing the D-BAT Video Hub long after their doors reopen because of the additional value it provides their business.
“The D-BAT Video Hub has opened a whole new aspect to my instruction.” says Rich McKeone, Baseball and Softball Instructor at D-BAT Marietta. “In this time when I can’t meet clients one on one, this app allows me to critique their workout and give them immediate feedback. When we do get back and are up and running I plan to keep using the app. The clients will have a record of our workout.”
One key reason why coaches and trainers are finding the app so useful is, as McKeone references, because of the historical visual library that is created in the app. Clients are able to see their concrete progress over time with their submitted videos, bolstering their loyalty and increasing engagement.
“The app has allowed me to maintain relationships with my athletes during these crazy times, and it has allowed my business to continue virtually now and into the future.” says Joey Cecere, Head Instructor at D-BAT Marietta.
Upper Hand is proud to have worked quickly with D-BAT to roll out their Video Hub, and continues to support sports and fitness businesses especially in these uncertain times.
And just like that, another year has come and gone. As we look back at the past 12 months, we saw a lot of growth, innovation, and development. And, we saw a lot of intention behind the changes that you implemented. Both in your athletes, and in your businesses. At Upper Hand, we’re excited to have made quite a few innovative changes of our own.
Learn more about Upper Hand’s new Marketing Campaigns feature, and how you can incorporate it into your sports business.