Before the session
- Use a 43-foot pitching distance and a nominal 12-inch softball.
- Place the iPhone on a fixed mount. Use the rear camera in landscape.
- Choose a bright outdoor setup with an unobstructed view of release and most of the flight.
- Keep the phone, stand and people clear of the ball’s path. Protect the equipment.
Measure the placement
In Setup, choose Behind pitcher or Behind catcher. Position the camera at release height and move it sideways until the pitcher or catcher no longer blocks the flight.
Open Edit measurements and enter the actual distances behind the chosen player, to the side and above the ground. Enter the release height and release position as requested. Measure rather than estimate. Moving the tripod changes the geometry.
Choose the camera settings
Open Record, then Camera. Review the formats actually exposed by that phone. Select a supported high-speed format and a short exposure to reduce motion blur; do not assume a particular iPhone supports a specific combination.
Start in full sun. Keep the selected shutter exposure fixed, and adjust ISO until the ball is visible without washing out its surface. The shortest hardware exposure is not automatically the best usable exposure. Check the recorded frames.
Calibrate the view
Start the camera and follow the app’s field-reference calibration. Mark the requested measured reference points carefully. Keep the phone fixed afterward. Repeat calibration if its position, height, orientation or relevant camera settings change.
Choose the ball surface
Use standard seams when their detail is visible. For the marked option, use small high-contrast asymmetric marks that remain distinguishable as the ball turns. Follow the rules of your training setting before marking a ball.
Marking does not guarantee a spin result. The image must still contain sufficient surface detail with limited blur and enough frames.
Radar (optional)
Skip this step for camera-only recording and analysis. Radar is optional and off by default.
- Open Setup → Advanced settings and enable Use radar (optional).
- Choose Start listening before the compatible radar’s companion app begins a new session. Allow Bluetooth access when prompted.
- Switch to the radar’s companion app and connect or begin a new session, then return to Flight43.
- Record the pitch and review any available associated speed reading. If no radar reading is available, analysis uses the recorded flight.
Compatible hardware and its companion app are separate; not every Bluetooth radar is supported. Turn off Use radar (optional) to stop listening and return to camera-only analysis.
Record and review
Record a single pitch with release and flight visible. In review, locate release, mark the ball and select the end of usable flight. If optional radar is enabled, review any available associated reading. Run analysis with or without radar.
Inspect the track and method labels before using a result. If the footage cannot support a fit, correct the setup or record another pitch. No result is preferable to an invented measurement.
Save, export or delete
Use Library to return to local captures and their available results. Export only to a destination you choose. Deleting a pitch removes its local capture and associated files; exported copies and device backups are separate.
Visit support if capture, tracking or radar pairing is unavailable.