Who is Paul Nyman?
My name is Paul Nyman. I am SETPRO's founder and I want to thank you for taking the time and effort to visit us.
My goal is to give you the very best training products and service possible.
SETPRO shipped it's first bat speed training system in July of 1995. Actually SETPRO began 30 years before that.
I was an athlete and wanted to improve performance (jumping and throwing). I worked hard. I had lots of questions about power training. My coaches tried to answer all the questions but often could not. I read everything I could get my hands on. I built training aids. I lifted weights. I did isometrics (isometric exercise were "in" back then). Some of what I did worked, a lot did not.
Today, sports science and research has answered many of the questions I had 30 years ago. I now understand why I wasted much of my training effort and time. Most of the training I did 50 years ago was to build strength. I (and many others) confused strength with power. Throwing, batting, jumping all require power. Lifting weights made me stronger but it did not improve my power. Power requires strength and speed TOGETHER.
SETPRO turns 50 years of research into a training systems called SMART POWER. SMART POWER is the "fastest progress in the shortest time with the least effort". SMART POWER gives you the most advanced training possible. You will see swing by swing improvements. Eight out of ten players see at least a 5 MPH improvement in their bat speed after their first training session.
One of the major advantages that I have over others who produce hitting and pitching information and products is my engineering and physics training.
For 40 years I designed computer control systems for machinery control.
In 1985 I became Chief Engineer for Sports Technology (see article on this page) produced of computerized golf swing training and club fitting products.
In 1995 I started SETORO (Sports Engineering and Training Products). SETPRO's bat speed and reaction training products were used by professional, college, high school and players of all ages.
The SETPRO bat speed computer is THE STANDARD for bat speed measurement and training.
One of the main reasons for SETPRO's success is the ability to use the latest computer engineering tools to analyze all aspects of how a player swings a bat or throws a baseball.
Swing training systems utilizing SETPRO design bat speed and reaction training computers along with ballistic over and underload training tools..
Shown above is a SETPRO computer simulation of Nolan Ryan's pitching mechanics. The picture on the left is Nolan Ryan. The picture on the right is computer generated simulation of Ryan throwing a pitch.
The above a SETPRO computer generated sequence shows the action of a pitchers shoulder. Specifically illustrated is the scapula loading (horizontal adduction) that all hard throwing pitchers achieve. And also shown is the difference between hyperflexion and scapula loading.
In 1999 I opened SETPRO's SMART POWER TRAINING CENTER
The Sports Technology Golf Swing Analyzer
I joined Sports Technology in 1985 as Chief Engineer in charge of product design and development.
My first "project" was to take an "idea" that the President of the company had been "tinkering with" and turn it into a "sellable" product.
And do it in 90 days or less because he had already sold 30 units at $15,000 a piece to an investor.
The result was the Sports technology Golf Swing Analyzer.
Here's what John Cromarty, founder and President of Sports Technology about Paul Nyman:
"Paul Nyman is without doubt one of the brightest and most energetic people that I have ever met or known. His technical abilities are are not only of the highest caliber, but also span many diciplines of electronic, computer and mechanical design.
Paul is not a "golfer", but he knows more about the bio-mechanics of the golf swing than any PGA professional that I know.
The Sports Technology Golf Swing analyzer would not have been possible without Paul's technical knowledge, ingenuity and creativity..... John Cromarty, president Sports Technology Inc."
The Sports Technology Golf Swing Analyser screen displays nine functions with 11 measurements, in four categories: backswing path and speed, downswing path and speed, clubface angle at impact, and weight distribution at each stage. Each measurement can be displayed alone, in any desired combination, or collected behind a black screen for later retrieval. printouts follow the format of the screen display.
When it comes to analysing the golf swing during the impact zone it is impossible for the human eye to accurately diagnose what the clubhead is doing, even high speed photography will not give an accurate impression. This is where Smart Golf's Smart Swing Analysis comes in.
Using a highly advanced detector pad it takes various measurements from the clubhead as it passes over the mat to strike the ball.
Takeaway. Speed of the clubhead during backswing, in feet per second.
Downspeed. Speed of the clubhead during downswing, in feet per second and miles per hour.
Face Angle. Angle of the clubface at impact. This measurement shows in degrees the relationship of the face attitude to the downswing path. O designates an open clubface angle, C a closed angle. ( Also shown visually by vertical/angled black line to the right of the ball . ) The Face Angle is computed from the PATH and FACE measurements.
The estimated yardage is shown to the right of the Face Angle readout.
Weight Distribution. Three measurements are taken. They are expressed as percentages of total weight for the left and right side respectively.
1. Set-up. Live monitoring of the golfer's stance while addressing the ball. The moment the clubhead is moved, weight distribution is locked in and the SET-UP readout changes to TAKEAWAY.
2. Top. Weight distribution at the point in time when the club reaches the top of the backswing, representing the most weight transferred to the right side.
3. Impact. At impact, the third weight measurement is taken.
Red Dotted Line. represents takeaway path relative to ball position
Blue Dotted Line. represents downswing path relative to ball position. The point where the DOWNSWING PATH meets the ball indicates whether it was a heel, toe or centre hit.
Vertical Black Line. The inclination of line shows the position of the club face at impact relative to the ball.
Path. Degrees Inside-out (I) or Outside-in (O) for the downswing from an imaginary target line straight through the ball.
Face. Attitude of the clubface expressed in degrees to an imaginary line that is square to the intended target, open (O) or closed (C). FACE and PATH combined determine FACE ANGLE (described earlier), and the direction of the flight of the ball.
SETPRO'S SMART POWER TRAINING PHILOSOPHY
A tool is really a piece of equipment… a device or implement used to carry out a particular function. This would then mean devices used to measure bat speed, ball speed, ball rotation, reaction time are used to extend the ability of an individual to modify features of how they swing the bat and throw the baseball.
Tools or gear, without experience (wisdom, understanding and knowledge) will lead to less than optimal results. This would be hard to refute.
So a man, as he was passing a store front window during a walk, noticed a contest where the winner would take home the Ultimate Tool Shop (including the cabinets). He thought to himself…”if I had all those tools, I could build anything”. Well, the problem with his logic (as he later reported) is that the tools don’t build anything themselves.
The same could be said about traning equipment (they THEMSELVES don’t make you fit) or kitchen tools (they don’t make the food). The tools are inanimate objects. They need a function and purpose to exist and unless a specific person has a job, function and purpose, those tools will simply sit there.
In the case of SETPRO knowledge was in the form of physics, biomechanics, engineering, motor learning and physiology combined with trial and error. Science, research, innovation and working with players of all ages resulted in SETPRO SMART POWER TRAINING. The goal being the fastest, most efficient way to maximize a players capabilities.
SETPRO's products are designed to meet the specificity of training principle
SETPRO was the first to recognize and emphasize the duality between how the body swings a bat and how the body's throws a baseball. SMART POWER TRAINING for PITCHERS utilize the same training principles as those developed for hitters.
The concept of INTENT to throw and swing was/is a SETPRO trademark. The emphasis that SMART POWER TRAINING is for serious athletes only. There is no system I know of that works with no effort on the athletes part. SMART POWER requires serious effort and intent. The SETPRO goal is for every minute spent with SMART POWER you get the maximum result your body is capable of producing.
When SETPRO first started there were very few baseball training products that could trace their development and benefit to proven training methodologies developed in sports such as track and field. The the ability to quantify and qualify performance has always been foremost in SETPRO product development.
Many of today's baseball training products, training programs and systems can be traced to SETPRO's product developments and training philosophy. But most of these products are still missing a key component "knowledge". How do you most effectively use these products to develop a players maximum potential?
SETPRO products were unique because they were developed based on BOTH physical AND motor learning principles. Products such as the 4 MODE VIPER-RT SIMULATION TRAINING in our SPRT5A SMART POWER REACTION training system. The SPRT5A was a break through in sports training. No other system measured the combination of swing reaction time, speed and power.
SMART POWER works for all ages. A 9 year old improved his swing speed 20 MPH in 4 weeks. A 16 year old 21 MPH in 3 weeks. A 45 year old 18 MPH in 2 weeks. These players worked hard every day and they worked SMART every day. All SMART POWER products are proven by years of sports research. All products were proven through our own as well as independent testing.
The SETPRO promise has always been to do everything possible so that you do not waste your time and efforts on non productive training equipment and methods. The SMART POWER TRAINING SYSTEM were developed and designed to give you the fastest results in the shortest possible time. Products are designed to the highest standards of performance and quality.
The SETPRO promise has always been and always will be to do everything possible so that you do not waste your time and efforts on non productive training equipment and methods. The SMART POWER TRAINING SYSTEM were developed and designed to give you the fastest results in the shortest possible time. Products are designed to the highest standards of performance and quality.
In 2008 and engineering friend of mine who was working for a medical electronics company asked if I could help them out on a project. What was supposed to be a 6 week effort turned into 10 years of medical electronics engineering and testing. For those 10 years I pretty much took a timeout from the baseball world. Once a year Lantz Wheeler would invite me to speak at his December Pitching Palooza. Also during this time I worked on creating more instructional information the form of SETPRO’s E-books.
I retired from the engineering world and will spend the rest of my days tinkering with training products and information.
Your success is SETPRO's success. There are no real short cuts to success. It requires hard work. With SMART POWER you get the most from your hard work.
I hope you will find the enclosed information helpful. Again, thank you for your time and effort.
Sincerely,
Paul Nyman