Radar guns

Can someone tell me the primary differences between the Bushnell Velocity and the Bushnell Speedster? For the price, I've been looking at purchasing one of the Bushnell radar guns and wanted to see what kind of feedback the knowledge on TBR could share with me. They appear to be pretty much the same gun, except for the display. Also, how accurate do these guns tend to be? Its hard to believe that they measure accurately to within +/-1 mph for this price. Thanks for any help/feedback you can give!

 

I forget...

which one I tried to use at a show case a couple of weeks ago but it was 3-4 mph different than the 2 jugs guns that were there at the same time. Both jugs guns read the same every time so I scrapped the bushnell. When I find out the model, Ill let you know. 3-4 mph diff is alot.

 

Dang Toot'm

You got that right softballjunkie, oh by the way I figured out who you are...and yes we will see you in a couple of weeks !!!

Guru

 

There are only 2 worth the money...

....in my opinion....

Go with either the Stalker Radar Sport or the Pro Speed made by Decatur..
Approx $800.00 each

Accurate to within 1 mph...

I have the Decatur Dual speed....
Measures speed at release and at the plate, on the same pitch.
Cost $1200.00

You get what you pay for....

 

WndMillR what is the normal speed drop off at the plate? Does it change very much from different pitchers?

I have the Jugs gun. It seems that most colleges use the Stalker.
I have tried the Bushnell and it is ok but doesn't read the ball as quick so speeds will be slower than any other radar gun. It is good for clocking race cars etc..

 

Release vs Hip............

Obviously, it depends on who is in the circle...
A kid that throws hard, with allot of STRAIGHT LINE movement
only falls 2-3 mph...but it doesn't move...

Kids with movement, depending on the pitch, can vary 3-5 mph....

Not to throw rocks at anybody, but there is a trend from some of the private instructors to measure release speed, at the hip....instead of speed at the plate... the only speed that counts, is the one when it crosses the plate...

we hear and read about these big numbers of recruit age pitchers, but in many cases, when we put them on the field, in a game, against a live batter, 60+ becomes 55 maybe..........

If you put on your resume that your throwing 60+.....then you better be able to, when it counts...in a game.

The numbers you declare in a recruiting book or on a web site should be designed to give an accurate picture of your ability and velocity.... not to promote some pitching coach.

Listing 60+ will get the coaches to come watch a game....If you are actually throwing it, they will stay past the first inning...

See everyone in Charlotte.........

 

Thanks for the info. Most people (baseball and softball) that I have seen just check peak speed. I would hope many people don't quote lesson speeds. That is a good way to embarrass your player.

 

The Jugs guns are preported to be accurate to 0.5 mph.

Radar guns clock the fastest thing in view. The only two ways I know of to get "release speed" vs "plate speed" are (1) pull the trigger at the right time (and you better be as good at timing the pitch as the hitter to claim you're getting the "plate" speed) and (2) be at right angles to the path of the ball, and near enough to the plate that you can rest assured that the only part of the path the gun will pick up is over the plate.

The loss of speed of a pitch over the course of a throw will only depend on two things that the pitcher controls: Speed and Spin. It will also be affected by wind, humidity, temperature. For any two girls throwing the same speed and spin, the loss of speed will be constant under the same conditions. A breaking pitch (i.e. with more spin) will lose more speed, all things being equal. A faster pitch will lose speed more quickly than a slower pitch.

Also don't forget that a pitcher who gets a longer stride off the pitcher's plate will gain a reaction time advantage, even above what a good push off will give to the speed on the pitch. And what really matters is the reaction time... so the average speed of the pitch will do, so don't get hung up on the plate speed.

Any apples to apples comparison is valid. Be it release speed or plate speed, or step-and-pitch speed against regular pitching motion. Just be clear about what you're talking about.

Assume that all speeds claimed by me for my DD are step-and-pitch fast balls, with a tail wind, at a high elevation (sorry, forgot that earlier), with low humidity (and low humility on my part), at-release speeds, best single sample out of 20 pitches.

 

Good points except for one thing. Angle creates error. A gun set at 90 degrees to the path of the ball will register 0. Radar measures the change in frequency of a reflected radio signal caused by movement of the object relative to the signal source (Doppler Effect). A ball moving at 90 degrees to the gun cannot alter the frequency because the distance from the ball to the gun is not changing.

Any radar gun reads most accurately when it is in line with the line of the pitch. As the angle of the gun relative to the pitch increases, the apparent speed of the ball decreases and so does the gun's reading.

Radar guns are most accurate when they are within 5 degrees or so of the line of the pitch (vertical as well as horizontal). Beyond that, the error increases rapidly. The error induced by angle is called "cosine error".

Guns that give multiple readings monitor the decrease in speed as the ball is in transit, creating a speed curve. Then it displays readings at pre-set locations on the curve.

"Plate speed" cannot be determined by aiming the gun at the plate from an angle unless that angle is accurately measured and the cosine error is mathematically corrected.

 

NOW TBR, JMC.....

......just posted a hall of famer! I'm not clued in to the pitching stuff, but Jeffro laid the lumber here. I truly beleive what WindMllr is getting at with the "plate speed". And I'm sure no one would argue the fact that what matters speed wise is the very fact that the "plate speed" is where the rubber meets the road. As a batter, that "plate" speed is important way before it gets to her. Obviously if a pitcher gains an advantage on a batter WHATEVER the speed of the pitch is, she's disrupteded THE MOST important key in hitting...TIMING! I guess radar guns are good for determining "written down" stats. If a kid is throwing 70, as we've heard, then it won't matter where the gun clocks the pitch!!!