Do you use radar to measure bat speed?

[songtitle]

Do you use a radar device to measure bat speed of your kid or student(s)?

If so,
- Do you measure speed after making a major change in their swing to test for improvement?

- How do you measure? Batted ball speed? Bat speed into a heavy bag? (like Mankin) Device attached to the bat?


If not, why not?

BTW, I have tried to use a gun to measure swings with poor results (alum bats hard to measure - wood is better)

[Jake Patterson]

Do you use a radar device to measure bat speed of your kid or student(s)?

If so,
- Do you measure speed after making a major change in their swing to test for improvement?

- How do you measure? Batted ball speed? Bat speed into a heavy bag? (like Mankin) Device attached to the bat?


If not, why not?

BTW, I have tried to use a gun to measure swings with poor results (alum bats hard to measure - wood is better)

No... I always felt there are better things to worry about than measuring the speed of the bat... like..... "how did he hit that ball?"

[Rajun Cajun]

I do have one of those fancy bat speed radar measuring devices found at batspeed dot com. it is on a atripod and measures at contact. You can use a heavy bag, or a ball on a T. No live pitching.

I ONLY use it when trying out a new bat to see how it compares to our current bat. Often I mistakenly buy a bat that is too heavy or a bit too long and it helps me decide when it is okay for my son to move up in length or weight. I DON"T USE IT FOR ANYTHING ELSE. It only sees daylight about 2 weeks prior to the season beginning, then I take the batteries out for storage. It has helped me avoid wasting money on bats we aren't ready for. Since I have 3 sons I figured I would get some good use out of it.

[korp]

Bat speed doesn't really help anything. Its nice to know and all but it is really one of those things you can't increase very much except naturally. I remember on sports science they showed Mark Reynolds having like a 75mph swing ... but he hits bombs because he is strong and if he makes contact on a 90+mph pitch it won't matter.

[scorekeeper]

Bat speed doesn't really help anything. Its nice to know and all but it is really one of those things you can't increase very much except naturally. I remember on sports science they showed Mark Reynolds having like a 75mph swing ... but he hits bombs because he is strong and if he makes contact on a 90+mph pitch it won't matter.

How can you say bat speed doesn’t help anything? Do you not understand bat velocity is one of the components that determines the distance a ball can be hit?

[omg]

Bat speed meters are excellent tools. Of course, bat speed is extremely important. The one caveat is that a hitter should not lengthen his swing in order to improve speed. Lengthening the swing will improve bat speed but it defeats the purpose.

A batter should use the meter to experiment placing emphasis on things such as relaxing the grip, emphasizing top hand or bottom hand, with or without batting gloves, different bats,etc.

I prefer combining the meter with a solohitter but a tee will work as well. If i were a budding ball player it's definitely a tool I would have in my basement or dorm room.

[omg]

Bat speed doesn't really help anything. Its nice to know and all but it is really one of those things you can't increase very much except naturally. I remember on sports science they showed Mark Reynolds having like a 75mph swing ... but he hits bombs because he is strong and if he makes contact on a 90+mph pitch it won't matter.

Do you have a link to the info where Mark Reynolds has 75 mph bat speed? I would bet the house that his bat speed is 90 plus and probably higher. He has to have among the highest in the league.

Are you sure it wasn't Craig Reynolds who averaged 2 hr's a year in a 15year career?

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl...eynocr01.shtml

[mcloven]

Babe Ruth had a 75 MPH bat speed...of course it was with a 54 oz bat :
http://news-info.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/7535.html

[GetYourBestSwing]

Batspeed matters.


I think if you have been around the game long enough- or have an eye for evaluating- you can see it with the naked eye.


That beng said, i can't see the value in measuring it for your players in practice, games, or during individual lesson times.

[omg]

Bat speed doesn't really help anything. Its nice to know and all but it is really one of those things you can't increase very much except naturally. I remember on sports science they showed Mark Reynolds having like a 75mph swing ... but he hits bombs because he is strong and if he makes contact on a 90+mph pitch it won't matter.

Jul 30, 2009 ... Mark Reynolds' 28th home run of the season on Tuesday off of the ... site and it had the third-fastest “speed off bat” rating of 118.6 MPH. ...

[omg]

That beng said, i can't see the value in measuring it for your players in practice, games, or during individual lesson times.

Maybe not but it's a good tool. Numbers, fun, competition,etc.

[skipper5]

I once borrowed a bat-speed radar. It was fun, but I could tell my sons were muscling up to light it up. Distorting their normal swings, despite my pleas. Boys will be boys. I could see using it with a girls' softball team. They'd use it correctly.

[omg]

I once borrowed a bat-speed radar. It was fun, but I could tell my sons were muscling up to light it up. Distorting their normal swings, despite my pleas. Boys will be boys. I could see using it with a girls' softball team. They'd use it correctly.

Muscling up is a good lesson. Muscling up=lower bat speed.

[dominik]

I think it's not the best idea to use this thing for kids. They will naturally lengthen their swing(velocity is acceleration*time, so a longer swing will be faster-only very good players can swing fast and short and even they could swing faster when they lengthened their swings) when the want to beat the radar.

Seeing how far they hit the ball should be enough for evaluation IMO.

[Chris O'Leary]

How can you say bat speed doesn’t help anything? Do you not understand bat velocity is one of the components that determines the distance a ball can be hit?

Pujols' bat speed is 87 MPH.

Obviously, there's more to life than just raw bat speed.

[skipper5]

Muscling up is a good lesson. Muscling up=lower bat speed.

True. Let's just say that my boys didn't use the bat-radar intelligently.

[omg]

Pujols' bat speed is 87 MPH.

Obviously, there's more to life than just raw bat speed.

True. If someone has an extremely short swing, a short stride, and great balance then 87 mph would be great.

And of course there are differences in the callibration of the various bat speed meters just as with pitching radar guns so arguing 87 versus 93 is probably pointless.

I've seen guys with tremendous bat speed but poor eye-hand coordination. Swing hard in case you hit it guys. They have their place.

[calgofo]

Babe Ruth had a 75 MPH bat speed...of course it was with a 54 oz bat :
http://news-info.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/7535.html

Thanks for the posting. IMO, very thought provoking. Rare in this neighborhood.

[skipper5]

Pujols' bat speed is 87 MPH.

Obviously, there's more to life than just raw bat speed.

Point well taken. Bat-speed is just part of it.

In a similar vein, for most 10-15yr-olds the challenge is to urge and guide them to swing with the same (adequate) bat-speed in live games that they do in the cage. Lack of bat-speed per se isn't the main issue.

For upper-level players, more bat-speed--within the confines of compactness--is a never-ending part of the quest.

[scorekeeper]

. . . That beng said, i can't see the value in measuring it for your players in practice, games, or during individual lesson times.

I can’t see casually measuring for no reason or using it to compare players, any more than using a gun to measure pitchers against each other. However, I can see using it to measure a pitcher against himself in a couple of circumstances.

For a long term measure to show growth, similar to measuring the height of your kid on the wall from the time he’s a li’l shaver until he can’t stand it any more. In doing that, the measurements are taken much less often, perhaps 4 months apart. That should show a very slow progression that means much more as a conversation piece than anything else.

Another one would be when some kind of change was made that a coach or the player himself wanted to check on what was happening. FI, let’s say something fairly major was changed in an attempt to cause something to happen, like a different bat or change in the setup or weight shift. Those things generally produce changes so minor, the only way to really check them is with a measuring device.

[scorekeeper]

. . . Obviously, there's more to life than just raw bat speed.

Of course there is, but that’s not the same thing as saying it doesn’t really help anything, which is what I was commenting on.

[scorekeeper]

. . . In a similar vein, for most 10-15yr-olds the challenge is to urge and guide them to swing with the same (adequate) bat-speed in live games that they do in the cage. Lack of bat-speed per se isn't the main issue.

Why just 10-15YO’s? From what I can see, just like pitchers working on their mechanics until they hang up the spikes, hitters have to work on theirs until they quit too.

For upper-level players, more bat-speed--within the confines of compactness--is a never-ending part of the quest.

I think you’re correct, but its not bat speed in the sense of a bat traveling at 100mph is better than one at 90. To me, it’s the time it takes to get the bat from its static place, cocked and loaded, to the spot it needs to be to make contact with the ball. Think of it like the winner of the Belmont vs. the best quarterhorse in the country. All that speed and power after a mile isn’t very useful for the short sprint things the quarterhorses do.

IMHO, the thing that makes the most difference in hitters, is the ability to wait as long as possible to pull the trigger. That takes quickness, not high speed.

[Ifubuildit]

As an instructor you should do both. I test my players for bat speed and consistency of swing plane. Both are measurable and observable.

If you dont measure and observe how will you know if they are improving during your lessons?

Dana.

[mudvnine]

Dadgumit . . . where's all the engineers and physicists when you really need them???

I've got to believe that there is the 'perfect', bat mass-to-swing velocity-to-pitch speed formula that would produce the theoretical longest ball HR.

C'mon use guys . . . get out those slide rules, calculators, and pocket protectors and share the formula . . .

Could we then put together the best 'theoretical' hitter of all time?? Ruth at 75 mph and 54 oz, or Pujols at 78 mph and 35 oz. (just guessing), or would it be Bonds at ?? mph and 32 oz . . .

Whatcha think?

[korp]

Jul 30, 2009 ... Mark Reynolds' 28th home run of the season on Tuesday off of the ... site and it had the third-fastest “speed off bat” rating of 118.6 MPH. ...

Speed off bat is not actual 'bat speed'. Anyways it could have been Craig Reynolds but I am fairly certain it was Mark because I even looked him up after the show. When I say bat speed doesn't matter I meant it doesn't completely matter you must have enough to actually hit the ball ... sorry for the confusion. Your bat speed plus strength and velocity of the ball are all factors that go into the distance the ball travels ... so obviously faster bad speed = further distance. Bat speed is still one of those things that can't be completely changed but you can improve your strength and explosiveness which can lead to more power.