Ball Exit speed
- Thread starter BSBR
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ShortYellowBus
Well-Known Member
I think trajectory is also important. If you hit a ball 90mph straight into the ground, it’s not going to go 300ft.
The Mph numbers are baloney. The highest exit speeds are balls that spike into the ground.
Work on your swing. Work on your placement.
The Mph numbers are baloney. The highest exit speeds are balls that spike into the ground.
Work on your swing. Work on your placement.
So your saying ground balls don't go as far as fly balls? Next thing you'll tell me is that if you hit a ball straight up in the air, it won't travel as far. It's almost like there is a range of trajectories that is ideal.......but even if a ball is hit at the ideal angle, without enough speed its not going out of the park. Was asking what is a good exit speed in peoples opinion, not if i should work in placement or my swing.
ShortYellowBus
Well-Known Member
Work on your swing. Work on your placement. Attain and demonstrate consistency.
After you put that work in, you won’t have to think about extra 4mph is the reason for the 16ft distance increases; if you have to launch a ball 300ft in a game, you’ll be able to.
Just because you can hit a couple balls out of 300ft, doesn’t mean you should always try. And with today’s bat technology, 300ft is easier to achieve.
Bat video reviews that post 99mph batted balls that spike into the ground are worthless.
Hiltz
Built for comfort
You ever go to a party and there was that one guy who was just so ignorant and awkward he killed conversations by opening his mouth? You just met that guy.
Some teammates and I did some indoor hitting last winter for the first time, the place we went to loaned out radar guns. All balls were .52/275 Worth Hot Dots in varying condition. No big hitters involved, just a bunch of rec league guys. Typical exit speeds were low to mid 80's, some guys struggled to hit 80. Me and our 21yo muscly-armed paperboy had a battle for highest speed; we both got into the 90's. He hit a few at 92 and got 94 once, I hit 91 with 3 different composite bats, then I got 93 with a singlewall TPS Powerdome of all things. Fastest exit speeds were from one-hoppers and hard, low liners right back up the middle. Balls that felt crushed and had HR trajectory were way lower, usually around 80-85. For reference, the young gun and myself regularly hit HR's in the 300'-320' range but rarely hit anything farther. We might each get ahold of 1-2 balls/season that get over 330'. For someone to hit a ball 375+, you're probably looking at exit speed in the 100's combined with near ideal trajectory and spin.
This is where i really don't know about those guns. Asa was assuming average was right around 75 when they did their first bbs standards. Now it seems like that might be right for a true average, but the average tournament players swing seems to be closer to 80 something. The problem is when asa changed their standards a couple of years ago they went lower, not higher.
TWmccoy
3DX Connoisseur
This is all true. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with ball exit velocity numbers, but they aren't always indicative of how well a ball is hit. As mentioned, most of the top exit velocities are on grounders or cut liners.
Spin is infinitely more important than exit velocity. If you get the ball in the air with spin consistently you'll hit balls out despite not striking them overly well.
Exactly the kind of input i was looking for. Thanks, I have found similar speeds with my team. I have decent power, and I'm usually in the low 90s, high 80s. Seems like HR power starts in the mid 80s, but regular HR hitters are in the 90s. I am in ND. So don't get to hit outside during the winter. Need another metric to determine progress when working on my swing, and to set goals for.
Yeah, spin is important, but a ball hit 65 mph isn't going anywhere, regardless of how much spin is on it. And i know low trajectory hits have the highest speeds, but i don't think there is a better indicator of how "well" you hit a ball the exit speed, although it does not by itself show how far a ball will go. A ball hit 100mph at a 20degree trajectory with top spin, isnt going as far as a ball hit 80mph at the same 20 degrees, with back spin.
Exit velocity is a measure of whether what I'm working on is actually improving my swing. You're right, hitting HRs isn't that hard, I'm just curious what peoples exit speed is. Something to compare mine and the guys i hit with too. I'm more concerned about hitting when the 4 hrs are gone. Thanks for dropping wisdom on me, like work on you placement, be more consistent, great input.....
And I think a 99mph ground ball has a ton of value. If all i hit was 99mph ground balls i'd be on base 80% of the time. I would trade all my future hrs for the ability to hit 99mph ground balls.
I’ve heard the four foot thing too. However, 75 mph seems like a pretty week exit speed. Obviously I could be wrong, but I doubt a ball hit with a 75 mph exit speed will go 300 feet. In comparison, I can’t imagine someone who only throws 75 mph being able to throw a ball 300 feet in the air. I would gladly invite opinions and scientific evidence regarding this.
It's not that lower balls have higher speeds, it's that squared up line drives and grounders have a higher speed than cut back spin line drives for hrs because they're hit more squarely. I would just look for your base line if you're happy with how you're currently striking the ball. That's way more important anyway.
Lol. I can’t argue with that! What a great site. Thanks for sharing.
I guess so. Thanks again for sharing.
Any ball hit with backspin is going to lose some initial energy transfer from speed to imparting spin, in addition an order to achieve the ideal trajectory of 28 degrees on a fairly level swing you will loose additional energy transfer from a slightly glancing blow, so your highest exit speeds will be achieved on hits that have the same trajectory as your swing plain, which varies by swing but will be likely -5° to 15° or so. Just an interesting tool to judge how different variables effect energy transfer. Just always looking to improve, and new tools to do do. Thanks for the input
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Hiltz
Built for comfort
That calculator is pretty cool but it uses theoretical formulas that don't take air resistance, spin, etc. into account.
According to the calculator, a 12" softball hit at sea level will travel the same distance as a golf ball hit in Denver if the launch angle and initial speed are the same.
According to the calculator, a 12" softball hit at sea level will travel the same distance as a golf ball hit in Denver if the launch angle and initial speed are the same.
TWmccoy
3DX Connoisseur
Wrong-o. You can EASILY hit a ball 65 mph with good spin and have it go out. Granted, it would need a somewhat high launch angle. .52 300 balls don't come off the bat with a ton of exit speed, but they end up flying well. I'd attribute that to the ball being bouncy/flexible as opposed to the bat propelling it. All the highest exit speeds you see are guys hitting hard balls with hot/broken in bats. The bat's trampoline effect is what ultimately creates the highest batted ball speeds.
Exit velocity is NOT something worth getting fixated on. I realize hitting inside has zero perks, and you basically have nothing but exit speed to gauge how hard you're hitting. However, constantly worrying about your exit speed numbers isn't really going to help you as a hitter. Working on trajectory and spin will help you far more in the long run.
The only thing hitting in a cage is really good for is to keep your muscles loose. You aren't going to be able to work on mechanics in there because you can't really tell how the ball's flying.
One other thing to consider when measuring ball exit speed..... you have to continually use the same balls and bat if you want consistent measurements. Hitting different balls or switching bats will give you different numbers entirely. You'll probably hit a Hot Dot slower with a Ronin than you would a ZN classic M with a Fireflex.
Joker
Well-Known Member
Hiltz
Built for comfort
I'm just saying in real life with those other variables at play, I don't think it's possible. The guys that were hitting 70-75mph indoors with me are the guys who hit 2 homeruns a year out of our baby 260' fields. They ain't even sniffing 300'
So just saw a Christian James video where he was hitting between 85 and 90, and said thats where he normally is. So I'm feeling like consistently above 85 is a good goal.
Hit with a guy who tops out at 75, and he is usually hitting 280' fly ball, but usually runs into 3 or 4 HRs a year. I think 75 is pretty tough to get one out with, regardless of spin
hitless45
Addicted to Softballfans
260' fence line.. heck my old a** could become a hr hero on those fields