question on using the pocket radar (newbie)

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Oct 16, 2014
333
0
just ordered my Black Friday deal and can't wait for it to arrive and get to using it!!

I know the basics on how to use it, DD's pitching coach has one and so does her TB coach.

I'm just curios if we can use it at home when she practices into a net? We have a full pitching rubber and she pitches into a Bownet with a rubber backstop hung behind it that is about 10-12 feet away from the rubber. If I stand behind her and clock her will it be accurate? or does she need to throw the ball the whole 40' distance for an accurate reading

thanks
 
Jun 18, 2012
3,183
48
Utah
Should be pretty accurate (as pocket radars go). I'd just make sure you are lined up well with the path of the ball (from in front behind net or from behind her).

And, as you likely know, don't just use the pocket radar to monitor how fast her fastest is. Rather, use it to check the differences in the speeds of her various pitches.
 
Oct 16, 2014
333
0
Should be pretty accurate (as pocket radars go). I'd just make sure you are lined up well with the path of the ball (from in front behind net or from behind her).

And, as you likely know, don't just use the pocket radar to monitor how fast her fastest is. Rather, use it to check the differences in the speeds of her various pitches.

thanks!
I plan to use this more as a tool in her fine tuning. We are currently working on launch/front side resistance and she's not 100% comfortable with the changes but her pitches look oh so much better when she gets it VS HER "old way" . I'd like to see if her speed is better when she nails it as well (perhaps this will be more encouraging for her).
plan on mostly using the radar to track progress, and like you mentioned, the difference in speed on her changeup and offspeed pitches.
 

Pocket R

Measure - Train - Improve
Jun 12, 2013
54
8
Santa Rosa, CA
just ordered my Black Friday deal and can't wait for it to arrive and get to using it!!

I know the basics on how to use it, DD's pitching coach has one and so does her TB coach.

I'm just curios if we can use it at home when she practices into a net? We have a full pitching rubber and she pitches into a Bownet with a rubber backstop hung behind it that is about 10-12 feet away from the rubber. If I stand behind her and clock her will it be accurate? or does she need to throw the ball the whole 40' distance for an accurate reading

thanks

We are always happy to help with any questions on radar. You do not need 40 feet of travel to get a good reading. We recommend at least 12 to 15 feet of travel on the ball before it hits the net depending on how fast it is traveling. You can get accurate readings with the ball coming at you or going away from you. However, with any radar gun angles are a big deal. It is very important to keep the radar beam aimed directly in-line with the path of the ball. If you are standing behind them then you probably have the radar up too high. The release point of an underhand pitch is usually around knee height. If you have the radar up at shoulder height then there will be a large angle between the path of the ball and the radar beam and the readings will be low. For best results, we recommend having the radar back at least 10 to 15 feet behind them and down at the same level as the release point. The radio waves from the radar are focused down into a tight cone like a flashlight beam. Be sure to have that beam lined up directly at the path of the ball and be back far enough so that there is room for the beam to spread out to a large enough spot size to be sure you get the ball. You also need to be careful not to tilt the radar down as this can also cause the beam to not be in-line at the release point. If you ever have any questions about how to make measurements with any radar gun, please feel free to give us a call on our toll-free support line at 888.381.2672 We are available work days fro 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific Time. You can also e-mail us at info@PocketRadar.com. Please let me know what else I can do to help. Thanks,
Chris Stewart / President, Pocket Radar Inc.
 
Oct 16, 2014
333
0
We are always happy to help with any questions on radar. You do not need 40 feet of travel to get a good reading. We recommend at least 12 to 15 feet of travel on the ball before it hits the net depending on how fast it is traveling. You can get accurate readings with the ball coming at you or going away from you. However, with any radar gun angles are a big deal. It is very important to keep the radar beam aimed directly in-line with the path of the ball. If you are standing behind them then you probably have the radar up too high. The release point of an underhand pitch is usually around knee height. If you have the radar up at shoulder height then there will be a large angle between the path of the ball and the radar beam and the readings will be low. For best results, we recommend having the radar back at least 10 to 15 feet behind them and down at the same level as the release point. The radio waves from the radar are focused down into a tight cone like a flashlight beam. Be sure to have that beam lined up directly at the path of the ball and be back far enough so that there is room for the beam to spread out to a large enough spot size to be sure you get the ball. You also need to be careful not to tilt the radar down as this can also cause the beam to not be in-line at the release point. If you ever have any questions about how to make measurements with any radar gun, please feel free to give us a call on our toll-free support line at 888.381.2672 We are available work days fro 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific Time. You can also e-mail us at info@PocketRadar.com. Please let me know what else I can do to help. Thanks,
Chris Stewart / President, Pocket Radar Inc.

thank you this is very helpful!
I think I can push her net back and gain a couple extra feet to make it 12 feet from her. I have enough room to be knee height behind her to get the reading.

Thanks again!
 

Pocket R

Measure - Train - Improve
Jun 12, 2013
54
8
Santa Rosa, CA
thank you this is very helpful!
I think I can push her net back and gain a couple extra feet to make it 12 feet from her. I have enough room to be knee height behind her to get the reading.

Thanks again!

Let me know how it goes and if there is anything else we can do to help.

Chris
 
Jan 4, 2015
48
8
That is some serious service after the sale. I'm going to buy one tomorrow. Kudos to you and your company.
 
Jul 26, 2016
108
18
be sure to get the one with the constant reading mode (the blue dot one). I have it and I think it reads quite well, I know a guy who had the old one and he got erratic reads.

the constant mode eats up battery so if you want to use it more than like an hour per week or so (Overall run time in all Training sessions) it probably makes sense to use rechargeable batteries. if you just want to check Velo quickly like every two weeks or so normal batteries are fine.
 
Last edited:

Pocket R

Measure - Train - Improve
Jun 12, 2013
54
8
Santa Rosa, CA
be sure to get the one with the constant reading mode (the blue dot one). I have it and I think it reads quite well, I know a guy who had the old one and he got erratic reads.

the constant mode eats up battery so if you want to use it more than like an hour per week or so (Overall run time in all Training sessions) it probably makes sense to use rechargeable batteries. if you just want to check Velo quickly like every two weeks or so normal batteries are fine.

Thanks for helping people understand the right model for softball. The one with the blue button is called the Ball Coach radar. This is the one that is specifically designed to find the speed of a ball in flight. The Classic Pocket Radar has a red button and is good for runners and vehicles. It was designed to do all kinds of things but was hard to use for balls because you have to time the TAP of the button precisely. Based on direct feedback from top college coaches and pro teams we designed the Ball Coach model that adds a lot more technology to be able to automatically track a ball in flight. It also adds new features like Ball Exit Speed off the bat and a Continuous trigger mode. If you just press the button to get a speed then you will get approximately 2000 readings on a set of 2 AAA Alkaline batteries. If you use the AAA rechargeable batteries you can get twice the battery life, 4000 manual button pushes. In the Continuous mode the rechargeable batteries will last over 2 hours and the Alkaline batteries will go about 1 hour or will shut down if it does not see a ball in a 5 minute period.

If you know anyone with the Classic model and is trying to use it for ball speeds have them contact us to find out about our trade up program. If you buy a new Ball Coach radar directly from Pocket Radar, Inc. we will give you $100 back when you send back a Classic unit.

As always, if anyone ever needs any help or has any questions about how to make measurements with any radar gun, please feel free to give us a call on our toll-free support line at 888.381.2672 We are available work days fro 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific Time. You can also e-mail us at info@PocketRadar.com. Please let me know what else I can do to help. Thanks,
Chris Stewart / President, Pocket Radar Inc.
 

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