Home to first times can vary dramatically based on how the timer set it up. Letting a lefty slapper start in the LH batters box and get a running start will dramatically improve their times. We used to just line girls up at home plate and say "on your mark, get set, GO!" and time them until their foot hit the bag. Anything sub 3.0 seconds was pretty fast and 2.8 seconds was D1 speed.
Home to first speed
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- Feb 15, 2016
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To answer 55s original question, I think there are a lot of girls who report to be faster than they are. From what I have observed at various "scouting" events and camps, the home to first is really a 20 yard dash. There is a similar thread on this board that is several years old that basically determines the same thing. If you look at the results from various softball "scouting combines" there are very few girls who run in the 2.7s at those events. Hand-timed 20 yard dash times are usually faster than electronically timed if you time on first movement. JAD describes a slightly different technique where the girl has to react to the "go" and that technique will result in slower times than first movement obviously. With football recruiting sites (247/Rivals/Scout) they usually annotate a "verified" 40 time which means that the times was electronic at some sort of combine or camp which I believe is the same way they time the girls at the softball "combines" or "showcase clinics". You basically have two small pillars 20 yards apart with sensors on them and the player's time starts when she breaks the beam at one pillar and stops when she breaks the beam on the other pillar. There is a thread on this from a few years back and if you look at the results of the "combines" there are very few girls who run faster than 2.9 for the 20 yards.
Here is a link to one of those combines. Top Prospects
- Sep 29, 2014
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While it can be fun the best metric is during tryouts and skills camp COMPARED to everyone else. This way you are comparing apples to apples. If she is the fastest at tryout or at camp compared to others in her age group then you know something.
Unless you have a team full of turtles, of course!
- Sep 29, 2014
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Touche!!!!
As long as someone is consistent with the way they time the runners they can compare speed between players, and measure progress as the players become faster. Comparing times with others is difficult because just like "Radar Grandpa" can increase pitch speed, a slow handed start timer and quick handed stop timer can dramatically effect the times recorded.
all times should be the same way, start when bat makes contact with ball. Stop when Foot hits the bag. When you hit the ball, fielders don't wait til you move toward first to throw. That would be a flawed time. Any thing hypothetical is a waste. IMO Why would you care how fast you get over and into the grass??? The point of slapping is to be moving so you are closer to first. Don't see to many right handed slappers!!! Maybe Domingo Ayala can show us that one!
I totally agree, but that's not the case up here in Linearhandville...(MN, ND and SD)
Small ball, and speed is king up here for the most part (note... I said most part).
Ya, there's this player at U of MN called Lindaman...
All the Showcases/camps up here that we've been to are timed by stopwatch, and started at runner movement. That's what I do as well.
Does anyone have a link to one of their players running the 20 yard dash that they can post a link to, and we can time them on our computers and see what speeds we all come up with?
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The variables say all times are basically meanngless when compared to other event/days/whatever....
Lets see:
- When they start the stopwatch
- When they stop it
- The person on the stopwatch time
- type of field (dirt, clay, turf, mud, loose, hard, etc, etc...)
- grip on field (I remember once the bating box was all scuffed up and loose from everyone running so traction was tough)
- time of day, temperature, weather... all have a small effect
At best times show you ho who was fastest that day among the players there on that day.
We had a REAL speedster on our team a couple of seasons ago. As far as I know, she had never been timed 'officially' at any of these camps or events - but at showcases coaches will stop and watch her run all day long. You can recognize elite fast and quick real easy. If you are not going 'OOooo' watching a player run, then she doesn't have it. Not to say any particular player isn't fast - she just isn't 'FAST' if you know what I mean.
My DD needs a sundial to time her running to first. But she is all about power, so as long as RF doesn't throw her out too often when she drills a line drive out that way she is good.
Lets see:
- When they start the stopwatch
- When they stop it
- The person on the stopwatch time
- type of field (dirt, clay, turf, mud, loose, hard, etc, etc...)
- grip on field (I remember once the bating box was all scuffed up and loose from everyone running so traction was tough)
- time of day, temperature, weather... all have a small effect
At best times show you ho who was fastest that day among the players there on that day.
We had a REAL speedster on our team a couple of seasons ago. As far as I know, she had never been timed 'officially' at any of these camps or events - but at showcases coaches will stop and watch her run all day long. You can recognize elite fast and quick real easy. If you are not going 'OOooo' watching a player run, then she doesn't have it. Not to say any particular player isn't fast - she just isn't 'FAST' if you know what I mean.
My DD needs a sundial to time her running to first. But she is all about power, so as long as RF doesn't throw her out too often when she drills a line drive out that way she is good.
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There is always a skinniest kid at fat camp!
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