Exit Velocity/Launch Angle ????

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Mar 3, 2011
173
16
GA
What exit velocity and launch angle would you need to hit a 210 Ft Home-run off tee? I know there are other variables just looking for an estimate/ball park numbers. Thanks!
 
Dec 4, 2013
865
18
If you take this to twitter you can probably get an answer pretty fast. Also if someone has a HitTraxx you can get some meaningful data from them.....
 
Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
Tee placement is very significant. If distance is the only goal, then place a ball at chest height, out in front on an inside pitch and turn on it, hitting up. You can really launch some beauties that way. Might ruin your swing in the process, though.

If you're just looking for guesses on a belt-high/down-the-middle/ball-at-front-foot tee placement, then, I don't know, probably high-60s/low-70s? I'm not as educated on launch angle. Basing my exit speed guesses on DD's experience hitting with a machine that measures it.
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
They are dependent variables. A launch angle of 45 degrees is optimal. Then as you increase or decease the launch angle from 45 you will need to increase the exit velocity.
 
Oct 2, 2015
615
18
I have only one request...I want to see a picture of the big smile on your face when she does it! :)
The only drawback to doing it, is that they really start to swing their absolute hardest to get it over the fence...technique seems to suffer a little.
My 2 cents...
 
Aug 5, 2015
85
8
They are dependent variables. A launch angle of 45 degrees is optimal. Then as you increase or decease the launch angle from 45 you will need to increase the exit velocity.
45 degrees is definitely not the optimal launch angle in almost any circumstance, maybe only with a gale force wind at your back.

There's a pretty good calculator here (make sure you change the ball weight and circumfrence for softball): Trajectory Calculator

A 70mph launch speed and 1687 rpm pure backspin with the optimal launch angle for that combination of 30.8 degrees will get you exactly 210 feet in distance.
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
45 degrees is definitely not the optimal launch angle in almost any circumstance, maybe only with a gale force wind at your back.

There's a pretty good calculator here (make sure you change the ball weight and circumfrence for softball): Trajectory Calculator

A 70mph launch speed and 1687 rpm pure backspin with the optimal launch angle for that combination of 30.8 degrees will get you exactly 210 feet in distance.

To the OP's point I was only considering velocity and launch angle, not backspin, ball weight, wind, etc. In which case 45 degrees is optimal at least that is what works sending rounds to a target down range.
 
Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
Also need to consider the presence of a fence, and the height of that fence. OP didn't mention a fence, but I assume he meant hitting a ball over a fence (as opposed to simply hitting a ball 210 feet on the fly) since he said ''a 210 Ft Home-run.'' But maybe he just meant a HR that simply landed 210 feet away. Might be a 180-foot fence.

But if there's a fence out there, then you need to consider the trajectory required to hit a ball over that fence.

From watching my DD attempt to hit a ball over an 8-foot fence, it required her to get high elevation. I don't know whether it was 30 degrees or 45 degrees, but it looked more like a fly ball than a line drive. Not a lazy fly ball, but she had to get it up there or it wasn't going over. So maybe to hit a ball 210 feet (no fene) off a tee, she'd be better w/ a lower trajectory, but to hit one over a fence 210 feet away, she needs to think up, up, up.
 

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