Pitching velo

[Tazman]

A 65 MPH pitching softball is the equivalent of a 94 MPH pitch in baseball, from a reaction time standpoint. I don't know many 13-14 year-old boys who can hit a pitch at 94 MPH, even if it's straight. Can it be done? I guess by the best of the best, but that's extremely rare.View attachment 27959

I believe the ball is bigger and brighter and the swings are different.

 

[Tazman]

I believe the ball is bigger and brighter and the swings are different.

I think the bases are also closer.

 

[LEsoftballdad]

I think the bases are also closer.

All of which are irrelevant to pitch speeds and reaction time. And an elite softball swing is no different than an elite baseball one.

 

[angispeds]

Exactly! 65 at 14U is really fast. We played a lot of top competition over the fall, and we didn't see one girl throwing 65 until we saw Heavener, and that was at 16U National.

You know which games she loses her spin or spot too those are the ones she loses. Kid throws gas! Gas doesn’t win at PGF nationals without one of the other components working. Below that very elite level though 65 alone at 14u will blow you away.


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[benjey]

A 65 MPH pitching softball is the equivalent of a 94 MPH pitch in baseball, from a reaction time standpoint. I don't know many 13-14 year-old boys who can hit a pitch at 94 MPH, even if it's straight. Can it be done? I guess by the best of the best, but that's extremely rare.View attachment 27959

Have seen these charts before and think they are extremely flawed. They use the term reaction time for a reason because it is still very different hitting a softball at 65 and a baseball at 94. Why? Leaving aside the bigger yellow ball, home plate and the hitting zone are the same size in both baseball and softball. Let's say there is an 18 inch zone in which you can make solid contact, In one scenario the ball moves through that zone at 94 mph and in the other it moves through that zone at 65 that's a whole different animal so the time you have to decide to swing may be similar but the speed at which your bat needs to get into the zone is much different.

 

[Cannonball]

It’s the you can accomplish anything with hard work narrative. What you can accomplish with hard work is the satisfaction that you did all you could to do to be the best you can be…and that should be good enough. I wish that I had realized this when I was playing, it would have caused me to be a lot happier playing a silly game..

As an FYI, I have worked hard to overcome genetics and become good-looking.

 

[Tazman]

All of which are irrelevant to pitch speeds and reaction time. And an elite softball swing is no different than an elite baseball one.

No and no. You can grind out a lot more hits in softball without perfect contact. Slapping and bunting for hits also options which completely changes things. An elite softball swing is also quicker to the ball than an elite baseball swing. Speed matters but is only the flour in a great pitching recipe.

 

[LEsoftballdad]

Have seen these charts before and think they are extremely flawed. They use the term reaction time for a reason because it is still very different hitting a softball at 65 and a baseball at 94. Why? Leaving aside the bigger yellow ball, home plate and the hitting zone are the same size in both baseball and softball. Let's say there is an 18 inch zone in which you can make solid contact, In one scenario the ball moves through that zone at 94 mph and in the other it moves through that zone at 65 that's a whole different animal so the time you have to decide to swing may be similar but the speed at which your bat needs to get into the zone is much different.

And wouldn't you agree that a male will have a much faster swing speed than a female? In that case, it's all relative.

 

[Tazman]

Have seen these charts before and think they are extremely flawed. They use the term reaction time for a reason because it is still very different hitting a softball at 65 and a baseball at 94. Why? Leaving aside the bigger yellow ball, home plate and the hitting zone are the same size in both baseball and softball. Let's say there is an 18 inch zone in which you can make solid contact, In one scenario the ball moves through that zone at 94 mph and in the other it moves through that zone at 65 that's a whole different animal so the time you have to decide to swing may be similar but the speed at which your bat needs to get into the zone is much different.

The charts are flawed but this is just math. The zone is theoreticallly a plane in space so I don't think the speed at which the bat gets to the zone is different if the reaction time is the same.

 

[Cannonball]

No and no. You can grind out a lot more hits in softball without perfect contact. Slapping and bunting for hits also options which completely changes things. An elite softball swing is also quicker to the ball than an elite baseball swing. Speed matters but is only the flour in a great pitching recipe.

I have never heard this. Where did you read this and who did the studies?