radar guns

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May 22, 2008
351
0
NW Pennsylvania
Does anyone have much experience with the cheaper model bushnell radar gun or the glove radar? I have both, & they quite often doent agree at all, & I dont know which one to believe, although I am leaning tward the bushnell. actually the glove radar should be consistantly 5or 6 miles slower according to the manufacturer. it is usually about 3 miles slower, although occasionally its somewhat faster. I also wonder where the bushnell is actually picking up the ball....right out of the hand, closer to the glove or somewhere in between? Thanks, Lane
 
May 7, 2008
8,506
48
Tucson
I have used the glove radar for 10 years and just ordered a new one yesterday. I catch a lot of lessons and I think it is pretty accurate. For instance, an experienced 11YO is pitching 45 ish MPH. The 9 YOs are basically at 32. My own DD hit 54, at 17, after an 18 month lay off. I think it is believable.

I don't have any experience with the Bushnell.
 
Jul 21, 2008
415
0
Bushnell is pretty good most of the time but sometimes you will get a reading way off like.....45,46,45,47, then 18. I have learned its is best to pull trigger and release while ball is in flight and do not hold trigger. If you pull and hold trigger you can get funny readings. Works great for the price....

Dan
 
Aug 6, 2008
43
0
I also have used the Bushnell for several years. My experience was very similar to coachdan's. Being the anal person I am, though :D, I took the gun out for a drive on the road. Cruising on the freeway, I shot it at signs (good flat targets) and it was amazingly close to my speedometer. I tried different cruising speeds in the 50 - 60 mph range, and all were very accurate. The fluke readings from the gun usually are "operator errors", like picking up her arm motion, releasing the trigger too soon or too late, etc.

Honestly though, I never once saw the college coach that recruited my daughter with a radar gun. After you have seen enough pitching, you can get a pretty good feel if the pitcher has "age appropriate" speed.

It's fun to benchmark your kid with a gun, though. From a parental standpoint, I think the best use of a radar gun is to determine the difference in speeds between her fastball and changeup. It doesn't take an $800 Juggs to do this.
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
If you didn't see the coach with a speed gun, it was because someone else had already clocked her pitches and told the coach.
 

Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL
One of the big differences between a Glove Radar or Bushnell and a Jugs gun is where they pick up the pitch. The Jugs gun has the most power due to the larger batteries, so it is able to pick up the pitch out of the hand. The Glove Radar, according to the manufacturer, picks it up much closer to the plate. Since you lose 1 mph for every 4-6 feet the ball travels (as I recall), the Glove Radar will generally be slower. When I had one I would add 3-4 mph to the reading.

The other thing that affects the Glove Radar is the catcher's skill. If you lunge at the ball with the glove, you close the distance between the ball and the radar, and it will affect the reading (usually faster).

I had the first Bushnell model that came out and was never happy with it. It would start with one reading, then lock in on a reading that was a couple mph slower. I was just never sure what the speed was. The newer ones may be better, but I didn't like the one I had. Since I teach lessons, I finally broke down and bought a Jugs gun. Love it, too.

All that being said, the actual speed doesn't matter; you're good as long as you're in the ballpark. Relative speed of pitches is more important. Most important is whether the pitcher can get hitters out, of course.
 
Jul 19, 2008
122
0
I ordered and will be getting a Stalker Pro radar gun. It did cost alot, but is a top radar gun, and has soem resale value if I chose to sell it at a later date. I was wondering, has anyone used it to check bat speed? I mean in practice to see the difference in different batting styles to see if the different styles or methods will give more bat speed?

Rob
 
Aug 4, 2008
2,364
0
Lexington,Ohio
www.swingspeedradar.com This is the device we use to check bat speed. Bustos we clocked at 78. MLB around 88. Most of our students are in the Mid 50's, but as we teach them we can measure the progress. We believe that everything we teach must be measurable and observable. When someone tells you to do this or that, if they can't back it up, why do it!? Slaught found out this spring, if you do not line up the knuckles and have an offset grip you can gain 3 to 5 mph on the swing. We tested by using a sock on the top hand, so it would rotate in the swing. We gained speed. Proved you should not line up the knuckles like we had been teaching for many years.
 
Aug 2, 2008
553
0
"We tested by using a sock on the top hand, so it would rotate in the swing. We gained speed. Proved you should not line up the knuckles like we had been teaching for many years." SBFAMILY.

Can you please elaborate on this, should the top hand be allowed to rotate? should the knuckles be lined up differently? Having your door knocking knuckles lined up is the way I currently teach. A person with good mechanics can create alot of power with only the lead arm, allowing the top hand to rotate kind of makes sense, but is it also there to push the bat through the zone?

Mike
 

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