Velocity vs accuracy

[Tazman]

Here are some more numbers from softballpitchingtools.com which is the website for a Rita Gilman’s place in VA. These numbers are all max velocity thrown at the facility. They include college kids all the way down to 1st grade. Including Valerie Cagle from Clemson listed at 76 mph.

Speed Club - Rita Lynn Gilman's Softball Pitching Tools

The exclusive Speed Club represents pitchers instructed by Rita Lynn Gilman, Jackie Magill, and Brittany Blankenship, with speeds of at least 50 MPH (plus our top pitchers in 2nd and 3rd grades).

softballpitchingtools.com

There is a whole thread throwing shade/skepticism at her numbers comparing radar monitoring of the same pitchers in game situations vs what she published. Big grain of salt knowing that game environment and practice can differ.

 

[lostcreek1]

There is a whole thread throwing shade/skepticism at her numbers comparing radar monitoring of the same pitchers in game situations vs what she published. Big grain of salt knowing that game environment and practice can differ.

I would guess that the difference between get up there and throw absolutely as hard as you can and what they would throw in a game situation would be 2-3 mph. My DD will usually be 2-3 mph difference between see how fast you can throw and what she does at practice and games. But that is just my .02. Some of the other posts were asking what would be considered rare as far as speed goes. I would say the numbers on her leader board for each age group would give you that number.

 

[kbailey45us]

I was going to PM you, but given all the recent "expert" pitching opinions being posted I decided I would reply and put it out for public consumption/criticism instead. I would really like to know what may or may not be wrong with our approach. Some time to still correct, as needed, maybe, but probably not. LOL!

At 10U I would focus on location and learning how to throw different off-speed pitches to see what works and why. But velocity and accuracy are not mutually exclusive, BTW. Meaning you can work both, just do so selectively. We elected not to focus on velocity until DD turned 15 and recently implemented exercises (non-pitching drills) to improve speed. She can select from several pitches depending on what is working that day/week/tournament and isn't limited to a fastball and X.

Frame of reference: DD is 15 and is "above average" for her age for velocity from the recent posts...and that has nothing to do with working velocity. She is tall and strong (someone else mentioned this). But her success on the mound comes from location, change of location, change of speed, and not speed itself. We've heard a lot of people say she is a pitcher not a thrower. Best compliment she can receive in my mind. We do not care where she ends up for college....top 25, P5, D1, D2, D3, NAIA....whatever. Pick a school, see if they have softball, and hope you can play there.

Oh and I think throwing 60+MPH for 8+ years without injury is a challenge/problem for a lot of kids...there I'll open that can of worms. LOL!

A general answer that isn't telling someone they're doing it wrong or their kid is screwed or something lol. I like it.

 

[kbailey45us]

After reading all these "expert" comments I guess I can answer my own question. Be accurate and consistent but don't lob meatballs up there. No sense in throwing 50+ if you can't throw a strike and no sense in throwing strikes if they are 25 mph. Lol. You can tell it is fall travel season for sure .

 

[Vertigo]

Here are some more numbers from softballpitchingtools.com which is the website for a Rita Gilman’s place in VA. These numbers are all max velocity thrown at the facility. They include college kids all the way down to 1st grade. Including Valerie Cagle from Clemson listed at 76 mph.

Speed Club - Rita Lynn Gilman's Softball Pitching Tools

The exclusive Speed Club represents pitchers instructed by Rita Lynn Gilman, Jackie Magill, and Brittany Blankenship, with speeds of at least 50 MPH (plus our top pitchers in 2nd and 3rd grades).

softballpitchingtools.com

Having faced a few of her pitchers that have been posted in her “speed club” in the recent past I can easily say the ones we faced were not throwing the speeds listed on her site. I imagine those numbers are mostly rare, even for those pitchers. Again, these speeds most likely were obtained indoors, on turf, not against live batters.

 

[NumbersGuy]

The skeptical side of me wants to put my own pocket radar against the radar they are using and see if there is any difference. Those numbers just seem a little high for some at first glance but I admittedly know nothing about those girls. May just be a collection of several girls that throw hard for their age. I think the general skepticism of some numbers we see is what fuels so many of these discussions.


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DD has been there a couple of times. I held pocket radar next to the JUGS gun they were using and got the same number. But that was just our experience.


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[NumbersGuy]

Having faced a few of her pitchers that have been posted in her “speed club” in the recent past I can easily say the ones we faced were not throwing the speeds listed on her site. I imagine those numbers are mostly rare, even for those pitchers. Again, these speeds most likely were obtained indoors, on turf, not against live batters.

Correct the times DD posted for the site were max effort for speed and not for any level of accuracy. The difference for DD from her numbers at the facility and in game were in the 2-3 range as mentioned above.


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[lostcreek1]

Having faced a few of her pitchers that have been posted in her “speed club” in the recent past I can easily say the ones we faced were not throwing the speeds listed on her site. I imagine those numbers are mostly rare, even for those pitchers. Again, these speeds most likely were obtained indoors, on turf, not against live batters.

There’s no doubt those numbers were indoors on turf throwing hard as you possibly can with no batter. I would say that is how they would measure top speed anywhere.

 

[PapaBear]

Having faced a few of her pitchers that have been posted in her “speed club” in the recent past I can easily say the ones we faced were not throwing the speeds listed on her site. I imagine those numbers are mostly rare, even for those pitchers. Again, these speeds most likely were obtained indoors, on turf, not against live batters.

I said it last year......pitching coaches run a business. They know to feed the beast, keep the lights on and mortgage paid they are juice up the guns a few MPH to keep you coming back. Not every coach operates this way but those with guns that can tweak it can manipulate it to keep you coming back. Those numbers get exposed in games or college camps with a different gun on them.

 

[LEsoftballdad]

They need to make money, so they pump up the numbers to make it look like they're throwing harder than they do in games.

There's one facility that constantly posts pictures of girls holding a Pocket Radar with a speed they accomplished on a run through. Some people may argue whether or not a run through does anything for a pitcher, but the point is the numbers are not what you'd see in a game. There's a reason outfielders get up a head of steam before releasing a long throw, and that reason is the extra speed and distance they gain from throwing at full speed.