Pitch Speed Calculator

A radar gun reads how fast a pitch leaves the hand, which is not the same as how fast it plays. Enter the gun speed, the pitching distance and how far in front of the rubber the ball is released, and this returns the real flight distance, the travel time, the speed left at contact after drag, the window a hitter has before the swing must start, and the effective velocity against an average six foot release. A second form converts a speed at one pitching distance into the speed that would give a hitter the same time from another, which is how a 50 mph pitch from 46 feet compares with a grown mound, and a third estimates the radar speed from a stopwatch time from release to the glove when there is no gun. Break, location and spin are not in here; this is the flight clock only.

Calculator Type
Units
Rubber to the back point of the plate. 60.5 ft / 18.44 m for high school, college and professional baseball; 46 ft / 14.02 m for Little League majors and most 12U; 50 ft / 15.24 m for the Intermediate 50/70 division; 43 ft / 13.11 m for college and high school fastpitch softball.
How far down the mound the ball actually leaves the hand. Around 6 ft / 1.83 m is the major league average and 7 ft / 2.13 m is a long strider.
Measured forward from the back point of home plate. The plate is 17 in / 43 cm deep, so 1.5 ft / 0.46 m is roughly its front edge.
About 8% at sea level. Set it to 0 to see the no-drag figure.
How long the swing itself takes once it is committed. Around 0.15 s for a grown hitter.
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Units
Rubber to the back point of the plate. 60.5 ft / 18.44 m for high school, college and professional baseball; 46 ft / 14.02 m for Little League majors and most 12U; 50 ft / 15.24 m for the Intermediate 50/70 division; 43 ft / 13.11 m for college and high school fastpitch softball.
Rubber to the back point of the plate. 60.5 ft / 18.44 m for high school, college and professional baseball; 46 ft / 14.02 m for Little League majors and most 12U; 50 ft / 15.24 m for the Intermediate 50/70 division; 43 ft / 13.11 m for college and high school fastpitch softball.
A younger arm on a shorter mound strides less. 5 ft / 1.52 m is a reasonable youth figure, 6 ft / 1.83 m a grown one.
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Units
Rubber to the back point of the plate. 60.5 ft / 18.44 m for high school, college and professional baseball; 46 ft / 14.02 m for Little League majors and most 12U; 50 ft / 15.24 m for the Intermediate 50/70 division; 43 ft / 13.11 m for college and high school fastpitch softball.
Start the watch when the ball leaves the hand and stop it at the pop of the glove. Video timed frame by frame is far more accurate than a thumb.
How far in front of the rubber the ball is let go. 5 ft / 1.52 m suits a youth or casual thrower, 6 ft / 1.83 m a grown pitcher.
About 8% at sea level. Set it to 0 to get the plain distance-over-time average.
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