Speed

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Ok, so this link was e-mailed to me from Dave Leffew. It is an article from Cindy Bristow and outlines speeds that college coaches are looking at and essentially grouping as average, good, and exceptional.

http://www.softballexcellence.com/dugout/recruiting/speed-time-benchmarks/

I was particularly surprised by the pitching speeds. 73mph? wow.

 

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Thanks for the article

 

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I thought the home to first speeds were a little unrealistic. It takes a 2.4 from left side to be great? A 2.45 isn't great? I clocked three girls all summer at 2.5 or better and none were at a 2.4, including one who ran home to home in 10.48.

 

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If you believe this than close to 4,000 kids that went to the NFCA camps are slow! Few broke 3.0 ! I have a dd that tied for the second fastest time at the Queen of Diamonds so I have an idea what fast is. Plus ypu can look up all the pitching speeds of these 4,000 kids. None broke 70 and at the Queen of Diamonds just a few broke 60, so not sure where this comes from but it's a joke!

 

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Please send those slow 3.1 home to first kids my way!

 

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I thought the home to first speeds were a little unrealistic. It takes a 2.4 from left side to be great? A 2.45 isn't great? I clocked three girls all summer at 2.5 or better and none were at a 2.4, including one who ran home to home in 10.48.

Did you see the note regarding Baserunning Speeds?
(times are from a standing start at home ? not a swing ? if you use a swing it will be about .5 seconds slower)

If you believe this than close to 4,000 kids that went to the NFCA camps are slow! Few broke 3.0 ! I have a dd that tied for the second fastest time at the Queen of Diamonds so I have an idea what fast is. Plus ypu can look up all the pitching speeds of these 4,000 kids. None broke 70 and at the Queen of Diamonds just a few broke 60, so not sure where this comes from but it's a joke!

Cindy posted the following comment today:

There have been lots of questions regarding these times and whether or not they apply to younger players. These times are not so much age specific as they are skill level specific ? meaning times for an average skill level, a good skill level and exceptional skill level. If you?re coaching young kids, say 10 and under, then these times would simply serve as goals to shoot for. But if you?re coaching high school aged players then some of these times are certainly within reach for some of your players. What?s crucial in order to help players get better is to give them something to shoot for ? much like placing a goal on their windshield. Goals shouldn?t be easily reached, otherwise they aren?t very significant. They should take effort and time so that reaching them is meaningful. These times are meant to serve as a guide for both you and your players to see where they are now and to have something to shoot for in the future ? however far off that might be. Hope that helps! Cindy
Comment by Cindy Bristow ? August 22, 2012 @ 9:15 am

 

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Pitching speeds seemed right on......

All good D1 pitchers throw 65+

I think the Home to 1st times are about right. My DD is a 14U and is 3.0-3.1 home to first and we consider her slow.

I would like to add that this all seem pretty reachable goals for a player striving to be a D1 player. I know the #1 thing we have been told is that the player fitness is not nearly what it should be for girls entering college. This is one area I think girls sports are a bit behind. But I am seeing more and more focus on this area by players and coaches at the travel level.

 

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I posted a comment on Cindy's page. I think the numbers are a little off.

Just to put this into perspective. Home to first is a 20-yard dash. The fastest time listed, 2.3 seconds is the equivalent of a 4.59 40-yard dash.

The fastest time for a PSU women?s ****** player was a 4.98 40-yard dash. This time would be a 2.49 20-yard dash. This was using an electronic timer. 40-Yard Dash, PSU Women's ****** - YouTube

I think the times listed might be a little off for comparison purposes.

Oylmpic sprinter, Ben Johnson, ran a 40-yard split in 4.38 seconds. http://speedendurance.com/2008/01/24/fastest-40-yard-dash-time/. This would be a 2.18 20-yard dash for an Olympic (male) sprinter, just 0.12 seconds off of the fastest lefty on her chart.

 

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Did you see the note regarding Baserunning Speeds?
(times are from a standing start at home ? not a swing ? if you use a swing it will be about .5 seconds slower)



Cindy posted the following comment today:

There have been lots of questions regarding these times and whether or not they apply to younger players. These times are not so much age specific as they are skill level specific ? meaning times for an average skill level, a good skill level and exceptional skill level. If you?re coaching young kids, say 10 and under, then these times would simply serve as goals to shoot for. But if you?re coaching high school aged players then some of these times are certainly within reach for some of your players. What?s crucial in order to help players get better is to give them something to shoot for ? much like placing a goal on their windshield. Goals shouldn?t be easily reached, otherwise they aren?t very significant. They should take effort and time so that reaching them is meaningful. These times are meant to serve as a guide for both you and your players to see where they are now and to have something to shoot for in the future ? however far off that might be. Hope that helps! Cindy
Comment by Cindy Bristow ? August 22, 2012 @ 9:15 am

Who times home to first from a standing start at home? Uh, can you guys pause the game and have the girl run home to first from a standing start so I can get a valid time for her? And certainly, we always run home to first in a game from a standing start, not after we make contact with the ball. I generally read Bristow's stuff and have no issues with it, but this one isn't helpful, in my opinion.

Here is my guide to baserunning speed. Maybe other college coaches have different thoughts, I don't know. For a lefty bunter/slapper, I'm looking for 2.7 home to first (from contact) to draw my interest. That is for NCAA Div. II. At Div. III, I looked for 2.8. Maybe I might want 2.6 at Div. I, I'm not sure. I'm not looking for any specific times for a righty hitter. It's great if they have speed from the right side, but either they can mash or they can't.

 

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I think the pitching speeds she mentions are realistic. A DI capable pitcher should be in the 60 - 63 range in game situations, or generally 58 - 60 if strictly a junk pitcher. So, the rule of thumb of hitting game situation 60 mph as a benchmark for DI is realistic. Back in the day when QD was Ringor, and at most of the major indoor winter camps, the pitching surface was artificial turf. There was no regulation pitcher's plate with a characteristic lead-edge hole the pitcher could use as a push-off point. When you take away the leg drive, you also decrease the average pitch speed by several mph. Also, a relaxed pitcher is a fast pitcher. So, add in a good case of "camp nerves" and take away the leg drive, and it's no wonder that none of the charts reflect a bunch of mid-60 speeds. The camps and their charts are merely guides and indicators. I think the DI coaches are aware of the limitations. Besides, if a kid is on their radar, they will be gunned by interested coaches several times in game situations at summer showcases in games.

For running, timing done with a stopwatch is all over the map, and timing methods vary so much that it's no wonder there's so much confusion. I still think anything sub-3 home-to-first is a decent DI speed. Think of it this way - a sub-3 won't QUALIFY you for DI, but anything consistently OVER 3 will probably DISQUALIFY you.

And why are so many parents so concerned about benchmarking a kid's pitching speed at, say, 12u? Things can change so much (hopefully for the better) in 4+ years that speeds at 12u are probably irrelevant! And don't even start with 10u! If mechanics and all the other stuff are in-line, speed will take care of itself.

 

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I have been going to NFCA, Queen of Diamonds and slapping camps going on 5 years. Joe and I attended all of Coach B's at WSU. In that period of time I have seen my dd get beat twice. The one kid that tied her Joe tried to recruit from Delaware Hayes. Both ran a 2.8 from a standing start or a 20 yard dash. I know what Watley and Berg ran it in, so you are telling me they are slow? Yes it depends on how you time them and if you are using a stop watch or electronic timer. If you look at the first to second times of 2.99 it kind of tells you the home to first time is at contact and moving, like Joe posted. So the 2.8 would be from first to second. After spending the summer working with the best base runner OSU had last year, I'm sure she improved. She proved to us it's not only speed that counts, it's quickness. If you want to get a chuckle read profiles and all the kids pitching speeds and home to first times and stats.

 

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The bat speed is pretty much right on.