Measuring ball speed

[kiranbose]

Hi, we would like to know how to measure ball speed accurately.We bought " Stalker sport 2 " radar gun for our club & we need help on how to position the radar gun (exact height and angle).We mounted it on a tripod at 6ft height and 4 ft behind the bowling stumps.But we are getting speeds very low, for a fast bowler maximum speed is around 115kmph and for a spin bowler it's around 65kmph, in international cricket even " pause and delivery" balls are measured around 95kmph. We found before "hawk eye" "stalker sport" radar gun were used in international cricket if so where exactly the gun was positioned at the stadium and at what angle & height?How much angle error must be fed to the gun?

[Hurricane]

Originally Posted by kiranbose

Hi, we would like to know how to measure ball speed accurately.We bought " Stalker sport 2 " radar gun for our club & we need help on how to position the radar gun (exact height and angle).We mounted it on a tripod at 6ft height and 4 ft behind the bowling stumps.But we are getting speeds very low, for a fast bowler maximum speed is around 115kmph and for a spin bowler it's around 65kmph, in international cricket even " pause and delivery" balls are measured around 95kmph. We found before "hawk eye" "stalker sport" radar gun were used in international cricket if so where exactly the gun was positioned at the stadium and at what angle & height?How much angle error must be fed to the gun?

What grade of players are you testing? 1st grade players can reach 125 / 130.
Lower grades can only reach 115kms even though they think they are much faster.

Yes the spin sounds low at 65Kms

Did you try setting it up to the side of the net or even behind the bowler just to see the difference.

Last point I think 95kms would be quite a quick spin delivery.

[kiranbose]

They are club level players age 20-28 and plays 2-3 matches weekly.We tried all different positions but getting same reading. Is this is the normal speed for a club level player?? But when we compare with international cricket we cant believe this will be the actual speed.

Dhoni bowls at 120kph YouTube - M.S.VINOD presents M.S.DHONI's bowling

Afridi bowls spin at 105 kph and fast at 134 kph

YouTube - Shahid Afridi ON FIRE FAST BOWLING ! ! ! YouTube

Is there that much difference in bowling speed between club level and international cricket bowler??

[kiranbose]

International women bowlers are bowling at 115 kph

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature...&v=no7-m1fvsW4

[Hurricane]

1st Grade is the level below 1st class cricket. So if you have players playing at that level they might be bowling 125-130.

Very few club bowlers at lower levels bowl 120. I bowl 115kms and I can bowl bouncers etc.

Afridi bowling 130kms was a blip in the speed radar as I think I saw that game.

What really worries me is the spin reading of 65kms - even if this was 75kms I would be happier.

I don't have any other suggestions you will have to phone the company that sold it to you and ask for advice...

[kiranbose]

How do you know you are bowling at 115kph I mean how you measured ?

[Hurricane]

Sorry I don't know. I just assume I bowl 115 for two reasons
a) James Franklin and Tuffey are 120kms and the keeper stands a lot further back for them than for me.
b) I have seen kids and peeps try out on tv and they have been 115kms and they looked the same speed as me.

Have you seen how far back a keeper stands in First Class cricket for a 130kms bowler. It is probably the length of a cricket pitch back. Most club keepers just stand ten paces back from the stumps.

[Hurricane]

Look the other thing you might like to try is taking a stop watch and timing the deliveries then using mathematics you can calculate peoples speeds and you can cross reference your radar gun.

Go through this coaching and equipment forum and you will find some threads on how to measure using a stop watch and they will tell you how to do the math.

[Dan]

Originally Posted by kiranbose

Is there that much difference in bowling speed between club level and international cricket bowler??

Yes.

[wellAlbidarned]

Those speeds seem pretty likely to me, it's always a nasty trip back to earth for lower level players when they learn how much better international cricket really is.

[Trichromatic]

Don't think much about the speed at which international bowlers bowl. Even the worst ones in international cricket are among best cricketers in the country. They will be above club level players in almost all aspects.

[Dan]

Originally Posted by wellAlbidarned

Those speeds seem pretty likely to me, it's always a nasty trip back to earth for lower level players when they learn how much better international cricket really is.

Yep.

"I could play 5th grade; those guys aren't that good."

Then I faced a guy playing 3rds in the nets. He was bowling slow, and hooping it both ways (and his 'slow' was still far quicker than anything I could muster). Couldn't pick the swing, didn't play anything other than a forward defense the whole session.

Park cricket it is.

[Spooony]

lol lol lol
1. Ball doesn't travel straight at the gun
2. Ball slows down down through the air 0.6mph after it travels the first 1m
3. Everything 5 degrees away from the gun will give you a error of around 1mph recorded speed.

To get a correct speed with it it needs to point almost exactly inline with the ball and need to capture speed before it travels 160mm out of bowlers hand. Also the ball can't rotate otherwise you can gain 0.6 everytime the seam comes into view.

Have not even started with the pitch yet.....

[Son Of Coco]

Originally Posted by kiranbose

Is there that much difference in bowling speed between club level and international cricket bowler??

In short...yes.

Generally speaking club players drastically overestimate the speed of the bowlers in their competitions.

Oh, and even if you go from an average first grade competition (i.e one outside the major cities), 130kph is generally pretty quick and anything above that hurries you up. I faced Don Nash, and he wasn't busting his gut so I'm assuming it was between 130 and 135...didn't see it until it was far too late to hit it. I'm not a batsman, but I didn't face anyone that fast in any of the grade games I played ever. Even the guys that some were saying were 140kph. They weren't.

[Spooony]

130km/h becomes around 70km/h when it hits the pitch. The ball unless a full toss arrives bout 60 percent of that speed at the batsman. It will never speed up