Platypus Speed Sensor Ball

[thierry henry]

Anyone got one of these?

I got one today. I just had a bit of a test run in the field behind my house. I was registering over 140kph but I think I was pitching too short. I also got 117kph and 123kph and I'm guessing that was closer to reality.

[Blaze]

Yeah I have one. Haven't used it for a while. Might get it out today actually and give it a crack.

[Barney Rubble]

Where can you get these things from? They sound kinda cool.

[thierry henry]

ok, me and my brother just had a go. Me measured out a 20m pitch (pretty much normal length) with a tape measure and set bowling distance to 18m, so that we could bowl on a full/yorker length like we might on a normal pitch. It was really hopeless. At least half the balls got impossible readings (e.g. 10kph or 190kph), and even the more realistic readings ranged between 75kph and over 120kph. My brother could hardly crack 50kph, and he is 14 and really not *that* slow. Whenever I tried to bowl spinners I kept on bowling in the 30s, even when pushing them through quite flat, although sometimes out of the blue they would be in the 60s and 70s which seemed more realistic. Overall I've learnt nothing and am left wondering what exactly the point is.

[steds]

ok, me and my brother just had a go. Me measured out a 20m pitch (pretty much normal length) with a tape measure and set bowling distance to 18m, so that we could bowl on a full/yorker length like we might on a normal pitch. It was really hopeless. At least half the balls got impossible readings (e.g. 10kph or 190kph), and even the more realistic readings ranged between 75kph and over 120kph. My brother could hardly crack 50kph, and he is 14 and really not *that* slow. Whenever I tried to bowl spinners I kept on bowling in the 30s, even when pushing them through quite flat, although sometimes out of the blue they would be in the 60s and 70s which seemed more realistic. Overall I've learnt nothing and am left wondering what exactly the point is.

what does it measure? The ones they use on televised cricket is the speed out of the hand, but the ball slows down in the air and especially off the pitch, so it looks alot quicker than it is when it reaches the batsman. As bowlers run ups and bowling actions are so repetetive, there isn't a huge range with this unless the bowler actually tries to change the pace. I don't really know how it works, but I'd guess that your ball measures the average speed over such a distance, so as each ball is different, you'll get a fair range of speeds coming up and at a generally slower speed than the measurements you see professionals get. Although it going to such extremes is pretty odd, but who's going to put really expensive and accurate technology in summat that's going to get hurled around, thus has a fair chance of being broken?

[33/3from3.3]

when you bowl it if it bounces more than 1 it skrews up the speed so get a good wikky or a net . i found this when i bowled an aparently 179km bowl my speed is usually between 80 and 90km so just make sure you do

[open365]

they seem pretty flawed to me.

i might be mistaken,but you have to set it to a certain legnth then pitch it exactly right to get the correct speed which would make it pretty in accurate.

[Nate]

They`re crap. My mate got clocked at 189km/h!

[deeps]

it's a simple v=s/t formula

it calculates the time from release, to the time of first impact. It then calculates the distance divided by the time, and gives you the speed.

there's a few flaws, in that it cant really calculate the release point. I'm assuming it uses pressure sensors of some sort, but alot ofbowlers have a very weak grip on the ball durin the last second of release, and it probably thinks youve released, when it's actually still in hand.

[no1_gangsta_786]

where can you buy one of these and how much do they cost?

[deeps]

bout 50 bucks AUD

sports shop?

[open365]

it's a simple v=s/t formula

it calculates the time from release, to the time of first impact. It then calculates the distance divided by the time, and gives you the speed.

there's a few flaws, in that it cant really calculate the release point. I'm assuming it uses pressure sensors of some sort, but alot ofbowlers have a very weak grip on the ball durin the last second of release, and it probably thinks youve released, when it's actually still in hand.

but to get an accurate result you have to pitch it a designated area which if your fast but not very accurate would probably make you bowl slower.

[thierry henry]

In the instructions it doesn't say that it uses the distance/time formula, it only talks about the way that it can sense the difference between the ball being in your hand, and the ball being in the air. I guess it deliberately avoids mentioning how simple it is. I gave it a proper go today at the nets and it seems to be totally dependant on where you pitch the ball.

Anyway, I set it on 16m and approximately measured out 16m. Unfortunately my tendency at that length was to bowl it too short. I got 104k and 106k, although they were if anything marginally full, while I was regularly 120 or more when I was a metre or so short (around about a good length). From the evidence so far I reckon I bowl 105-110, I might just be able to edge over 110 when I'm fresh, because I had been bowling to my mates for hours on end at this point. Earlier in the day I managed 116k off a ball that was maybe half a metre short.

My quicker ball off a 2-pace Chris Gayle run-up (I've been bowling these a bit in the nets lately, it's amazing how you can confound the batsman if you bowl with a stern expression on your face and give off the impression that every ball is going to do something special despite the innocuous run-up and slow motion delivery) was about 85kph. Which isn't really much of a quicker ball.

[thierry henry]

Also, doesn't the ball slow down slightly in the air? Wouldn't the reading be faster if it measured the initial release velocity, like the international radars (I'm looking for an ego boost here)?

[Shounak]

I paid $50 for mine.. You've got to release the ball at the perfect place and get it to hit the wall at that distance..

You can program it to land 10m away, but you need to get it to land exactly on that mark..

I've never compared the platypus readings with a radar gun though, I see it as a bit of fun to play around with rather then a serious speed measuring tool..