Question about Stalker Gun

Stalkers read the peak velocity they see, which is out of hand velocity. IE the "peak hold" that you saw on the gun. They can be set up to measure the velocity at the plate if the peak hold is turned off, which would display the last reading it saw.

If the peak hold was displayed in the upper right corner then it was reading out of hand. Plate vel is ususually 6-7 MPH slower than out of hand.

Thank you BOF. I guess it is the off-season decline then, because I don't think I'm throwing 85. Although, I'm not sure if the "peak hold" was on when I measured my velocity...I only really remember seeing it after fooling around with the settings after I was done pitching.

Do college coaches/scouts use peak hold?

This is the normal way pitching velocity is measured and what people refer to when talking about pitching speed. Not unusual to be a few MPH down off season. There are other settings on the gun which could effect readings and how you point and pull the trigger. If you were messing around you could miss the top velocity also.

When you say "this is the normal way pitching velocity is measured" by this you mean with "peak hold" on right? Thanks a lot for your responses BOF.

The velocity readings you see on showcase reports etc are generally showing peak velocity, yes.

Krak answered your question, but I will confirm, yes "peak hold". Like I said you have to be careful and and pull the trigger while the pitcher is in the later part of the wind up or you can miss the peak velo. I don't know if it is my gun our not, but I have found I get more consistent readings by pointing the gun a little higher toward the pitcher. You should also check the settings on it to make sure it is correctly set, it should be set to b50 which is baseball 50mph+.

I have also had issues getting consistent readings if I was too close to a pitcher throwing bull pens and had to move out a little bit. PGStaff has a million of these and might have some other tricks.

Here is a link to a manual just in case you need it.

https://www.stalkerradar.com/pdf/sport_manual.pdf

Guns are great, but you have to know how they do their work.

A pitched ball reduces speed roughly 8-10 mph as it leaves the hand. Various guns capture the speed at various points along the way to the catcher.

Better guns capture the speed closer to the hand. A Bushnell gun picks up later and will give a 3 mph slower reading than a JUGS or Stalker.

Some guns give fastest (out of the hand) and slowest (near catcher, but well in front of the mitt) readings. The "peak" (fastest) reading is all anyone cares about. To me, I would rather have a gun that shows both at the same time (so you can identify the following problem).

You may occasionally get different readings on the same speed pitch. The gun may pick up 5 feet out of the hand on one pitch, and 8 feet on the next pitch, and you will never know it except for the slower reading.

Finally, if you stand at an angle to the ball path, the reading will be slower. (So, for fun, if another team's Dad comes over and asks how fast his son throws, just scoot over a few feet and show him the slowest reading )

Sultan, if you want to be REALLY harsh you could suggest going over to an unobstructed area behind his son's team's dugout where you'll have the clearest 'shot', and without all the backstop screening in the way. "Sorry, man, but I'm getting consistent readings in the low 60s. I don't know what to tell ya."

A pitched ball does not reduce speed 8-10 mph as it leaves the hand. The ball reduces speed 7-10 mph from release to the time it crosses the plate.

Moving a few feet to the side will not make a noticeable difference in the velocity reading. You have to increase the angle significantly. You'd have to send them over to the stands by the dugout where I have seen people using a gun before.

quote:

Originally posted by CADad:
A pitched ball does not reduce speed 8-10 mph as it leaves the hand. The ball reduces speed 7-10 mph from release to the time it crosses the plate.

That is more clear. Thank you. I have been dead for 61 years, it's hard to think straight.

Babe,
Glad to be of service.

What is the best type of gun that should be used for the best reading?

1) Stalker
2) JUGS
There is no 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th, but 7th would then be the Bushnell.

what about hand held radar gun the police use?

My Decatur Ray-Gun is probably older than most of the posters on this website. It works just fine as does my analog stop watch.

30 years ago most MLB scouts used the Decatur Ray Gun and all got excited when a reading of 83-84-85 was obtained.

quote:

Originally posted by fivehole:
what about hand held radar gun the police use?

Probably a Stalker - not sure how the 'capture' and display are different, but I think Stalker makes most police speed trap guns.