The Speed Needed In Softball | Sport Science | ESPN Archives
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- čas přidán 4. 07. 2017
- (May 16, 2013) Look back as ESPN's Sport Science crew breaks down the science behind the speed needed in softball.
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this is wrong in so many ways. For example the mound distance is 43ft and plus pitchers throw faster than 70mph they can throw like 73mph. Their fastballs dont "top off" at 70
with a pitcher's stance, it cuts it to 37 feet. The measurement is only to the edge of the white mound but they already start in front of that and stretch beyond when pitching. He also said "about 37 ft" because there's no way to measure every pitcher's every throw to match it up. Plus he was talking about the average pitching in D1 colleges. And it was 7 years ago so idk
Ok, I know I'm like super late to this but why does it have to be a competition? Everyone in the comments needs to understand that these are two completely separate sports. Stop saying your sport is harder because it gives you an ego boost. Stop comparing. They are not the same sport in the slightest. It's like saying lacrosse is harder than hockey or something. Two different sports with similar end goals, but completely different nonetheless. To everyone saying "softball is easier," did you watch the video? I'd say the games are about equal in terms of skill, talent, and strength needed. Stop bringing others down to make yourself feel better about riding the bench on JV. There are probably little girls here who see the sport they are committed to being torn down and belittled, all to fuel your ego. Both sports require skill and commitment to master, it's not like a baseball player could easily adapt to softball, and vise versa. To all the girls who see these rude comments: you keep doing you, don't stop for anybody, and stay on that grind. There will always be people who view you as less than you are because you're a girl, but don't let it stop you. Prove them wrong. Be the best, and keep working towards your goals. Let's not make this a competition, and mind our own business instead.
I totally agree with your statement. Peace and love. baseball players could definitely play softball and softball players could definitely play baseball. You are right that the skill, strength and speed, and talent are the same. If fact, since that is true, I heard a rumour that minor league baseball is thinking about full integration to develop future major league center fielders and shortstops.
No.
Yes I agree, but this video is specifically comparing sports, and in a silly way I might add. Not even giving equivalent stats from the other sports and not explaining anything fully. Just throwing numbers out there
@@theseattlesound1 Oh hush! This is what this platform is for...to discuss, state opinions and debate if we want to. If you don't like, just stay off of social media.
Wow, they pitch from 37 feet away at 70mph? Wow!
43 feet actually. But 37 at release point with a good stride.
Yeah but softball is boring
@@YounGun88 unless you're playin it
Anyone who says softball is boring has never watched or attended a softball game. It’s played at a much faster pace than baseball and 100 times more exciting to watch. I’d rather attend a little league softball game than go to an MLB game.
@@kybreezy7610 So on average, would you say you watch more softball yearly than baseball?
The thimg is the fields are smaller so its a easier throw u just need to react to the ball fast
Actually incorrect. Being closer means a faster ball, faster pitch. Girls need to react a lot faster, and have the instinct to hit the ball. Once they hit the ball, the ball leaves the bat at around 100 mph. Because it's a small field, infielders get hit before they can blink. Baseball also has grass infield, meaning the ball slows down a bit when it bounces or rolls. Softball having dirt, it rolls faster, and bounces the ball farther.
@@lonli3stl0s3r2 that's what I just said the throw I'd easier u just need to have good reaction
@@lonli3stl0s3r2 not all baseball infields are grass soooooo...
@@lonli3stl0s3r2 thats basically what he just said
@@abzue5375 that’s your rebuttal? Most of them are, especially in MLB
i am doing a science fair project over this topic. Any suggestions or tips?
I'm a catcher and now I feel super good abt it :)
Jon you need to the stats and metrics of Paige Lowary
Both difficult sports. Baseball is easier for me because I played that one through my youth and teens. Vise versa for a softball player.
lmao
I like watching College Softball World Series. The Gator's Kelly Barnhill and the OU's Pagie Lawory can throw up to 70+ speed ball. These softball players are truly athletes though
CR710031 And UCLA’s Rachel Garcia 🤦🏽♀️
No
@@deancalitri4952 - what does “no” mean? There are college pitchers who throw at/above 70mph, and are most certainly athletes…
POV: you came in the comments to search for salty baseball players
It’s from 43 feet away....... not 37 feet 10u pitched from 35, 12u from 40 and 14u and up pitch from 43
When a pitcher goes through her motion, we stride out roughly 6 feet, meaning the ball is released at 37 ft away from the plate.
they should’ve adjusted for the pitchers motions too
Release point
Why are the fields smaller? I grew up playing softball and played into adulthood. We always played on full sized fields.
Well of corse becuase they play on 40 feet and mlb players pitch on 60
No mal is 90
Mbl *
And softball is 45
43 feet
@@fidgetfriends7606 mlb. com says 60feet 6inches. 90 would be a fastpicth speed in mph
I lurv me some softball
Baseball is better
I can show this to all the annoying boys in my class that think softball is easy
Except 70 is above average for a pitch
Marshalisepic III ok bud ur like 6
The reaction time is about the same, so hitting the slower pitch would be easier. Been there, done that.
I know this might sound kinda dumb but are softballs easier to see?
Thank you SKIR and I play baseball (Shortstop) maybe I should try fielding and hitting some softballs next time I’m at the field 🤔😂
Yes they’re easier to see and hit. With a baseball you’re trying to hit a smaller ball that’s thrown from farther away and it’s traveling faster which means you’ve got to make the decision to swing when the ball is further away from the plate and still has more room to move
@@2299mikey You do have to take into consideration that baseball bats have a larger circumference than softball bats, and softballs won't go as far once you hit them, since they weigh more. We also have less time to decide if we're gunna swing or not since the ball doesn't travel as far. Also, not rly sure if softballs are easier to see, but if so it's cause girls are smarter 😂
@Roberto Becerra it was a joke lol
@@crunchyelbows9671 softball bats are bigger then baseball bats
nice
more than the speed it's the trajectory that makes the ball hard to hit IMO
Spin is way more important than speed at this level
@@IceCream-ey2kg yeah, no. The first thing coaches ask is “How fast does she throw”. The more speed you have, the less you can worry about spin. Not saying that spin isn’t important, but speed trumps spin all day at the college level.
@@kybreezy7610 - …not true.
You’re telling me that the player has time to run inside the batters box before swinging but it’s faster than mlb? Wait a second. Someone double check the numbers here
mlb pitch from 60 feet and in that video they’re almost half that distance, so...
Yes, as a slap hitter myself it’s very hard and very fast.
MLB hitters have .4 to .5 seconds reaction time to the pitch. Softball hitters have less than .4 seconds reaction time to the pitch. So, if there’s time to do it the batters box of a collegiate level softball game, there’s CERTAINLY time to do it in the batters box of an MLB game….
Hi
They don’t top out at 70 miles they can throw harder but I have a friend that at the softball tournament threw 71 mph at 16. Top in his league for speed.
The infielders work fast and hard together
Hi 👋🏻
Your Very Good Looking 💞
U Beautiful 😻
The thing is about speed notice that he isn’t talking about how much bigger baseball fields are than softball
he did, at the very beginning of the video :)
it relates back to the speed of the pitch. since baseballs are naturally thrown harder based on the difference in the pitch style, when it is hit it will go further.
Softball and baseball are the same thing if u think about softball has dirt in the infield so the ball go’s fast. Baseball has grass since ball travels faster than a softball the grass slows down the ball also baseball has a bigger field because of a fast baseball
I thought the softball pitchers mound was 41'.
They’re either 35,40,43 depending on ur age. Though the pitchers stride is what makes it closer
Maybe they should play on bigger fields. I think if they moved the mound back 3 feet and made the infield a little bigger it might be more fun to watch and more scoring and big hits. Then if could be a viable sport for TV and fans.
Idk I play softball and I’ve always liked watching softball over baseball. Don’t get me wrong I love both, but softball moves a lot more faster paced and it keeps me more engaged while watching it.
@@emoyeo5223 Yeah I agree, Ive never played either, but softball is much more fun to watch. It's more fast paced, and engaging like you said. I dont get how making the field bigger and moving the pitcher back would make it a more viable sport for television?
Zoe Because no one wants to watch everyone slap
Doing this would make it easier. We like it this way, it’s more challenging.
Bruh it's obvious you don't watch softball. Those hitters are crazy good
The exit velo in baseball is up to 120mph though
And the players are standing farther away
In most cases the typical 3rd basemen in either sport will play adjacent to the base (please don’t bring up shifting or bunts and whatnot). So in softball they are about 60ft away with a 100 mph ball being hit at them, and baseball we’ll say 90 ft for 120mph ball. 60/100 can be reduced to .6 and 90/120 to .75. The lower number in this case indicates the more difficult task because the ball will reach the baseman faster.
@@melepearl7916 - Reaction times in fast pitch softball are considerably quicker than in baseball. There’s no opinion to the matter.
This makes me happy. My class is a varsity class and I tried comparing strengths of their sports (basketball, football, volleyball, etc.) through an arm wrestle and I beat most of my class. I beat all the girls and most of the boys
❤️softball
Were they 6th graders 😂
lochlain Nawp, 10th graders
@@sabbibeedabumblebee1445 I highly doubt that, that gies against basic human biology
lochlain I just feel like softball is an arm demanding sport and I was the only softball player in grade 10, the rest were in other grades. I was competitive with my classmates and arm wrestled and beaten all the girls in my class. Most of the boys, I’ve beaten as well, except for those in basketball and baseball.
@@sabbibeedabumblebee1445 im not saying you aren't strong, I believe that. But beating male athletes is just going against biology. My schools football team has players that players that can squat around 390 pounds, deadlift 405, and clean 285
43 feet from pitching back of pitching plate, to back of home plate. 37ft is youngsters.
Assume they are talking about where the ball is released, not where the pitching rubber is.
35 & 38 ft are for youngsters. It’s back of home plate, to front of pitching plate. They are accounting for the stride & release of the pitch when speaking of 37 ft.
@@demetriusstump8654 - 38ft is incorrect. 10U / 35ft. 12U / 40ft.
They throw from closer and have a smaller base path a 100 mph pitch from 60 6’ would be like 110-120mph then
softball was made by men to be an indoor shorter version of baseball
.
Did u know most slap hitters are left handed it gives them more power and it gives u a head start how do I know it's because I do slap hit
Hunterw86 Hunterw86 I don’t think it gives you more power but it lets you get to first faster. Like is baseball most of the faster runners hit left handed
Tbh idk if it’s just me but mostly everybody fly ball outs so the infield doesn’t matter that much.
Like can you react quicker because they are easier to see?
Not really. When hitting, that ball can go anywhere, and you take your eye off it for .02 milliseconds, you're screwed. Pitchers pitch about 8+ pitches, and if you cant figure out which pitch is being pitched, you'll have a hard time hitting. Balls can rise or fall, curve inwards or outwards. Slow curves, lob into the strike zone, etc. The largeness of the ball does literally nothing. A ball pitched 60 mph, is equivalent to a baseball pitch of 100 mph. Which means, girls on a daily bases are hitting 100 mph baseball pitches
Jill B Yes and no. If you are thrown a slow pitch, just wait back. It’s a lot easier to hit slow pitches.
@@terrificting5084 I've seen some nasty changeups. When slow pitches are mixed properly, it can be deadly.
@@lonli3stl0s3r2 the point you made in saying that if you "take your eye off it for .02 milliseconds, you're screwed" is falsefied, especially considering that .02 milliseconds is 2 nanoseconds, an amount of time where the ball would not move nearly any noticible amount. And you simply dismiss the size of the ball, not giving any reason as to why it wouldn't have an effect. The size does have an effect, as a 100mph baseball would be objectively easier to hit if it were the size of a softball.
Yes that’s exactly what’s going on. Not only is the ball bigger and coming from an easier release point but you’re also getting a better look at the ball because it’s closer to you when released. With baseball you’re trying to make a decision to swing on a ball that’s smaller and is release 20 feet further away.
Wonder what it would look like for a softball pitcher to throw a baseball like that from baseball distance...?
That's what we like to call long toss, or torture. It just depends if you ask a coach or a player, lol.
But in all seriousness, it would likely be a "rainbow" just to get the ball that far. It also depends on if you put a softball pitcher on the mound. That would be interesting and possibly dangerous. Baseball pitchers have gravity on their side, we actually have to fight it a bit.
IHMadeThis dude if for girls that can play like that they can do it I’m sure
Bruh ain’t nobody would touch that
Let’s see a baseball pitcher throw a softball overhand from 60.5 ft
There's so much comparison to mlb
Ok so baseball boys cant say anything now
Sending this to every “friend” that claims baseball is harder than softball......
Margaret Elizabeth Carter Because it is
@@finesse7463 Haha! You're funny 😂😂🤦♀️
Jill B It wasnt meant to be funny but I c someone whos butthurt
Margaret Elizabeth Carter I guess it’s really easy to hit a ball that goes towards you at 85 mph but then turns back to the strike zone. Aka nasty ass pitch
Maybe because it is...
Why you compare MLB baseball to softball.Baseball has a much bigger field
That's the point. Bigger field = more reaction time. They did fail to mention that this also gives time to make a longer throw during a play. But since a baseball is much smaller, it can be thrown faster anyways.
Man f*ck Lavar Ball!
Baseball hitting is more difficult, pitching a softball well is more difficult, and baseball fielding is more difficult. I have done most of these (attempted softball pitching), and baseball is more strength oriented, making it more difficult than softball.
Crazycat6943 - You haven’t a clue what you’re talkin’ about….
You have to realize that hitting a baseball is not harder because of the speed, but because of the amount of nasty pitches a pitcher can throw. Softball does not have nearly as much pitches as baseball. That’s why hitting a baseball is the hardest thing in sports to do.
You are wrong. My son is a baseball pitcher and my daughter is a softball pitcher. Most high school baseball pitchers have fastball and breaking ball. Some my have an additional pitch usually a change up. Occasionally you will find one with four because they throw a slider and a curve or a sinker. Softball girls in high school throw a fastball, a curve which is more of a slider, a drop ball, change up and a rise ball. Occasionally they throw the screw ball or the screw rise or the overhand curve. The ball has more surface arena and moves more because of it. There is a girl in the area who plays softball in high school and travel baseball in the summers. She is the best player on both teams defensively and hitting wise. She has said she prefers to bat baseball because it is easier.
Do you know what a rise ball is? 😂
These ignorant baseball players omfg
This is a very incorrect comment lol. Pitchers throw: A fastball, a curve ball which breaks outside to a righty hitter if it’s a right handed pitcher, a screw ball which breaks inside to a right handed hitter, a drop ball, a drop curve, a back door curve, a two seam fastball, a rise ball, knuckleball, change ups, I can keep going
Softball pitchers have an arsenal of pitches to choose from. Lol!
Now the boys cant say baseball is harder lol
We can. A baseball is way harder to hit. Although we have a little more time, you can make a baseball move so much more than a softball. I will say stealing is easier is softball because you cannot lead. That is also to the fact that you have really small fields.
Terrific Ting literally no one asked for your comment and we know your field is bigger but did you not listen to the video or did you just not care bc you want to stay on your high Horse and think baseball is hard bc girls can’t do anything and guys are the best
@@sierraslonelyfans8268 That last part of your statement, "you want to stay on your high Horse and think baseball is hard bc girls can't do anything and guys are the best" that was all assumptions, he made no comment that pointed to him having the opinion than guys are the best or that girls can't do anything. Don't assume things
@@sierraslonelyfans8268 No one asked for YOUR comment. He is free to comment on anything he wants to and he is allowed to share his part of an argument.
LokiIsNotDead yeah and I can say whatever I want you commenting this did nothing to help his “ argument” but go off
It's 43 feet from the plate. ITS 43 FEET.
no because after pitchers jump from the "K" part of the pitch, release comes at about 37'
Yep, when the ball is released you are looking about 37 feet away.
@@brynnsundgaard9594 - Wrong!
TheEdge - ...no I’m not wrong I literally pitch. I am a pitcher. I would know.
@@brynnsundgaard9594 - The youngest division of women's travel ball throws from 37ft. Next division from 40ft (which is where all women used to throw from). They moved high school and above back to 43ft about 30 years ago. I'm reasonably sure this guy was referring to 37 actual feet between the pitcher's plate and home plate, because (as I said above) there is a division that throws from that distance.
As an aside, you're gonna end up more like 40 feet away when you release the ball.
Timing doesn’t matter though bc baseball pitchers have curves and sliders and changes etc that fools the batters timing and moves. Softball players only throw fastballs.
Eat Me no?? They have riseballs, dropballs, curveballs, screwballs, fastballs, changeups, & dropcurves.
Holly S 4 seam 2 seam split finger curveball star change up circle change up knuckle ball knuckle curve slider screwballs 12 6 curveball and about 12 different realest points
@@owenpetersen1226 grammar is hard
Last
2nd
Ummmm soft ball mound is only 43 feet away baseball is 60 feet 6 inches now move the baseball player to 43 feet or softball player to 63 feet 60inches smh they so dumb
and give the girls a teeny ball to pitch with if you're moving the pitchers back to 60 feet? Yea, that's a huge advantage for pitchers, and in this case, the men.
@@KASC92 yeah and give them the same size ball under hand is always going to get slower with distance that's why there only 40 feet for so it can make it competitive
the difference in distance is because of the difference in pitch style. Overhand is much easier than the underhand windmill pitch that softball players throw, so the distance between the mound and the plate in baseball is further.
first
People still don't give two shits about softball.
rigged
See, the whole idea of softball is to try to one-up baseball. But then you realize that softball players play on the same fields that 10 and 11 year olds play on.
"the whole idea of softball is to try to one-up baseball"????? That's the most moronic thing I've seen this week.
homiefromfl I respect your opinion too
@@homiefromfl lol this week? I appreciate your disrespect for human intelligence XD
None of these statements are facts. None
Yawn
still gay brother of baseball
I lost brain cells reading this 🤦♀️
i don’t understand but it made me laugh
Harder version of baseball*