I've just bought a speed gun

[Neil Pickup]

There is something disturbing about not having any outgoings during term time that is making my attitude towards the spare money in my bank account being "spend it - quickly". Perhaps it's fear that NatWest will go the way of Iceland...

Anyway, today I bought one of those orange Skyer catching bats and I've just forked out £120 on a speed gun... here. Anyone any experiences of using them?

 

[PhoenixFire]

You have far too much spare money to be a teacher. Drug dealer IMO.

 

[Goughy]

This was the one I was looking at buying a year or so ago. I liked the way it is hands free and easy to set up. It looks easy to use.

A meetup now seems more interesting with a speed gun in the nets

 

[Jakester1288]

I would get one if I had the money, I want to see how fast I bowl that is measured accurately.

 

[Neil Pickup]

You have far too much spare money to be a teacher. Drug dealer IMO.

TBH I now understand why Mark Hughes is just spending on anything he can see. It's fun. Arriving tomorrow.

 

[Corbin]

So in the nets where would be the best place to position it? There is no way I'd feel comfortable having it near the popping crease with a batsmen facing but behind the nets it might not be able to capture an accurate enough reading?!

 

[vic_orthdox]

Use it from behind the bowler's arm, pretty sure.

 

[Goughy]

Use it from behind the bowler's arm, pretty sure.

If its the same one I was thinking of buying (which at first glance seems to be), it has to be situated infront of the bowler a certain distance down the track.

 

[BoyBrumby]

That is so cool tho. Has the new toy been played with yet?

 

[Neil Pickup]

Was played with this afternoon in a small hall at school, and chucked at with a tennis ball.

Quickest I registered was 49mph, and our ex-FC cricketer got it up to 64. Will be interesting to add a cricket ball that carries out the hand and a run-up!

 

[Manee]

Although it is with a handheld radar gun, the quickest I have been timed at is 62mph, but that was last winter and so I'd reckon I am closer to 65mph when in my stride these days.

 

[Woodster]

Yes I have seen the Skyer product advertised. Has decent reviews and the record hang time for a ball off that bat is around 7 seconds, which is plenty of time for a ball to be in the air.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Got done at 62mph on one of those Natwest Speed Stars things you get in big city streets. Was wearing really bad shoes and bowled with a windball as well

 

[Jakester1288]

Have you given it a proper go yet?

 

[Neil Pickup]

Gave it a reasonable go this morning when one child turned up to our first winter net session, giving us a player-coach ratio of 1:5 and me lots of spare time.

Only had an incredi to hand as I was spending much of the time figuring out how best to place the thing - and without a run up longer than two steps I was maxing out at 51mph, averaging 45-47. Our 10-year-old got one to touch 40mph, and averaged 33-36. It does show a consistency of interpretation and is very useful for showing that it's rhythm, not over-exertion, that creates speed.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Would be intrigued to see what kind of speed blokes who seem quick at my level actually bowl at. Our opening bowler (hello, Ian, if you ever read this) seems brisk and have gone home with ball-shaped bruises from net sessions more than once when the sadistic fecker drops one short, but have no idea what kind of pace it really is. I'd always guessed 80-ish, but would be gutted to find he's no more than 70mph.

 

[Manee]

Well, I'll tell you what, bowlers on the quick medium and 'fast' scale are all closer to 70mph than they think. Ie. You'll have people thinking they are 60mph bowling at 68mph and bowlers who think they are 80mph bowling at 70mph.

 

[thierry henry]

Well, I'll tell you what, bowlers on the quick medium and 'fast' scale are all closer to 70mph than they think. Ie. You'll have people thinking they are 60mph bowling at 68mph and bowlers who think they are 80mph bowling at 70mph.

Reckon this is true tbh. It's even true in international cricket, where so-called "dibbly dobbly" bowlers have been shown by speed ball radars to be similar in pace to bowlers who are regarded as genuine new ball bowlers. For example, guys like Scott Styris and Gavin Larsen in their bowling prime were pretty similar in pace to guys like Kyle Mills or Daryl Tuffey. James Hopes bowls as quick as some new ball bowlers and is seen by some as a part-timer, etc.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Well, I'll tell you what, bowlers on the quick medium and 'fast' scale are all closer to 70mph than they think. Ie. You'll have people thinking they are 60mph bowling at 68mph and bowlers who think they are 80mph bowling at 70mph.

Yeah, I played against a guy in Devon who was being talked up in B Division as being 85mph...and was forced to ask who had measured this and if it was true what was he doing playing B Division? It turned out he didn't, and he simply wasn't that good. People get carried away with guesswork when it comes to bowling speeds sometimes.

 

[Jakester1288]

On T.V Kallis doesn't look 140kph, but apparantly he is. That's faster than loads of new ball bowlers and he is usually 5th bowler for SA.