Pitch Speed Calculator: Measure Pitch Speed From Video

How to measure pitch speed from a video, no radar gun needed

Film one pitch in slow motion from the side, with his hand and the catcher's glove both in the picture. Open the video above and step through it one frame at a time. Mark the first frame where the ball is clear of his fingers, then the first frame where it touches the glove. Pick the field he pitches on. The calculator reads the timing stored in the video, works out how much real time passed between your two marks, and divides the distance from his release to the glove by that time. You get two numbers: the average speed the video measured, and the reading a radar gun would likely show. Your video is read right in your browser and never uploaded.

How to film a pitch for a speed reading

Turn on slow motion first. On an iPhone, use Slo-mo, at 240 if you can pick it under Settings, Camera, Record Slo-mo. On Android, use Slow motion, where 1/8x means 240 and 1/4x means 120. Skip super slow-mo, which can fill in made-up frames. Stand off to the side, about level with the middle of the throw and far enough back to see his hand and the glove in the same shot. Hold the phone sideways and keep it still on a fence or a tripod. Don't zoom and don't follow the ball. Daylight works best. Start recording before his windup and stop after the catch so the whole pitch plays in slow motion, and don't trim it, edit the slow part, or text it to yourself first. Film his normal fastballs on a warmed-up arm, not extra max-effort throws for the camera.

What frame rate do you need to measure pitch speed?

More frames per second means each frame is a thinner slice of time, so a one-frame miss costs less. At 30 frames a second a whole Little League pitch is only about 17 frames, and one frame of guesswork moves the answer about 3 mph, so the calculator won't give a number. At 120 or 240, the bigger unknown is exactly where he let go of the ball, which is why every answer is a range.

The pitch speed formula

Speed in mph = distance in feet / time in seconds x 0.68. Use the real distance from where he lets go of the ball to the glove, which is several feet shorter than the mound distance, because he releases the ball out in front of the rubber. For example, 50 feet covered in 0.62 seconds works out to about 55 mph. The time comes from the video: the frames between release and the glove, divided by the frames per second. 136 frames at 240 frames a second is 0.567 seconds. The calculator uses the exact factor (0.6818) and shows every step, so you can check it on your phone's calculator.

Release-to-glove distance by field

The ball doesn't travel the full mound distance. Mound distances run from the front of the rubber to the back point of home plate. He lets go several feet in front of the rubber, and the catcher's glove sits about a foot and a half behind the plate, so the calculator subtracts one and adds the other. Big leaguers let go about 6.4 feet in front of the rubber on average. No one publishes the same numbers for young pitchers, so these are careful estimates based on stride length and height, and the range on every result allows for them.

Why video reads lower than a radar gun

A pitch is fastest the instant it leaves his hand, and air slows it all the way to the plate. Most radar guns read the ball near his hand. Video times the whole trip, so it gives his average speed from hand to glove, which runs about 4 to 6 percent under the speed out of his hand. On a youth fastball that's a few mph. That's why the calculator shows two numbers: the average the video measured, and a likely radar-gun reading about 5 percent higher. Guns also differ from each other by a mph or two, and a gun aimed from off to the side reads low.

How long does it take a pitch to reach home plate?

About half a second at almost every level, because smaller fields and slower arms roughly balance out. If the time between your marks comes out far shorter or longer than this, check the slow-motion setting and your marks.

Compare him to himself

The most useful number is the one filmed the same way as last time. Use the same spot, the same phone, and the same mound, and most of the guesswork, like exactly where he lets go, repeats every time and drops out of the comparison. Measure three fastballs on a fully warmed-up arm and compare the middle of the ranges from month to month. A change of 2 mph or more across a few sessions, filmed the same way, is probably real. Check a few times a season, not every bullpen. Compare him to himself, not to the kid on Instagram, and never trade a healthy arm for a number. If his speed suddenly drops or his arm hurts, stop throwing and see a doctor.

Slow motion for speed, normal speed for a mechanics evaluation

These are two different clips. Speed needs slow motion and a wide shot that shows the glove. A coach reviewing his mechanics needs a closer side view, 15 to 20 feet away, with him filling the frame, at normal speed. If you're at the field with the phone out, film one of each.

Common questions

Can you measure pitch speed with your phone?

Yes, as a close estimate. Film the pitch in slow motion from the side, then time the ball from release to the glove frame by frame. This calculator does the timing and the math in your browser and shows a likely radar-gun range, about 3 to 4 mph either way at 120 or 240 frames a second, a little wider for the hardest throwers. It's a ballpark, not a radar gun, and regular 30 frames a second video is too choppy for a useful answer.

How accurate is measuring pitch speed from slow-motion video?

At 120 or 240 frames a second, expect a range about 6 to 8 mph wide, a little wider for the hardest throwers at 120. Most of that comes from not knowing exactly where a young pitcher lets go of the ball, not from the video itself. Measured the same way every time, that guesswork repeats, so video is good at showing whether he's gaining.

What frame rate do I need to measure pitch speed?

120 or 240 frames a second: Slo-mo on an iPhone, or Slow motion on most Android phones. 60 gives a rough answer. At 30, regular video, a whole pitch is only about 14 to 18 frames, and one frame of guesswork moves the answer 3 to 6 mph, so the calculator won't give a number.

Why is my video speed lower than the radar gun?

Video measures his average speed over the whole flight, and the ball slows down on the way to the plate. Radar guns read it near his hand. That's why the calculator shows the measured average and a likely radar reading about 5 percent higher.

How long does it take a pitch to reach home plate?

About half a second at most levels. From hand to glove, a 95 mph big league fastball takes about 0.42 seconds, a 75 mph high school fastball about 0.54 seconds, a 55 mph pitch on a 46 foot Little League field about 0.57 seconds, and a 45 mph pitch from 40 feet about 0.6 seconds.

Is my video uploaded anywhere?

No. The calculator reads the video right in your browser, on your phone, and the video itself never leaves it. We never get the file, its name, or where it was filmed. We only count anonymous basics, like the frame rate and the speed range, so we can improve the tool. If your phone says Preparing when you pick the clip, that's your phone getting the video ready, not an upload.

Related tools and guides

• Velocity Checker: how his speed compares to pitchers his age
• Pitch Speed Converter: what his speed equals from 60 feet 6 inches
• Baseball field dimensions by age and league
• Filming guide for a free evaluation
• Pitching Glossary
• How to measure pitching velocity
• How to film a pitching video
• Average pitching speed by age
• How far is the pitching mound? Distances by age

The video tells you how fast. A coach can tell you why.

Speed comes from the delivery: legs, hips, torso, then arm. A free, coach-reviewed evaluation shows what's helping him and where his delivery may be costing him speed. It uses a different clip: one pitch from the side at normal speed.