Bat speed

Bear:

Regarding your comment/measurement of bat speed, it is my understanding that square/effective hitting contact requires a bat speed of about 10+ m.p.h. greater than the incoming object. Thus, a 90 m.p.h. pitcher cuts down the number of effective hitters because the hitter must approximate 100 m.p.h. bat speed. This suggests that Nolan Ryan was so effective at Ks in part because so few batters can generalte 112 m.p.h. bathead speed.

On a related subject, PGA players routinely make contact (with a 45" club) at 108 m.p.h.; Daly and Woods get up in the 140+ range.

In youth sports, then, a LL player must be able to get the bat moving at 70+ against good competition and at 80+ for All-Star level.
I've often heard that of speed, movement and location, speed is the least important. I understand that saying when (a) the pitcher can't throw strikes or (b) the competition can catch up to the fastball. But LL is pediatric baseball, and a 70 m.p.h. pitcher simply throws faster than most batters can handle. The speed alone will eliminate 2/3 of the lineup from effective hitting, and will make the others more vulnerable to offspeed deliveries.

Sorry to intrude on the thread, but I did appreciate your bat speed remard and wanted to see that I understand this area correctly.

Cioa