Speed Of Bowling Machine

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lower11

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I would like to know how fast bowling machines really are. At my local indoor centre the speed dial is 0-100. I would like to know just what this means. Is it mph? Do they go as fast as they claim?

Another question, is there any apps/ programs to measure bowling speeds?

Cheers, Guys
 
Yes it is mph. I've never tried them above 80mph, but that is pretty bloody hairy. I think they're supposed to be fairly accurate, at least in the mid range that most people would use them at (50mph-80mph).

Its also worth noting that facing a bowling machine is harder than facing a human, because you lose the visual cues you get from a bowlers action and this retards your reactions slightly. Facing 70 on a bowling machine is like facing 75 in real life, and in fact facing 70 banged in short on a fast bouncy indoor surface is like facing 80mph from a real bowler on a real pitch.


You need a radar gun to measure bowling speeds with any degree of accuracy. These are expensive to buy but you might find a coach with one who will measure your speed for you.

In my experience, whatever speed you think you bowl, take about 10mph off it.
 
SLA said:
Yes it is mph. I've never tried them above 80mph, but that is pretty bloody hairy. I think they're supposed to be fairly accurate, at least in the mid range that most people would use them at (50mph-80mph).

Its also worth noting that facing a bowling machine is harder than facing a human, because you lose the visual cues you get from a bowlers action and this retards your reactions slightly. Facing 70 on a bowling machine is like facing 75 in real life, and in fact facing 70 banged in short on a fast bouncy indoor surface is like facing 80mph from a real bowler on a real pitch.


You need a radar gun to measure bowling speeds with any degree of accuracy. These are expensive to buy but you might find a coach with one who will measure your speed for you.

In my experience, whatever speed you think you bowl, take about 10mph off it.
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I have heard conflicting theories about this thats why i asked. As I hear some ppl say that number 0-100 is the % of the power output that the machine is capable of and not the speed in mph. I think last season I had it on 77 and I felt it was quick, but I dont think it was 77 mph, because a bloke at my club bowls 77 mph (mid 120s km in australia) and I thought I was frightened out of my skin, whereas the machine felt ok. I personally find machine easier to face as I tell it where to land whereas in real life the bowler can land it wherever he wants to ( he can york u one ball, bounce u the other) etc. you just dont know what hes gonna do next. It seems we might be talking about different bowling machines but who knows. Also doesnt help the guy who runs the indoor centre has no idea about his machine.

In terms of measuring, I downloaded an app from app store and it measures time between the ball is bowled and reaches the batsmen, is that how speed is calculated, or is it to do with the speed out of his hand? I just wanna know as I am going to prepare to face 130 km (80 mph) bowlers next year and I want to know what speed I want to train at, dont want the bowling machine to be at 110 km and game day....whoops.
 
Our one 'supposedly' went up to 160km, not sure how fast it really was but seeing it turned up to full speed once without anyone batting in there I would never have got in there for anything..
 
Bola are UK, so it's in mph.

The general advice about it feeling faster is true, I have heard it "feels" between 5-15mph faster compared to a bowler of the same pace. In my personal experience, I have seen batsmen face balls at 80mph+ from real bowlers and thrive, then struggle against the machine in the low 70s, so it matches up.

Spin also feels different, but that is less about pace and more about bounce and drift.
 
My club used one that we borrowed from the local baseball club through one of our players. We used it in summer and they used it in winter. My understanding of the speeds from the baseball coach (who had played in the US) is that the maximum setting it is equivalent to 100mph. When Lillie and Thompson were in their prime in the mid 70's my mate wanted to find out what it was like to face Thompson. So I turned it up to maximum, waited for it to reach top speed and fed a couple of balls in making sure they were outside the off stump. I had never seen the nets at the indoor venue we were at, fly so far back after the ball hit them. My mate stood outside leg stump and gradually moved closer to middle stump as the balls flew past outside the off stump. Then he started playing cut shots really well and to be honest you couldn't have imagined anyone stopping them on the way to the boundary. All went well for about half a dozen shots and then it seemed like the ball hit a stone or something on the pitch, bounced more and cut in. It hit my mate on the shoulder and then seemed to hit him on the head. I thought he was dead as he fell to the ground. But he got up and it turned out that it had glanced his shoulder and then whizzed through his hair. He didn't want to bat any more that afternoon and was always very wary when practicing against it. They can be very scary to face at high speed and I reckon it is because you don't get any feedback from the bowlers action that helps determine how you will initially react to the ball. In my opinion only good for "grooving" a shot. Better to actually practice against a bowler.
 
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