Heard something about this on NPR about a book called the Sports Gene... A similar, if not the same "study", was cited... Basically, baseball players are used to hitting balls from baseball pitchers, so there are visual clues about the pitchers shoulders, etc., before the pitch is made that tell them where the ball is going... When the same players try to hit a softball pitch, all the clues they've come to learn intuitively are out the window.
Honestly the only way to do a study like this scientifically would be to take an elite softball hitter and an elite baseball hitter, both in college preferably, and make them practice the other sport for a year with equal amount of practice time. At the end of the study they would both hit against the opposite sports pitching and it would truly indicate which sport is harder, as they had a chance to learn and practice.
Assuming they pitch from the same distance, there is no way for Jennie's pitch to have exerted more force or pressure on the plate than the Baseball player's. Jennie pitches at 112km/h (give or take a few decimals) while the baseball player pitches at 152km/h(give or take a few decimals). A baseball weighs approximately .14kg and a softball weighs approximately .18kg. Assuming a consistent deceleration time of 0.5 seconds, you can plug these numbers first into a=change in speed/change in time then into F=m*a. The first gives you an acceleration of 224000 m/s^2 for the softball and 304000 m/s^2 for the baseball. When those values are inserted into the second formula, you get a force of 40320 newtons required to stop the softball and a force of 42560 newtons required to stop the baseball. This is simply the force required to stop the balls respectively, it doesn't even account for the pressure advantage the baseball has over the softball given its smaller size and subsequently its smaller contact patch with the glass upon impact.
She also hit the side of the glass compared to the baseball player hitting the center, and she went second and used presumably the same glass board. Also having trained baseball players try to hit against baseball and softball pitching is a really bad way to make a test because they haven’t prepared for softballs the same way they have for baseball. Imagine if they put a softball hitter against the baseball pitcher, it wouldn’t be fair. They should be treated as two different sports with some things that are more difficult and some that are easier.
Continued from first comment 3) In softball the bat is smaller than the ball so it's more likely to go foul but shorter base lengths to run 4) In baseball the ball is smaller therefore easier to hit it farther, but in softball there is a smaller field In my own personal experience, I have been around this these games and contraversy my whole life. I honestly think that they are equally as hard, and instead of fighting each other we need to be fighting to get them both back in the olympics
Could you imagine if Sports Science took this (or any other) study to any respected science journal and wanted their research published. They would be laughed out of the place.
Nobody forget that spatial reasoning comes into play. All who said hitting the opposite ball would be harder is completely correct. Randy Johnson in 2004 would of blown softballers away.
Hey Einstein! put Giancarlo Stanton vs. Adam Folkard (australian fastball pitcher, 85 mph 136.79 kmph in 43 feets) and se the most ridiculous strikeouts flurry in the largest history.
not to mention the fact that increased force effectively makes the sweet spot of the bat smaller as you're more likely to hit fowl with a thinner sweet spot.
This was rigged from the beginning she is literally one of the best in the nation, and I want Aroldis Chapman in there throwing A 106mph fastball to a softball player to see if she can hit that.
You said this in your own video. A baseball player is used to the ball coming at a downward angle so if course he would struggle at hitting it. It would be similar for a softball player trying to hit a baseball at 100+ mph.
I am fucking 22 and you can't tell me to watch what the fuck i say. At least I know that hitting a softball is way harder than hitting a fucking baseball.
How do you know that princess? Softball is a sorry exuse for Baseball. My opinion... Is that alright with you? Its called "SOFT- ball"... Jeez!!! 1. They wear masks when hitting and some when feilding. 2. They throw SLOW and UNDERHAND. 3. The feild is shrunk way down. 4. They fuckin sing when in the dugout It is not near as difficult as Baseball.
Guys, if your going to compare and differ the 2 sports, you have to know the right facts. A lot of people argue, "softball is easier because the field Is smaller and the bases are closer together". That is true that the field is smaller, but what you don't realize is that the ball is heavier in mass and a softball bat is more light weighted than a baseball bat, so the big ball and small bat make up for the size of the field, because the small barrel bat doesn't allow the ball to go as far. And no, stealing is NOT easier in softball, because of the bases being closer together, that means the pitchers mound is still close to the other bases, so it's still just as easy for a softball pitcher to make an out as it is for a baseball pitcher. I'm a softball player, but I can also agree that baseball might be a bit tougher. But hey, both softball and baseball players are good at what they do and both work very hard.
I'm a softball player and yeah I can agree and disagree with this but i'm laughing at all the baseball players getting mad at this when it doesn't even matter because baseball is more popular for most people and is watched more by people. Why else do you think pro softball players get payed a lot less than a pro baseball player. Why are you guys taking this so offensively? I always get told baseball is harder and you don't see me getting all mad about it.
The reason could be that there appears to be an agenda on hand. So far I am seeing people being fairly critical of this biased video. In fact, nobody is getting mad.
Ah hell no. Softball is the sport, that's it. Boys play it too. Softball is closer and has a bigger ball. That's the freaken sport. Get over it all u haters
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:08 🤔 *Hitting a Baseball vs. Softball Myth* - Testing the myth of whether hitting a baseball is the hardest thing in sports. - Introduction of Jenny Finch, an Olympic gold-medalist and NCAA pitcher. - Comparison of the force with which baseball and softball arrive at home plate using a strike force plate. 02:24 📊 *Force Measurement Results* - Adam Jorgensen's 95 mph baseball generates 2411 pounds of force. - Jenny Finch's softball pitches break the machine, generating impressive force. - Initial data suggests Jenny's softball may contain more force than the baseball. 03:43 ⚾ *Live Test: Baseball vs. Softball Hitter* - Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Brian Byrne faces both baseball and softball pitches. - Brian struggles against Jenny Finch's softball due to reduced reaction time. - The comparison highlights the challenges hitters face with different pitching distances and speeds. 05:15 👀 *Visual Challenges in Hitting Softball* - Discussion on visual challenges for hitters in facing softball pitchers. - Explanation of how a batter's visual perception is affected by the trajectory of the pitch. - Use of motion capture technology to analyze Jenny Finch's pitching motion and its impact on hitting difficulty. 06:45 🔄 *Baseball vs. Softball Pitch Trajectory* - Detailed analysis of the trajectory differences between baseball and softball pitches. - Explanation of why adjusting to a rising softball pitch is more challenging for a batter. - Illustration of Jenny Finch's pitching motion and how it contributes to the difficulty of hitting a softball. 07:21 🥊 *Preview and Teaser* - Teaser for upcoming content, including heavyweight fighter Chris Berg's return and a sex test. - Reference to testing a cream in the next segment. - Preview of what's to come in the next part of the sports science episode. Made with HARPA AI
What kind of ridiculous propaganda is this? I love baseball and softball, but this video is absurd. First of all, the force of the ball plays no role on how hard it is to hit. That was stupid, and of course, the much larger, heavier and harder softball broke the plate. Then you take a baseball player and have him try to hit against a top softball player, and because he can't, call that proof that it's harder to hit a softball? What kind of reasoning is that? He's never faced fastpitch softball pitching in his life! Bring in a professional softball player to hit against her and they would have no problem making contact. The key to which is harder to hit is in the stats. At the top level of each sport, hitters in baseball have lower batting averages than hitters in softball. With that said, I don't think there should be a distinction. Hitting a pitched ball is the hardest thing to do.
Plus nobody mentioned the added nightmare of trying to hit a knuckleball in baseball. It has nothing to do with the force or speed it comes at you with, it's just like trying to hit a fly buzzing around the room with a newspaper and it making you look like an amateur whilst doing it.
@@kimberlyperschka7322 What part of what I said made you think my ego was hurt? What part of what I said is not true? Finch is a great player. I was merely pointing out the flawed logic used by the media to push the female athletic superiority myth. It's sad because women are amazing and don't need to be seen as athletically on par with men to have value.
lets be real hear you cant say foot balls harder than baseball because guess what sport he plays baseball not softball just like she doesn't play baseball thats like making a basketball player play foot ball its a different sport the sports have there similarity but so does cricket my point either they had to do it the right way with a soft ball hitter hitting a baseball pitch and vice verse or you cant test it
Guess again. My daughter's former pitching coach said how she once struck out Tony Gywnn and Darryl Strawberry. She said if they had time to practice seeing the riseball then they would certainly adapt. But coming cold they don't stand a prayer. There's only one point of contact on a rise ball because of the angle of swing and pitch.
BeastLee10 , but how can you call this experiment a proven fact?. A baseball player hits baseballs everyday, and he has never tried softball, he is obviously no going to be used to softball, the experiment would have to take place on different way to be a proven fact. I'm not saying that softball is easy, but It wouldn't be a piece of cake to hit an Aroldis Chapman pitch. Is like to ask A basketball player to compete in soccer with a soccer player, wtf? thats not how you are supposed to do an experiment.
softball is the sister sport of baseball. And since women can't play in the MLB, their only alternative is pro softball. That being said, it's a fair deal.
onlyone23km .. that has nothing to do with what I said.. still the MLB is far ahead of any Softball league… and we can also agree that woman should be allowed to pursuit a career in the MLB… if they are good enough
onlyone23km no it doesnt.... Yuuto's point is that the two sports require a different skill set and training... Sure the sports are related, but this experiment shows where they differ the most. A baseball player is simply not used to hitting a softball (pitch). With that said, this experiment is bunk... since the two sports are so similar it does not do an accurate job of dismissing this myth (hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports)... something better to compare might be a boxer dodging a punch..,
let me ask you this: are women allowed in the MLB? No! And since they're not allowed, you have to either create a women's league, or a sister sport like softball so they can play. And since hitting a ball is the most difficult thing to do in sports, you also have to keep in mind that cricket shares a similar nature to the latter two sports.
@Newmaidumosa true but it would be to troublesome to find a video clip showing the speed out of the pitchers hand and the speed at the plate so i jus assumed they were both constant even tho i know thats wrong. i used this to show the difference in hitting the ball; the amount of time the ball is actually in the hitting zone is way shorter for a baseball player, say the hitting zone for the average person is 2ft you have .011sec for a baseball player and .02 sec for softball
I think it's kind of funny how guys talk so much crap about how softball's so much easier than baseball but once it's proven wrong they can't accept it..
Sure Jenny finch may be good but this is the most biased video I’ve ever seen. Like other people said, why didn’t they put a softball hitter against the 90 mph fastball hmm? There is no way that they would even make contact. Softball is a joke except for college but even then it’s still cringey
I'd love to see a finely tuned fast pitch hitter go against a 95 mph overhand pitcher. this experiment is flawed because there is an undeniable truth here. It is harder for a baseball player to hit a fast pitch player than it is for them to hit a baseball off a baseball player. it's also harder for a fastpitch batter to hit off a baseball pitcher. 2 totally different distances and angles. oh, of course the ball has more force, it weighs like twice as much, and is coming from a shorter distance. all of that means zip if you hit it out in front of the plate. the mass of the softball makes it a bigger target too. this video does not prove or disprove anything, it's a flawed test.
it doesn't matter who is batting, the conclusion is based solely on the fact that you have less reaction time with a softball and the angle of the softball's flight makes hitting it more difficult, because either you will need to lift your hands, or else start with your hands high and then adjust accordingly. you cant judge hitting difficulty based on who is batting because most likely either baseball or softball will have an advantage either way.
May I make a suggestion? Delete the word "science" from the title. I admit I'm not a "pure" scientist or anything, I'm an engineer. Your control variables are entirely different (which to your credit you do acknowledge). Aside from the distance-from-plate issue and relevant reflex times, you've left out the fact that the softball pitcher is allowed a running start, putting much more of the body's own momentum behind the pitch. I'll consider this a fair experiment when the softball pitcher throws from the same mound as the baseball pitcher and has to keep her foot on the rubber the whole time. Until then, this is about as scientifically valid as the Santa Claus Watch every 12/24. As a fan of the show I'm extremely disappointed in this crystal-clear attempt to suck up to the PC Nazis at the expense of real research.
But that's how a softball is pitched. They've tested two real world examples; baseball pitched like a baseball, and a softball pitched like a softball. Changing the distance for either pitch would give incorrect data.
Dan Neufeld Except now you're comparing the rules governing the athletes, not the athletes themselves. Under your interpretation the fact that I can throw a pebble past any hitter from a couple meters away makes me the best pitcher in the world, yet no one's giving me a Clayton Kershaw-style deal. If you want to judge the athletes, make all the other variables the same. If you want to judge the difference in rules, the same hurler should be conducting both tests. When you mix them you cross your controls, therefore the experiment is scientifically invalid. If I made this level of error at work my boss would probably make me eat the datasheet and start over.
Without rewatching the video (ain't nobody got time for that), I don't think they are comparing pitchers, just the pitches. Is it easier to hit a softball (pitched like a softball), or a baseball (pitched like a baseball). And as far as a baseball player at the plate, they showed that the softball pitch is more difficult to hit. Changing the distance would render the test invalid, as the softball would not have been pitched as softballs are pitched. I do think that they failed in not showing a softball player trying to hit the baseball pitch though. If they couldn't hit it, then both types of pitches are equally hard to hit. Also, they should have had a seasoned MLB pitcher at the mound, as they had a high level softball pitcher.
@@danneufeldphoto No, they showed that it was harder for a baseball player to hit a softball pitcher than for him to hit a baseball pitcher. Why not put a softball hitter up against both and see which pitcher he or she finds tougher to hit? And while we are at it, let's use a male softball pitcher, who throws in the 90s. The fastest male pitchers have thrown over 100 mph, just as fast as MLB pitchers. It's just not a good comparison, not matter how you look at it. Not scientific at all.
@meflak the video starts saying: "some people think that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports...." i didnt hear "some people think that hitting a baseball is the EASIEST thing to do for a softball batter", did u?
stupid, softball may has less time to hit the ball but the ball is bigger. Its the same either way. If the softball was right down the middle like the 95 mph pitch, the batter will adjust and hit it. its getting used to the timing. softball is NOT harder to hit than baseball just as baseball is NOT harder. its the same
The force is totally relevant: the more force put behind an object, the more force needed to push the object in the opposite direction. Correct me if I'm wrong, though.
@westhoff0407 Right on. They are right on the angle, but you are so right about comfort level...yes...and where is the softball hitter? Also, but the bb pitcher at 40' and see what's up.
Yeah. I don't know. I'm not refuting this video, but I would really like to see a top hitter in softball try to hit a 95 mph fastball with a wood bat. Just wondering.
Come on ... Not saying softball is easy but baseball is harder ... One ... Pitchers dont only throw fastballs... Guys throw curves,change ups, sliders,sinkers, split fingers, forkers and other pitches... Second... Softball parks are small and they dont even have to steal bases... Last... Chapman can take any softball player and play with them becausr they dont practice to hit a 100 mph ball or any 90 pitcher....
Oh I'm sorry, maybe you should actually research something before you assume that softball is easier than baseball. Us pitchers do throw fastballs as well as many other pitches. Know that facts before you open your mouth. Thank you
Um no..... Softball pitchers throw fastballs,changeups,off speed, curve balls, screwballs, riseballs, dropballs, and more! Yes, the field is smaller which makes it way harder to field balls! And get the out! Also, Watch some college softball, we do steal bases! That's the biggest part of the game,do you expect us not to freking know-it-all !
I'd just like to point out, when they show the baseball player whiffing on the baseball, it isn't the best swing in the world. He stands up, and rolls over his front foot.
***** if you watch the extended video they say that hitting a baseball is way harder... a girls itch isn't fast she's just pitching it from a closer angle, if she would pitch it from 60 feet she wouldn't be able to make the ball reach cuzz she doesn't have the arm strength and he pitches wouldn't be accurate... Idk they didn't show the entire thing and then when they interviewed her she even said that the only reason that the glass broke cuzz the dude who pitch it first weakened the glass...
***** I play fast pitch soft ball in the summer...and well I can knock them out of the park lol It took me a month to change my timing but once i did I hit way better than I do in baseball....I'm a pitcher so we are not very good hitters but a softball pitch was much easier for my team to hit..
***** Harder? Tell her to pitch from as far back as the men do and see what happens then. By the way i'm not trying to put her down but I had to respond to your comment. It's not about pride like you said, it's about physics and performing a fair test. I just hate seeing rigged tests like these :)
@Gymnast101XD hate to break it to you but when a pitcher seperates his hands to throw you lose the ball because its on the 2nd base side of the pitcher you cant see it again until the pitcher is right about to throw you dnt lse the softball you can still see it when theyre "windmilling"
At the beginning when she breaks the plate its more likely to have more force because F=ma as the mass of a softball is greater than a baseball therefore it will have a greater force if acceleration is common
Did anyone notice the baseball pitches were hitting right in the center of the glass then the softball pitch was a little off and hit high causing it to break any the part where the censer is? And why didn't they have a softball batter try to hit a baseball?
Until you are personaly standing at the other end of a softball pitch, you don't see the difference. It compensates speed for distance changing reaction time. Not only is it hard to hit the ball, but to make a good solid contact is also harder because of 2 things. 1) The ball is not as dense as a baseball, making it travel less far. 2) you are hitting a larger ball with a smaller diameter bat, making you prone to pop-ups and scrap grounders. I've done both, I find softball more challenging.
idk if the guys who make sports science know what "science" means. Seriously, its a nice sentiment to show the intricacies of softball pitches and help people understand that hitting a softball is harder then it seems. But if you TRULY want to be scientific about it don't skew the results to make it seem as though softball is harder. The only true argument that I see here is that, to a baseball player, a softball is hard to hit. Duh. It would be hard for a softball player to hit a baseball.
An objective science test would never leave out facts, such as the one you mentioned. Good point. The manginas don't understand the actual irritation that's actually being expressed here. It's not saying the females aren't good athletes; it's pointing out the obvious that there are limitations between the genders. Obviously, there's a reason why the rules in men and women sports, and the set-up, are totally different, like between the NBA and WNBA where the ball is lighter for the women.
@Gymnast101XD really cause it looks like the sofftball is on the 3rd base side of the pitcher lwhen theyre winddmilling so you can see it. but baseball ask any pitcher they break their hands the ball is down by their hip which is facing 2nd so you cant see the ball, they bring the ball up to a high cocked position where the ball is right behind the pitchers head so you cant see the ball, then he goes to throw even then the elbow leads so the ball is behind the elbow you still cant see the ball
To those complaining that she is 17 feet closer to the plate - she's also pitching 25mph slower than the baseball pitcher. The video CLEARLY states that reaction times are essentially the same in both softball and baseball for that reason. If a player is used to timing his or her swing after 300 milliseconds, then s/he should have no problems with either a softball or a baseball. I suggest y'all read this: sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/news/20130724/the-sports-gene-excerpt/#ixzz2ZzehZrlz
Hey hey hey hey hey, just because the glass broke on the softball doesn't mean that it hit with more force, first of all, she hit it in places where the plate can't flex when the baseball hit in the middle, second, the softball has more surface area and will allow a broader energy transfer and could be thrown with less force
my father played baseball @ his college and won championshipsss and shift to softball until now and continue dominant in dis sport.. it only need adjustment few games. he said:SOFTBALL is lil bit harder to HIT than baseball ...
or under the equalizers, we can move the pitchers mound from 43' (or 46') to 60'6", or vise versa, or just put it at the middle point. and lets see pitches other than fast balls during the tests, distributed among a variance of hitters and pitchers to get better stats.
You may need to reread what I'm arguing... in the video they show that the hitter is struggling to make CONTACT with the ball. You're right in saying that you would need more force to make a softball travel the same distance as a hardball. However, we are talking about simply making CONTACT with the ball, where force is irrelevant and the bigger ball actually makes it easier. Understanding the arm angle of a softball is different and it is pitched from much closer which are the two valid pts.
I play softball and I can hit over hand and under hand pitches. Learning how to hit a softball pitch first definitely makes hitting everything else easier.
and also the angle of which the ball travels (being more upwards directed, unlike in baseball where its more so from the over hand causing a downward angle) and the awkward (to baseball) release point.
The natural movement of a swing is up. All baseball pitches move from top to bottom; they require less effort to hit them off the ground. Basic physics if you do not believe me. Most softball pitches move from bottom to top (aside from curve and drop balls) which require the batter to aim for the middle of a rising ball. In addition, softball uses lighter, shorter bats (look up torque if you don't know why that's relevant) to hit a heavier, larger ball (which means more rotation as well.)
i really hate the force argument in this. anyone who knows even basic physics knows that force is measured by mass times acceleration. that gives softball an instant advantage just based on the fact that its almost double the size
@GHsamlover (part 3) Finally, and I promise this is it: Jennie Finch is one of the best softball pitches ever. The baseball players are all scrubs (90 mph?? Weak). You need to bring in Ubaldo Jimenez or Roy Halladay if you want this to be a valid test, and have him throw against a minor league softballer. All I am saying is the test is invalid. I'm not arguing whether baseball or softball is harder, because the test doesn't answer the question! (also, I meant 5 7/8 oz for the softball not 5 78)
@Gymnast101XD ok miss all i said is your point about not being able to see the ball isnt valid because you can see the ball when a softball pitcher is throwing...what else did they do that proves its harder to hit a softball?
Ok a couple of things here. First if you watch softball like that you know that a 'swing' for them is most often a 'slap' because of the fact they are hitting a heavier ball coming at them the shorter distance. Second they needed to have a softball hitter hit off the pitcher. Third he didn't use a softball bat to try to hit the softball (they are made different to produce faster bat speed). The bat he used may have been 29-30 oz. where a softball bat would have been ~26oz.
As for reality between the two sports. I am the daughter of a former pro basketball and baseball player - yeah, my father played both sports. When I was 9, my dad sued the city so I could play in baseball. I played baseball - and loved it - all my life. It wasn't until my late 20s, before I started playing softball. In batting cages, I would hit baseballs at 105mph. You must admit, I have some experience at hitting baseballs. Hitting fast-pitch softballs? MUCH MUCH tougher.
notice jennie pitches closer so the fastballers pitch slows down first because he pitches farther but if he pitched 43 feet away it would be so much harder. BTW Jennie Finch only throws seventy mph
Agree 100%. She's 17 feet closer and has the benefit of a running start. Put Verlander 43 feet from the plate, Babe Ruth himself would have no chance. The only reason these 2 are even comparable is because softball fields and rules are much more pitcher-friendly. No disrespect intended to Jennie Finch, but put her on a mound 60'6'' from the plate with either a baseball or a softball (her choice) and Cabrera at the plate, let's measure the K/HR ratio. 1 thing tho, I wouldn't cite Braun.
I only came here for the how hard the baseball hits. I thought it could help me find out if a bouncy ball/ rubber ball could knock out a person before breaking.
I play softball and my brother plays baseball. It's easier for me to hit a baseball and make it go farther because it is smaller. Its also easier to throw and catch because my body has to do less work than I would with a softball. My eyes on the other hand do have to work harder to see a baseball, so there's arguments for both. My brother and I never argue because we know there are different difficulties to both.
I'm sure someone's already mentioned this, but...take a good women's softball hitter and try hitting a baseball pitched over 100 mph. Some have mentioned a ball is much easier to hit when it's falling down. What's the hardest ball to hit in the major leagues? A rising fast ball. While it's not the same angle as a rising fastball in softball, you must admit it's only fair to have a softball player try to hit a rising fastball from a mlb player throwing at or above 100 mph. Finch is impressive.
ummm i hope you know that it wouldnt be the same resuly if it were switched. did the baseball break the equiptment or did the softball? they didnt stage that.
Ok, maybe try letting one of the best baseball pitchers pitch like David Price. Jenny Finch is the best in her business, so why can't baseball throw the best in its business for this experiment. Also let Miguel Cabrera hit. MLB players have to swing heavier bats, have to face a better assortment of pitches, and how is Byrne supposed to hit a type of pitching he's never faced.
hitting the softball into the outfit might take more strength than in baseball because the softball weighs more and is bigger, but might be harder to focus on the ball in baseball
@SplapMeDoooo if you take your foot completly off the rubber while still square it is.. if its off the ground high when she takes her stride out then it is unless her other foot is on the ground
@M3ts27000 The fact that she's closer makes a softball pitch even harder to hit because you have much less reaction time. Also, the larger step also creates more force/speed, making it a more effective pitch.
2 problems with the hitter part of this, first off he’s been hitting baseballs pitched overhand for years and second off its unfair because he’s using a wooden bat while professional softball players use much lighter aluminum or composite bats.
I agree that a softball would be hard to hit for a baseball hitter after he has been playing for 17 years and he has not seen anything different. The other thing is the baseball pitcher hit the force plate dead center which allowed the glass to absorb the energy. Jenny hit the force place about an inch from the sensor. The glass had no room to absorb the impact which caused it to shatter. Im not saying baseball is harder but lets not forget. Baseball pitchers pitch from a softballs bases.
Ugh, these arguements are annoying me. All I will say is that I love fast pitch softball and all I care about is having fun and improving as much as I can with the sport. :)
Stephen Strasburg also was throwing to professional hitters in spring training when he first came up to the majors, and got hella hype because he was untouchable in BP. He comes up to the majors and is a great pitcher, but saying that nobody could hit the ball off of him simply because he was lights out in BP is false. The big thing about major league hitters is that they adjust to pitchers over time. Verlander, being the most feared ace in the game coming into this season, is having a subpar...
Exactly, your fields are smaller, and you use composite bats, and on average the ball is thrown incredibly slow by Baseball standards. When it comes to throwing the ball, it really doesn't make a difference, it's just getting used to a new style of grip. With base paths that are the same length as little league baseball, it's no wonder you have to wait to come off the bag. As you said the statistics are in front of your eyes.
Let us not forget, it's extremely difficult for a baseballer to hit a softball riser, but just as difficult for a softballer to hit a baseball forkball
I like how they got arguably the best pitcher in softball history, and then got a guy who hit a little over .300 in the minors to go against her. I think it would be interesting to see an MLB player try to hit it.
Baseball hitters are trained to swing at slightly upward angle to hit a ball thrown at a downward angle. This keeps the bat parallel to the baseball . When a fast pitch softball is thrown upwards, and the swing of the hitter is also upwards, the angles are almost perpendicular. This makes it almost impossible to hit a fast pitch softball with a baseball swing. This invalidates the test, as the hitter must behave completely different, depending on the scenario..
@Jamerz011 Yeah, I realize that. There aren't too many of those in baseball now. Ichiro Suzuki is considered one of those. He only averages like around .330. I think it all comes down to what you're used to. If a major leaguer tried to hit a softball pitcher with no practice, he'd have trouble, and if a pro softball player tried to hit a major league pitcher, she'd have an equal amount of trouble with no practice.
Heard something about this on NPR about a book called the Sports Gene... A similar, if not the same "study", was cited... Basically, baseball players are used to hitting balls from baseball pitchers, so there are visual clues about the pitchers shoulders, etc., before the pitch is made that tell them where the ball is going... When the same players try to hit a softball pitch, all the clues they've come to learn intuitively are out the window.
Honestly the only way to do a study like this scientifically would be to take an elite softball hitter and an elite baseball hitter, both in college preferably, and make them practice the other sport for a year with equal amount of practice time. At the end of the study they would both hit against the opposite sports pitching and it would truly indicate which sport is harder, as they had a chance to learn and practice.
They never tested a good softball hitter against a baseball pitched
Pitcher*
Assuming they pitch from the same distance, there is no way for Jennie's pitch to have exerted more force or pressure on the plate than the Baseball player's. Jennie pitches at 112km/h (give or take a few decimals) while the baseball player pitches at 152km/h(give or take a few decimals). A baseball weighs approximately .14kg and a softball weighs approximately .18kg. Assuming a consistent deceleration time of 0.5 seconds, you can plug these numbers first into a=change in speed/change in time then into F=m*a. The first gives you an acceleration of 224000 m/s^2 for the softball and 304000 m/s^2 for the baseball. When those values are inserted into the second formula, you get a force of 40320 newtons required to stop the softball and a force of 42560 newtons required to stop the baseball. This is simply the force required to stop the balls respectively, it doesn't even account for the pressure advantage the baseball has over the softball given its smaller size and subsequently its smaller contact patch with the glass upon impact.
I only understand have of this but I agree
She also hit the side of the glass compared to the baseball player hitting the center, and she went second and used presumably the same glass board. Also having trained baseball players try to hit against baseball and softball pitching is a really bad way to make a test because they haven’t prepared for softballs the same way they have for baseball. Imagine if they put a softball hitter against the baseball pitcher, it wouldn’t be fair. They should be treated as two different sports with some things that are more difficult and some that are easier.
How does the amount of force created effect how hard it is to hit the ball?
It doesn;t
Continued from first comment
3) In softball the bat is smaller than the ball so it's more likely to go foul but shorter base lengths to run
4) In baseball the ball is smaller therefore easier to hit it farther, but in softball there is a smaller field
In my own personal experience, I have been around this these games and contraversy my whole life. I honestly think that they are equally as hard, and instead of fighting each other we need to be fighting to get them both back in the olympics
Could you imagine if Sports Science took this (or any other) study to any respected science journal and wanted their research published. They would be laughed out of the place.
Nobody forget that spatial reasoning comes into play. All who said hitting the opposite ball would be harder is completely correct. Randy Johnson in 2004 would of blown softballers away.
Put jenney finch versus Giancarlo Stanton and chapman vs the best softball hitter
Hey Einstein! put Giancarlo Stanton vs. Adam Folkard (australian fastball pitcher, 85 mph 136.79 kmph in 43 feets) and se the most ridiculous strikeouts flurry in the largest history.
Then give "Adam" a baseball cause he's a boy!
not to mention the fact that increased force effectively makes the sweet spot of the bat smaller as you're more likely to hit fowl with a thinner sweet spot.
This was rigged from the beginning she is literally one of the best in the nation, and I want Aroldis Chapman in there throwing
A 106mph fastball to a softball player to see if she can hit that.
My thoughts exactly. Great to do what she does.Baseball is pitched roughly 15 ft. Farther back is she throwing from 45 or 60 ft 6 inches
@@roberttooth360 Not only that but like champan she steps foward so many feet
You said this in your own video. A baseball player is used to the ball coming at a downward angle so if course he would struggle at hitting it. It would be similar for a softball player trying to hit a baseball at 100+ mph.
I thought he would say something about it
Wait... So this is trying to say that hitting a 70 mph Neon Watermelon is harder than a 95 mph baseball??????
That's what the video said dip shit
And guess what? Its complete BS...
I am fucking 22 and you can't tell me to watch what the fuck i say. At least I know that hitting a softball is way harder than hitting a fucking baseball.
How do you know that princess?
Softball is a sorry exuse for Baseball.
My opinion... Is that alright with you?
Its called "SOFT- ball"... Jeez!!!
1. They wear masks when hitting and some when feilding.
2. They throw SLOW and UNDERHAND.
3. The feild is shrunk way down.
4. They fuckin sing when in the dugout
It is not near as difficult as Baseball.
Uuhhh? The smaller ball would quite obviously make it harder to hit, see, catch, and pitch.... so, your argument is invalid.
Guys, if your going to compare and differ the 2 sports, you have to know the right facts. A lot of people argue, "softball is easier because the field
Is smaller and the bases are closer together". That is true that the field is smaller, but what you don't realize is that the ball is heavier in mass and a softball bat is more light weighted than a baseball bat, so the big ball and small bat make up for the size of the field, because the small barrel bat doesn't allow the ball to go as far.
And no, stealing is NOT easier in softball, because of the bases being closer together, that means the pitchers mound is still close to the other bases, so it's still just as easy for a softball pitcher to make an out as it is for a baseball pitcher.
I'm a softball player, but I can also agree that baseball might be a bit tougher. But hey, both softball and baseball players are good at what they do and both work very hard.
Broke the machine........alright. Lost me there. I was really thinking test was going to be legit.
Broke the machine so they would not have to measure the force
Broke the machine in two after throwing multiple pitches and they showed a different, closer up pitch.
one more question, how come it doesnt show a baseball ptcher throwing to a softball player?
My daughter played college ball and they had a little friendly game against the baseball guys. Girls hit boys couldn’t touch it.
I'm a softball player and yeah I can agree and disagree with this but i'm laughing at all the baseball players getting mad at this when it doesn't even matter because baseball is more popular for most people and is watched more by people. Why else do you think pro softball players get payed a lot less than a pro baseball player. Why are you guys taking this so offensively? I always get told baseball is harder and you don't see me getting all mad about it.
The reason could be that there appears to be an agenda on hand. So far I am seeing people being fairly critical of this biased video. In fact, nobody is getting mad.
why didnt a softball player face the pitcher????
Ah hell no. Softball is the sport, that's it. Boys play it too. Softball is closer and has a bigger ball. That's the freaken sport. Get over it all u haters
The bigger ball only makes it easier to hit
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:08 🤔 *Hitting a Baseball vs. Softball Myth*
- Testing the myth of whether hitting a baseball is the hardest thing in sports.
- Introduction of Jenny Finch, an Olympic gold-medalist and NCAA pitcher.
- Comparison of the force with which baseball and softball arrive at home plate using a strike force plate.
02:24 📊 *Force Measurement Results*
- Adam Jorgensen's 95 mph baseball generates 2411 pounds of force.
- Jenny Finch's softball pitches break the machine, generating impressive force.
- Initial data suggests Jenny's softball may contain more force than the baseball.
03:43 ⚾ *Live Test: Baseball vs. Softball Hitter*
- Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Brian Byrne faces both baseball and softball pitches.
- Brian struggles against Jenny Finch's softball due to reduced reaction time.
- The comparison highlights the challenges hitters face with different pitching distances and speeds.
05:15 👀 *Visual Challenges in Hitting Softball*
- Discussion on visual challenges for hitters in facing softball pitchers.
- Explanation of how a batter's visual perception is affected by the trajectory of the pitch.
- Use of motion capture technology to analyze Jenny Finch's pitching motion and its impact on hitting difficulty.
06:45 🔄 *Baseball vs. Softball Pitch Trajectory*
- Detailed analysis of the trajectory differences between baseball and softball pitches.
- Explanation of why adjusting to a rising softball pitch is more challenging for a batter.
- Illustration of Jenny Finch's pitching motion and how it contributes to the difficulty of hitting a softball.
07:21 🥊 *Preview and Teaser*
- Teaser for upcoming content, including heavyweight fighter Chris Berg's return and a sex test.
- Reference to testing a cream in the next segment.
- Preview of what's to come in the next part of the sports science episode.
Made with HARPA AI
The baseball player isn't used to underhand pitching. Only reason why he struggled. End of story.
You guys always have an e cause to protect your fragile male egos don’t you. End of story!
@@kimberlyperschka7322 ok, reverse the experiment. Let's see how she'll do against a pro pitcher
Way to bring in some pro baseball players. Jennie Finch is like the best pitcher in softball.
LOL bring in a softball player and the baseball pitch will be "harder" to hit. it's not a question of difficulty, it's EXPERIENCE.
the glass shatters in the slow motion camera but then has only a single crack in regular time..
2:40
You think they faked it?😂😂😂
cuz pieces were missing after it shatterd
+macy hanks lol nope it wasnt even the bottom half that broke in the slow mo. YOU FAIL AT ARGUING
k whatever Landon Kehr
What kind of ridiculous propaganda is this? I love baseball and softball, but this video is absurd. First of all, the force of the ball plays no role on how hard it is to hit. That was stupid, and of course, the much larger, heavier and harder softball broke the plate.
Then you take a baseball player and have him try to hit against a top softball player, and because he can't, call that proof that it's harder to hit a softball? What kind of reasoning is that? He's never faced fastpitch softball pitching in his life! Bring in a professional softball player to hit against her and they would have no problem making contact.
The key to which is harder to hit is in the stats. At the top level of each sport, hitters in baseball have lower batting averages than hitters in softball. With that said, I don't think there should be a distinction. Hitting a pitched ball is the hardest thing to do.
Plus nobody mentioned the added nightmare of trying to hit a knuckleball in baseball. It has nothing to do with the force or speed it comes at you with, it's just like trying to hit a fly buzzing around the room with a newspaper and it making you look like an amateur whilst doing it.
Just because your male ego got hurt that’s no reason to down play Jenny’s accomplishment
@@kimberlyperschka7322 What part of what I said made you think my ego was hurt? What part of what I said is not true? Finch is a great player. I was merely pointing out the flawed logic used by the media to push the female athletic superiority myth. It's sad because women are amazing and don't need to be seen as athletically on par with men to have value.
I'm starting to think of softball more and more as a charity event
lets be real hear you cant say foot balls harder than baseball because guess what sport he plays baseball not softball just like she doesn't play baseball thats like making a basketball player play foot ball its a different sport the sports have there similarity but so does cricket
my point either they had to do it the right way with a soft ball hitter hitting a baseball pitch and vice verse or you cant test it
ua-cam.com/video/_de3HJvO-N8/v-deo.html
Guess again. My daughter's former pitching coach said how she once struck out Tony Gywnn and Darryl Strawberry. She said if they had time to practice seeing the riseball then they would certainly adapt. But coming cold they don't stand a prayer. There's only one point of contact on a rise ball because of the angle of swing and pitch.
BeastLee10 , but how can you call this experiment a proven fact?. A baseball player hits baseballs everyday, and he has never tried softball, he is obviously no going to be used to softball, the experiment would have to take place on different way to be a proven fact. I'm not saying that softball is easy, but It wouldn't be a piece of cake to hit an Aroldis Chapman pitch. Is like to ask A basketball player to compete in soccer with a soccer player, wtf? thats not how you are supposed to do an experiment.
softball is the sister sport of baseball. And since women can't play in the MLB, their only alternative is pro softball. That being said, it's a fair deal.
onlyone23km .. that has nothing to do with what I said.. still the MLB is far ahead of any Softball league… and we can also agree that woman should be allowed to pursuit a career in the MLB… if they are good enough
on the contrary, it has EVERYTHING to do with it.
onlyone23km no it doesnt.... Yuuto's point is that the two sports require a different skill set and training... Sure the sports are related, but this experiment shows where they differ the most. A baseball player is simply not used to hitting a softball (pitch).
With that said, this experiment is bunk... since the two sports are so similar it does not do an accurate job of dismissing this myth (hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports)... something better to compare might be a boxer dodging a punch..,
let me ask you this: are women allowed in the MLB? No! And since they're not allowed, you have to either create a women's league, or a sister sport like softball so they can play. And since hitting a ball is the most difficult thing to do in sports, you also have to keep in mind that cricket shares a similar nature to the latter two sports.
A softball is bigger then a baseball
U can't compare the best softball pitcher to a no name minor league player... Put the best up against the best
She once struck out Mike Piazza & Albert Pujols my dude
Just an. Excuse to protect your male ego.
@@kimberlyperschka7322 oh no!! The host was male! How dare you watch this
@@kimberlyperschka7322 you are an idiot that can’t expect that things can be skewed
Harsh but true
@Newmaidumosa true but it would be to troublesome to find a video clip showing the speed out of the pitchers hand and the speed at the plate so i jus assumed they were both constant even tho i know thats wrong. i used this to show the difference in hitting the ball; the amount of time the ball is actually in the hitting zone is way shorter for a baseball player, say the hitting zone for the average person is 2ft you have .011sec for a baseball player and .02 sec for softball
I think it's kind of funny how guys talk so much crap about how softball's so much easier than baseball but once it's proven wrong they can't accept it..
Funny they didn't test a softball batter against a baseball pitcher, eh?
Why not softball hitter against Arolis Chapman 100+ MPH fast ball plus the 92 mph slider
Sure Jenny finch may be good but this is the most biased video I’ve ever seen. Like other people said, why didn’t they put a softball hitter against the 90 mph fastball hmm? There is no way that they would even make contact. Softball is a joke except for college but even then it’s still cringey
You need to learn what the word PROVEN means little girl
digitaLbraVo my daughter played cool ball and hit off of the baseball pitcher throwing 95 in a friendly little pick up game
The cracks in the glass dont match up get a new machine that is a pretty significant test
I'd love to see a finely tuned fast pitch hitter go against a 95 mph overhand pitcher. this experiment is flawed because there is an undeniable truth here. It is harder for a baseball player to hit a fast pitch player than it is for them to hit a baseball off a baseball player. it's also harder for a fastpitch batter to hit off a baseball pitcher.
2 totally different distances and angles. oh, of course the ball has more force, it weighs like twice as much, and is coming from a shorter distance. all of that means zip if you hit it out in front of the plate. the mass of the softball makes it a bigger target too.
this video does not prove or disprove anything, it's a flawed test.
+Johnny 34 i could not agree any more
it doesn't matter who is batting, the conclusion is based solely on the fact that you have less reaction time with a softball and the angle of the softball's flight makes hitting it more difficult, because either you will need to lift your hands, or else start with your hands high and then adjust accordingly. you cant judge hitting difficulty based on who is batting because most likely either baseball or softball will have an advantage either way.
May I make a suggestion? Delete the word "science" from the title.
I admit I'm not a "pure" scientist or anything, I'm an engineer. Your control variables are entirely different (which to your credit you do acknowledge). Aside from the distance-from-plate issue and relevant reflex times, you've left out the fact that the softball pitcher is allowed a running start, putting much more of the body's own momentum behind the pitch.
I'll consider this a fair experiment when the softball pitcher throws from the same mound as the baseball pitcher and has to keep her foot on the rubber the whole time. Until then, this is about as scientifically valid as the Santa Claus Watch every 12/24. As a fan of the show I'm extremely disappointed in this crystal-clear attempt to suck up to the PC Nazis at the expense of real research.
But that's how a softball is pitched. They've tested two real world examples; baseball pitched like a baseball, and a softball pitched like a softball. Changing the distance for either pitch would give incorrect data.
Dan Neufeld Except now you're comparing the rules governing the athletes, not the athletes themselves. Under your interpretation the fact that I can throw a pebble past any hitter from a couple meters away makes me the best pitcher in the world, yet no one's giving me a Clayton Kershaw-style deal.
If you want to judge the athletes, make all the other variables the same. If you want to judge the difference in rules, the same hurler should be conducting both tests. When you mix them you cross your controls, therefore the experiment is scientifically invalid. If I made this level of error at work my boss would probably make me eat the datasheet and start over.
Without rewatching the video (ain't nobody got time for that), I don't think they are comparing pitchers, just the pitches. Is it easier to hit a softball (pitched like a softball), or a baseball (pitched like a baseball). And as far as a baseball player at the plate, they showed that the softball pitch is more difficult to hit. Changing the distance would render the test invalid, as the softball would not have been pitched as softballs are pitched.
I do think that they failed in not showing a softball player trying to hit the baseball pitch though. If they couldn't hit it, then both types of pitches are equally hard to hit.
Also, they should have had a seasoned MLB pitcher at the mound, as they had a high level softball pitcher.
True this is just a feel good story for equality pepole it's kinda a joke
@@danneufeldphoto No, they showed that it was harder for a baseball player to hit a softball pitcher than for him to hit a baseball pitcher. Why not put a softball hitter up against both and see which pitcher he or she finds tougher to hit? And while we are at it, let's use a male softball pitcher, who throws in the 90s. The fastest male pitchers have thrown over 100 mph, just as fast as MLB pitchers. It's just not a good comparison, not matter how you look at it. Not scientific at all.
@meflak the video starts saying: "some people think that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports...."
i didnt hear "some people think that hitting a baseball is the EASIEST thing to do for a softball batter", did u?
stupid, softball may has less time to hit the ball but the ball is bigger. Its the same either way. If the softball was right down the middle like the 95 mph pitch, the batter will adjust and hit it. its getting used to the timing.
softball is NOT harder to hit than baseball just as baseball is NOT harder. its the same
The force is totally relevant: the more force put behind an object, the more force needed to push the object in the opposite direction.
Correct me if I'm wrong, though.
inaccurate they have to be the same distance throwing the same speed to determine which is harder to hit
@westhoff0407 Right on. They are right on the angle, but you are so right about comfort level...yes...and where is the softball hitter? Also, but the bb pitcher at 40' and see what's up.
Any thing to make girls happy about their sports...
Yeah. I don't know. I'm not refuting this video, but I would really like to see a top hitter in softball try to hit a 95 mph fastball with a wood bat. Just wondering.
+David Biddle And I would like to see you hit a softball going 70mph from 43 feet... I know you cant do it
+Dallas Reed and you can't either
+Daniel Silva actually yes I can. I play men's fast pitch softball. I know I can. I play the sport. you don't
Come on ... Not saying softball is easy but baseball is harder ... One ... Pitchers dont only throw fastballs... Guys throw curves,change ups, sliders,sinkers, split fingers, forkers and other pitches... Second... Softball parks are small and they dont even have to steal bases... Last... Chapman can take any softball player and play with them becausr they dont practice to hit a 100 mph ball or any 90 pitcher....
OMG you are so wrong! Girls throw all the pitches men do!
AND YES YOU DO STEAL BASES
Actually, a Riser is much harder to hit than a Sinker.
Oh I'm sorry, maybe you should actually research something before you assume that softball is easier than baseball. Us pitchers do throw fastballs as well as many other pitches. Know that facts before you open your mouth. Thank you
Um no..... Softball pitchers throw fastballs,changeups,off speed, curve balls, screwballs, riseballs, dropballs, and more! Yes, the field is smaller which makes it way harder to field balls! And get the out! Also,
Watch some college softball, we do steal bases! That's the biggest part of the game,do you expect us not to freking know-it-all !
I'd just like to point out, when they show the baseball player whiffing on the baseball, it isn't the best swing in the world. He stands up, and rolls over his front foot.
Lol, this is pretty dumb.
***** if you watch the extended video they say that hitting a baseball is way harder... a girls itch isn't fast she's just pitching it from a closer angle, if she would pitch it from 60 feet she wouldn't be able to make the ball reach cuzz she doesn't have the arm strength and he pitches wouldn't be accurate... Idk they didn't show the entire thing and then when they interviewed her she even said that the only reason that the glass broke cuzz the dude who pitch it first weakened the glass...
*****
I play fast pitch soft ball in the summer...and well I can knock them out of the park lol It took me a month to change my timing but once i did I hit way better than I do in baseball....I'm a pitcher so we are not very good hitters but a softball pitch was much easier for my team to hit..
***** Harder? Tell her to pitch from as far back as the men do and see what happens then.
By the way i'm not trying to put her down but I had to respond to your comment. It's not about pride like you said, it's about physics and performing a fair test. I just hate seeing rigged tests like these :)
***** calm down, feminazi.
@Gymnast101XD hate to break it to you but when a pitcher seperates his hands to throw you lose the ball because its on the 2nd base side of the pitcher you cant see it again until the pitcher is right about to throw you dnt lse the softball you can still see it when theyre "windmilling"
At the beginning when she breaks the plate its more likely to have more force because F=ma as the mass of a softball is greater than a baseball therefore it will have a greater force if acceleration is common
Did anyone notice the baseball pitches were hitting right in the center of the glass then the softball pitch was a little off and hit high causing it to break any the part where the censer is? And why didn't they have a softball batter try to hit a baseball?
Until you are personaly standing at the other end of a softball pitch, you don't see the difference. It compensates speed for distance changing reaction time. Not only is it hard to hit the ball, but to make a good solid contact is also harder because of 2 things. 1) The ball is not as dense as a baseball, making it travel less far. 2) you are hitting a larger ball with a smaller diameter bat, making you prone to pop-ups and scrap grounders. I've done both, I find softball more challenging.
idk if the guys who make sports science know what "science" means.
Seriously, its a nice sentiment to show the intricacies of softball pitches and help people understand that hitting a softball is harder then it seems. But if you TRULY want to be scientific about it don't skew the results to make it seem as though softball is harder.
The only true argument that I see here is that, to a baseball player, a softball is hard to hit. Duh. It would be hard for a softball player to hit a baseball.
An objective science test would never leave out facts, such as the one you mentioned. Good point. The manginas don't understand the actual irritation that's actually being expressed here. It's not saying the females aren't good athletes; it's pointing out the obvious that there are limitations between the genders. Obviously, there's a reason why the rules in men and women sports, and the set-up, are totally different, like between the NBA and WNBA where the ball is lighter for the women.
@Gymnast101XD really cause it looks like the sofftball is on the 3rd base side of the pitcher lwhen theyre winddmilling so you can see it. but baseball ask any pitcher they break their hands the ball is down by their hip which is facing 2nd so you cant see the ball, they bring the ball up to a high cocked position where the ball is right behind the pitchers head so you cant see the ball, then he goes to throw even then the elbow leads so the ball is behind the elbow you still cant see the ball
Doesn’t the softball have more force because the ball is larger???
Obviously it's harder to hit a softball than a baseball. They just proved it, face the facts boys :)
To those complaining that she is 17 feet closer to the plate - she's also pitching 25mph slower than the baseball pitcher. The video CLEARLY states that reaction times are essentially the same in both softball and baseball for that reason. If a player is used to timing his or her swing after 300 milliseconds, then s/he should have no problems with either a softball or a baseball. I suggest y'all read this: sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/news/20130724/the-sports-gene-excerpt/#ixzz2ZzehZrlz
Hey hey hey hey hey, just because the glass broke on the softball doesn't mean that it hit with more force, first of all, she hit it in places where the plate can't flex when the baseball hit in the middle, second, the softball has more surface area and will allow a broader energy transfer and could be thrown with less force
my father played baseball @ his college and won championshipsss
and shift to softball until now and continue dominant in dis sport..
it only need adjustment few games.
he said:SOFTBALL is lil bit harder to HIT than baseball ...
or under the equalizers, we can move the pitchers mound from 43' (or 46') to 60'6", or vise versa, or just put it at the middle point. and lets see pitches other than fast balls during the tests, distributed among a variance of hitters and pitchers to get better stats.
The visual is really the only thing that makes a softball harder to hit for a baseball player.
The ball in the close up hit top left corner after it shows it break in half clean
If you equal out the variables with the two balls, a tiny white ball versus a big bright yellow ball, the baseball is definitly harder to hit.
You may need to reread what I'm arguing... in the video they show that the hitter is struggling to make CONTACT with the ball. You're right in saying that you would need more force to make a softball travel the same distance as a hardball. However, we are talking about simply making CONTACT with the ball, where force is irrelevant and the bigger ball actually makes it easier. Understanding the arm angle of a softball is different and it is pitched from much closer which are the two valid pts.
I play softball and I can hit over hand and under hand pitches. Learning how to hit a softball pitch first definitely makes hitting everything else easier.
and also the angle of which the ball travels (being more upwards directed, unlike in baseball where its more so from the over hand causing a downward angle) and the awkward (to baseball) release point.
The natural movement of a swing is up. All baseball pitches move from top to bottom; they require less effort to hit them off the ground. Basic physics if you do not believe me. Most softball pitches move from bottom to top (aside from curve and drop balls) which require the batter to aim for the middle of a rising ball. In addition, softball uses lighter, shorter bats (look up torque if you don't know why that's relevant) to hit a heavier, larger ball (which means more rotation as well.)
i really hate the force argument in this. anyone who knows even basic physics knows that force is measured by mass times acceleration. that gives softball an instant advantage just based on the fact that its almost double the size
@GHsamlover (part 3) Finally, and I promise this is it: Jennie Finch is one of the best softball pitches ever. The baseball players are all scrubs (90 mph?? Weak). You need to bring in Ubaldo Jimenez or Roy Halladay if you want this to be a valid test, and have him throw against a minor league softballer. All I am saying is the test is invalid. I'm not arguing whether baseball or softball is harder, because the test doesn't answer the question! (also, I meant 5 7/8 oz for the softball not 5 78)
@Gymnast101XD ok miss all i said is your point about not being able to see the ball isnt valid because you can see the ball when a softball pitcher is throwing...what else did they do that proves its harder to hit a softball?
so the plate wasn't replaced after the baseball pitcher? Isn't it likely that the plate was already stressed when jenny hit it?
Ok a couple of things here. First if you watch softball like that you know that a 'swing' for them is most often a 'slap' because of the fact they are hitting a heavier ball coming at them the shorter distance. Second they needed to have a softball hitter hit off the pitcher. Third he didn't use a softball bat to try to hit the softball (they are made different to produce faster bat speed). The bat he used may have been 29-30 oz. where a softball bat would have been ~26oz.
As for reality between the two sports. I am the daughter of a former pro basketball and baseball player - yeah, my father played both sports. When I was 9, my dad sued the city so I could play in baseball. I played baseball - and loved it - all my life. It wasn't until my late 20s, before I started playing softball. In batting cages, I would hit baseballs at 105mph. You must admit, I have some experience at hitting baseballs. Hitting fast-pitch softballs? MUCH MUCH tougher.
notice jennie pitches closer so the fastballers pitch slows down first because he pitches farther but if he pitched 43 feet away it would be so much harder. BTW Jennie Finch only throws seventy mph
Agree 100%. She's 17 feet closer and has the benefit of a running start. Put Verlander 43 feet from the plate, Babe Ruth himself would have no chance. The only reason these 2 are even comparable is because softball fields and rules are much more pitcher-friendly. No disrespect intended to Jennie Finch, but put her on a mound 60'6'' from the plate with either a baseball or a softball (her choice) and Cabrera at the plate, let's measure the K/HR ratio.
1 thing tho, I wouldn't cite Braun.
Baseballs move a lot more than softballs making it that much harder, but they never tested or said that.
I only came here for the how hard the baseball hits. I thought it could help me find out if a bouncy ball/ rubber ball could knock out a person before breaking.
I play softball and my brother plays baseball. It's easier for me to hit a baseball and make it go farther because it is smaller. Its also easier to throw and catch because my body has to do less work than I would with a softball. My eyes on the other hand do have to work harder to see a baseball, so there's arguments for both. My brother and I never argue because we know there are different difficulties to both.
What about soft ball hitters and baseball pitchers?
I'm sure someone's already mentioned this, but...take a good women's softball hitter and try hitting a baseball pitched over 100 mph. Some have mentioned a ball is much easier to hit when it's falling down. What's the hardest ball to hit in the major leagues? A rising fast ball. While it's not the same angle as a rising fastball in softball, you must admit it's only fair to have a softball player try to hit a rising fastball from a mlb player throwing at or above 100 mph. Finch is impressive.
What If I Told You not everyone in softball pitches like Finch and that in Major Leagues there are pitchers like Aroldis Chapman or Tim Lincecum
Who? Never heard of them.
How many jennie finch's are there....?
ummm i hope you know that it wouldnt be the same resuly if it were switched. did the baseball break the equiptment or did the softball? they didnt stage that.
@Gymnast101XD just converted mph to feet per second and then divide distance/speed to get time, not that diffficult?
Also don't forget a softball bat has a long ass barrel, and is usually drop 8-13 as opposed to a drop 2 wood bat...
Ok, maybe try letting one of the best baseball pitchers pitch like David Price. Jenny Finch is the best in her business, so why can't baseball throw the best in its business for this experiment. Also let Miguel Cabrera hit. MLB players have to swing heavier bats, have to face a better assortment of pitches, and how is Byrne supposed to hit a type of pitching he's never faced.
hitting the softball into the outfit might take more strength than in baseball because the softball weighs more and is bigger, but might be harder to focus on the ball in baseball
@SplapMeDoooo if you take your foot completly off the rubber while still square it is.. if its off the ground high when she takes her stride out then it is unless her other foot is on the ground
@M3ts27000 The fact that she's closer makes a softball pitch even harder to hit because you have much less reaction time. Also, the larger step also creates more force/speed, making it a more effective pitch.
2 problems with the hitter part of this, first off he’s been hitting baseballs pitched overhand for years and second off its unfair because he’s using a wooden bat while professional softball players use much lighter aluminum or composite bats.
I agree that a softball would be hard to hit for a baseball hitter after he has been playing for 17 years and he has not seen anything different. The other thing is the baseball pitcher hit the force plate dead center which allowed the glass to absorb the energy. Jenny hit the force place about an inch from the sensor. The glass had no room to absorb the impact which caused it to shatter. Im not saying baseball is harder but lets not forget. Baseball pitchers pitch from a softballs bases.
Hate to break it to you "mate" but that response sounded like a boy trying to protect his honour which is slipping through his fingers like sand.
Yeah men’s egos are very fragile
Ugh, these arguements are annoying me. All I will say is that I love fast pitch softball and all I care about is having fun and improving as much as I can with the sport. :)
Stephen Strasburg also was throwing to professional hitters in spring training when he first came up to the majors, and got hella hype because he was untouchable in BP. He comes up to the majors and is a great pitcher, but saying that nobody could hit the ball off of him simply because he was lights out in BP is false. The big thing about major league hitters is that they adjust to pitchers over time. Verlander, being the most feared ace in the game coming into this season, is having a subpar...
@Gitominoti It said she threw over 70 mph but didn't specify how much over so probably close to that.
Exactly, your fields are smaller, and you use composite bats, and on average the ball is thrown incredibly slow by Baseball standards. When it comes to throwing the ball, it really doesn't make a difference, it's just getting used to a new style of grip. With base paths that are the same length as little league baseball, it's no wonder you have to wait to come off the bag. As you said the statistics are in front of your eyes.
Let us not forget, it's extremely difficult for a baseballer to hit a softball riser, but just as difficult for a softballer to hit a baseball forkball
I like how they got arguably the best pitcher in softball history, and then got a guy who hit a little over .300 in the minors to go against her. I think it would be interesting to see an MLB player try to hit it.
Baseball hitters are trained to swing at slightly upward angle to hit a ball thrown at a downward angle. This keeps the bat parallel to the baseball . When a fast pitch softball is thrown upwards, and the swing of the hitter is also upwards, the angles are almost perpendicular. This makes it almost impossible to hit a fast pitch softball with a baseball swing. This invalidates the test, as the hitter must behave completely different, depending on the scenario..
@Jamerz011 Yeah, I realize that. There aren't too many of those in baseball now. Ichiro Suzuki is considered one of those. He only averages like around .330. I think it all comes down to what you're used to. If a major leaguer tried to hit a softball pitcher with no practice, he'd have trouble, and if a pro softball player tried to hit a major league pitcher, she'd have an equal amount of trouble with no practice.