Time to play a 90 mph delivery
Time to play a 90 mph delivery
450 ms–550 ms
Physical limit — the time available, not a human figure
Half a second, of which the shot itself consumes a large share, and the ball bounces partway — so the batter is also predicting how it will come off the pitch from information gathered before it lands. Elite batters have been shown to move their eyes to where the ball will bounce rather than tracking it, which is a prediction strategy and not a faster reaction. Their simple reaction times are unremarkable.
The numbers
- Typical
- 500 ms
- Range
- 450 ms to 550 ms
- What it is
- Physical limit — the time available, not a human figure
- What is measured
- Ball flight from release to the batter over roughly 18 metres of effective distance.
Why this is a physical limit
This is how long the event gives you, not how long a person takes. It is here because comparing the two is the only way to see whether reacting is possible at all.
Where it sits against everything else
Reflexes at the top, reactions in the middle, design values off the end of the scale.
Vestibulo-ocular reflex — Reflex 10 ms
Knee-jerk (patellar) reflex — Reflex 22 ms
Latency added by your screen and mouse — Physical limit 35 ms
Blink reflex — Reflex 40 ms
Withdrawal reflex — Reflex 90 ms
Time a jab takes to land — Physical limit 110 ms
Sprint start reaction — Reaction 140 ms
Simple tactile reaction time — Reaction 155 ms
Simple auditory reaction time — Reaction 170 ms
Professional gamer reaction time — Reaction 190 ms
Formula One start reaction — Reaction 200 ms
Simple visual reaction time — Reaction 250 ms
How reaction time changes with age — Reaction 250 ms
What sleep loss does to reaction time — Reaction 300 ms
What alcohol does to reaction time — Reaction 320 ms
Recognition reaction time — Reaction 340 ms
Choice reaction time — Reaction 380 ms
Time to hit a 95 mph fastball — Physical limit 400 ms
Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty — Physical limit 450 ms
Time to play a 90 mph delivery — Physical limit 500 ms
Driver reaction to an expected event — Reaction 850 ms
Sport
| What | Typical | Range | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time a jab takes to land | 110 ms | 80 ms–150 ms | Physical limit |
| Sprint start reaction | 140 ms | 120 ms–180 ms | Reaction |
| Formula One start reaction | 200 ms | 150 ms–300 ms | Reaction |
| Time to hit a 95 mph fastball | 400 ms | 375 ms–425 ms | Physical limit |
| Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty | 450 ms | 400 ms–600 ms | Physical limit |
Common questions
- How long is time to play a 90 mph delivery?
- Typically 500 ms, with a real range of 450 ms to 550 ms. Ball flight from release to the batter over roughly 18 metres of effective distance.
- Is that a reflex or a reaction?
- Physical limit — the time available, not a human figure. This is how long the event gives you, not how long a person takes. It is here because comparing the two is the only way to see whether reacting is possible at all.
Related pages
- Time a jab takes to land 110 ms
- Sprint start reaction 140 ms
- Formula One start reaction 200 ms
- Time to hit a 95 mph fastball 400 ms
- Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty 450 ms
- A reflex is not a reaction Why one is 20 ms and the other 250
- Stopping distance at every speed Reaction distance plus braking distance, computed
- Measure your own reaction time Five attempts, median reported
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place