In sports and athletics, speed is foundational. Whether you’re tracking a fastball on the mound, monitoring a slapshot in hockey, or measuring a drive in golf, speed shapes performance, strategy, and progression. It provides objective metrics that can guide training decisions, reveal strengths, and highlight areas for improvement.
RADAR Has Been Used in Sports Throughout History
RADAR was originally developed during World War II for military tracking, later adapted in the 1950s and 1960s for police traffic enforcement. The leap into sports came when innovators saw the potential to measure athletic performance with precision.
- In baseball, the first handheld RADAR guns appeared in the 1960s. Before their arrival, estimating pitch speed was inexact, sometimes requiring contraptions that triggered sensors.
- In the 1970s, Michigan State baseball coach Danny Litwhiler borrowed a police RADAR unit to time his pitchers officially—sparking the modern era of sports RADAR use.
- By 1975, the first baseball‑specific handheld RADAR (the “JUGS Gun”) was introduced, and by 1980, nearly all MLB scouts were using RADAR guns to evaluate pitchers.
Beyond baseball, RADAR guns were adopted across sports, from hockey and golf to skiing and beyond, as a reliable training tool. RADAR guns have even entered the field of motorsports, used for the first time at the 1981 Indianapolis 500, to “measure trap speeds of the race cars along the straightaways.”
How Sports RADAR Guns Are Used Today
Today, RADAR technology continues to be indispensable across athletics at all levels of play. Whether it’s a professional organization, a youth league, or a recreational enthusiast, the benefits of RADAR are available for a variety of athletic activities:
- Baseball: Team and media organizations now use advanced radar to measure pitch release speed, trajectory, and more, replacing earlier camera-only methods.
- Golf: Doppler radar tracks launch, flight, club movement, and landing with precision, serving pros and instructors worldwide.
- Multi‑Sport Training: Coaches and trainers leverage handheld RADAR units to gauge real-time metrics, whether tracking puck speed in hockey, swing speed in golf, or downhill speed in skiing, bridging practice to performance.
This progress underscores how technology continues to raise the bar for measurable athletic performance.
Why Coaches Need the Falcon SR and Falcon DS
Kustom Signals’ Falcon SR and Falcon DS handheld Sports RADAR guns combine innovative technology with features built for sports applications:
Falcon SR Baseball / Sports RADAR
Directional Doppler RADAR system for precise target speed measurement.
- Excellent readability in sunlight, with LED backlight for night use
- Simple push‑button interface for fast, intuitive operation
- Auto self-test function triggers with each locked target
- Frequency: K‑band 24.125 GHz ± 100 MHz
- Accuracy (stationary): ±1 mph (±1 km/h)
- Selectable Speed Ranges including:
- Range 1: 1 – 100 mph (1 – 160 km/h).
- Range 2: 20 – 120 mph (32 – 192 km/h).
- Range 3: 40 – 210 mph (64 – 338 km/h).
- Range 4: 80 – 310 mph (128 – 498 km/h).
- Long lasting battery
Falcon DS Dynamic Soaring RADAR
Dynamic soaring is a technique using wind shear to help gain energy. Radio-controlled glider operators worldwide compete against each other in attempts to break world speed records using dynamic soaring. These gliders with no motors can achieve speeds of more than 500 miles per hour. Falcon DS features:
- One‑piece, directional, stationary Doppler RADAR system designed to measure high‑speed targets
- Dual‑channel microwave antenna with Directional DSP enables: Current target speed,
Current series peak speed, Absolute peak speed, selectable modes - Capable of displaying speeds up to 575 mph
- Accuracy (stationary): ±1 mph (±1 km/h)
- Frequency: K‑band 24.125 GHz ± 100 MHz
- Long lasting battery
Ready to Unlock Speed, Precision, and Performance?
Embrace proven sports RADAR tools that work as hard as your team. Reach out today to learn more, get personalized advice, or request a demo. Together, we’ll take performance measurement to the next level.