A welding system including a power supply, a torch electrically connected to said power supply, a wire feeder that provides a welding consumable to the torch, a controller that communicates with a motor associated the wire feeder and the power supply. The controller obtains a wire feed speed of said motor as it accelerates from a run-in speed to a pre-set speed and controls the power supplied to the torch based on this wire feed speed to reduce stubbing or spattering during arc initiation.