Top 28 How Hard Is It To Throw A Baseball 100 Yards The 139 Top Answers

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How hard do you have to throw to throw 100 yards?

To throw a football 100 yards a QB would have to throw the ball about 69 mph with a 44° launch angle.

How hard can average person throw baseball?

Without significant practice, your average person would be lucky to throw a baseball over 50 mph. For trained players, the average pitching velocity ranges between 40-50 mph among young players around 9 or 10, between 55-75 mph between 10 and 17, to an average of 80 mph for 18-year-olds and above.

How far should I be able to throw a baseball?

We simply state that you need to throw out to 120 feet before meeting the criteria to begin throwing off a mound. Some players will want to go past 120 feet (and should), while others will not.

How hard is it to throw a baseball 90 mph?

If you are going to have the ability to throw a 90 mph fastball which is 60% of the fastballs thrown in Major League Baseball then you must have the ability to at least move more weight than you weigh.

Can any QB throw 100 yards?

Josh Allen can throw a football over 100 yards, Bills running back Zack Moss claims. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has one of the strongest arms in the NFL, there’s no debating that.

How far should a 14 year old throw?

(Typically 60′ Pitching Distance)
Age Daily Max (Pitches in Game) 4 Days Rest
13-14 95 66+

How hard should a 16 year old be throwing?

On the average, a typical Varsity high school fastball is between 75-85 mph, although many good Varsity pitchers will be seeing the upper 80s and low 90 range. The Freshmen pitchers will usually be throwing at a comparable speed to the 13 and 14 year olds, and the Sophomores will lie somewhere in the middle.

How fast should a 17 year old pitch?

Pitching velocity by age in the U.S.
Age Average Velocity¹ Your Goal²
15 70 MPH 75 MPH
16 76 MPH 80 MPH
17 80 MPH 85 MPH
18 83 MPH 88-90 MPH

How fast should a 15 year old pitch?

Average freshman pitcher (14 to 15 year old) cruising speed would be about 70 mph. Average cruising speed for a good high school pitching prospect at 14 to 15 years old would be about 75 mph.

How far can a 16 year old throw a baseball?

(Typically 60′ Pitching Distance)
Age Daily Max (Pitches in Game) 4 Days Rest
15-16 95 76+
17-18 105 81+

Can long toss hurt your arm?

I warn all pitchers that perform a long-toss program, that pushes the distances to 300 feet, you better make sure you have “total body mechanics” because if not, based on Dr. Andrews’ case studies above, you are putting extreme amounts of pressure on your elbow which could ruin your arm and end your career.

How hard do you have to throw to throw 300 feet?

Check out the velocity chart in this article that uses physics data from one of the world’s baseball physics experts, Dr. Alan Nathan. His calculator of fly ball distance is a great estimator, and it shows that somewhere between 77-82 is needed to throw approximately 300 feet.

Is throwing a baseball genetic?

Billy Wagner learned how to throw with his dominant hand. Never use genetics as an excuse. An individual’s maximum pitching velocity is determined innately. Were it simply a matter of mechanics, or training, or drills, or nutrition, all pitchers would throw 101 mph.

Do faster pitches get hit harder?

For a batter, there’s another way to understand the conservation of momentum: The faster the pitch and the faster the swing, the farther the ball will fly. A faster pitch is harder to hit than a slower one, but a batter who can do it may score a home run.

How far do you have to throw to throw 90 mph?

According to the trajectory calculator, maximal distance will be achieved at a launch angle of 30 degrees. Even one degree above or below this angle results in decreased distance. For example, a throw of 90mph at 2000rpm achieves the following distances with alterations in trajectory: 30 degrees: 368 feet.

Did Lamar Jackson throw a football 100 yards?

Jackson threw the ball 100 yards — from one end of the field to the other. The video of the high-arcing toss, which includes a woman saying, “Oh my gosh, Lamar,” has generated nearly 165,000 views since 2015, as well as plenty of skeptics.

What is the farthest a football has been thrown?

Trivia. In 1983 Raiders player Jim Plunkett threw a 99-yard touchdown pass, the longest in NFL history.

Which ball hits the ground with greater speed?

Which ball hits the ground with greater speed? ANSWER: the ball thrown upward the ball thrown downward Neither; the speeds are the same. the ball thrown upward the ball thrown downward Neither; the average speeds of both balls are the same.


Why It’s Almost Impossible to Throw a 110 MPH Fastball | WIRED
Why It’s Almost Impossible to Throw a 110 MPH Fastball | WIRED


Throwing 100 yards… | High School Baseball Web

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How Fast Can the Average Person Throw a Baseball? – Survival Freedom

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5 Things About Baseball Long Toss Programs – Mike Reinold

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The Physics of Throwing a Ball Out of the Yard | The Hardball Times

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How Far Can The Average Person Throw A Baseball – Thisisguernsey.com

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Throwing 100 yards… | High School Baseball Web

I seem to remember hearing that throwing a baseball 100 yards roughly equates to 90mph (but if I’m wrong then the whole purpose of this post is waaaay negated). So anyways, in physics today we started working on projectile movement, so he had us go out to the football field and throw a baseball, and then time its time in the air. I managed to throw 95+ yards each of three times (now I hadn’t long tossed in a while, but this was some 25+ yards better than I’d ever done), with my farthest being 98 yards, with a total air time of 3.53 seconds (there was absolutely no wind either). When we get back to class, we calculate how fast our baseballs were going using basic laws of projectile physics, and to my dismay my velocity was only 68mph…

The only thing that would really change this is if anyone could tell me what the average wind resistance this ball would encounter is…anyone know how much a ball slows down in the air, say in any given pitch? Thanks.

NJ Pitch

How Fast Can the Average Person Throw a Baseball?

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If you’re into baseball and understand pitching techniques, then you know how important fastball velocity is. A pitcher’s throwing speed can greatly affect their success on the mound, so how fast one can throw is a big deal.

Without significant practice, your average person would be lucky to throw a baseball over 50 mph. For trained players, the average pitching velocity ranges between 40-50 mph among young players around 9 or 10, between 55-75 mph between 10 and 17, to an average of 80 mph for 18-year-olds and above.

If you want to test the speed of an aspiring pitcher, getting a good radar tool is less expensive than you might think. Here is a good one that can be picked up on Amazon.

In this article, we’ll outline the average throwing velocities as per the different age groups. We’ll also look into the factors that influence pitching velocity as we discuss how you can increase your speed. Let’s jump in.

Throwing Velocity As per Different Age Groups

There isn’t one average pitching velocity that cuts across different age groups. It wouldn’t be fair to categorize an upper-level 20-something-year-old pitcher in the same velocity range with a Little Leaguer who’s barely reached puberty.

Age definitely plays a role in how fast one can throw a baseball. With this in mind, let’s look at the average fastball velocity as per different age groups:

10-Year-Olds and Younger

On average, these little players’ throwing velocity ranges from 40 to 50 mph. With the average changeup speed at this age being approximately 10 mph slower, that means the average speed lies between 30-40 mph.

11 to 12 Year-Olds

Among 11 and 12-year-olds, the average fastball speed is 50-60 mph. With changeup speed, the velocity at this age is typically 40-50 mph.

13 to 14-Year-Olds

Kids between 13 and 14 years of age are usually just winding up their Little League experiences. Their average speed is 55 to 75 mph.

High Schoolers

These are 14 to 18-year-olds. With such a wide age range, high school players are often subdivided into smaller groups.

Freshmen have a throwing speed closer to the 13 and 14-year olds above, while the older lot at 18-years of age can pitch at a speed of 75-95 mph. Sophomores are somewhere in between.

The changeup speed for high schoolers is about 10 or 15 mph slower, so generally, the pitching speed at this age lies between 60-75 mph.

Above 18 Years of Age

After 18 years, most pitchers have normally reached their maximum throwing velocity. But this is not to say they cannot increase their speed at all. It’s possible to still score higher numbers on the radar gun as one grows past their teenage years.

At college level and beyond, you will find players with up to 90 mph throwing speed.

Changeup at this age is about 15 mph slower. So on average, the pitching velocity for this age is the upper 70s.

The Verdict

As a player grows from childhood into teenage years and finally adulthood, their fastball changes. Most often, there’s an increase in pitching speed due to age and other factors (which we’ll be looking at next).

How to Increase Your Pitching Velocity

Pitching velocity is influenced by a complex mix of intrinsic physical factors, learned techniques, and exposure to throwing volumes. These influencers affect pitching speed individually, but their effects are also interdependent on each other.

So, are you ready to light up that radar gun with high-level speeds? Then read on for some of the most effective ways to increase your pitching velocity.

Build Your Strength

To be able to throw hard, you need to build your physical strength. Think of strength as the potential in you to generate power/ ability to throw harder. That means the more strength you have, the more power you can produce to pitch faster.

So how do you build strength? You have to work and sweat (pun intended) for it. Some weight lifting here and there during your workout sessions is inevitable. If you’re a beginner at this, then simply start off by using your own weight as you exercise.

Your aim should be to gradually expose your body to bigger loads to build even more strength.

Generate Power

Power is an important factor that influences pitching velocity. To generate power, you need a combination of force and velocity.

Force is basically the strength we’ve mentioned above, and speed here refers to your arm speed. Apply that force at an optimum speed in a given direction while using the best mechanics, and you’ll see your pitching velocity rising.

This, too, is something you can learn and develop through training and working out. It cannot happen overnight. You will need to put in the time to experience success.

Apply Effective Mechanics

Pitching mechanics refers to the actual techniques of throwing the baseball. The process of pitching a baseball is very intricate. It requires being aware of individual movements and positioning of specific body parts.

Proper mechanics will ensure efficient use of your strength to produce enough power to throw the baseball.

Here are some pointers for improving your mechanics:

Speed up the time from stride foot contact to maximum external rotation of the throwing shoulder

Develop effective glove arm action

Raise lead knee to between 60 and 70% of your overall standing height during leg kick

Bend your knee further during stride foot contact

Increase elbow flexion during foot strike

Increase maximum external rotation of the shoulder

Increase the speed of your torso and pelvis rotation

Increase knee flexion of the front leg during ball release

Tilt upper body at ball release

Stride length should be at least 90% of your height

Use a four-seam grip

Apply wrist flexion

Make use of your forearm when pitching

A good “pitcher” is worth a thousand words.

For a clear and systematic breakdown of how to use these mechanics to pitch like a pro, check out this video:

Practice Pitching

The old saying is true; practice makes perfect. The more exposure you get to throwing the baseball, the more you learn and engrain the mechanics. This way, you get to optimize your pitching.

Getting frequent practice also results in your body, muscles, and joints properly adapting to the pitching maneuvers and leading to potentially greater velocities.

Ensure Adequate Mobility

There are key joints that need to possess adequate mobility to implement effective pitching mechanics. Some of these joints are the throwing shoulder, hips and pelvis, and the thoracic spine.

Increase Body Weight

Body weight gives a ballplayer more potential to produce force. In addition to that, more body weight creates a greater momentum toward the home plate.

Although body weight on its own is not sufficient to improve pitching ability, these two benefits are evidence that body weight plays an important role in effectively pitching and increasing throwing speed.

Avoid Muscular Fatigue

You’ll know you have muscle fatigue when your body experiences some soreness, which leads to pain in muscles. But sometimes the fatigue is not that obvious.

All the same, ballplayers should avoid exerting themselves to the point of muscular fatigue, especially if they have to play in the near future. This is because muscular fatigue results in a reflex reaction that inhibits certain movements that may worsen the soreness and pain. It’s as if the body shuts down some of its muscular functions to avoid further damage.

Now, if this happens when you are meant to pitch for an important game, you cannot pitch as effectively as you need to. That’s why it’s necessary to learn how your routines, training methods, and practice sessions impact your body. That way, you can avoid sessions or minimize exercises within a certain proximity to your next start.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the throwing speed of the average person depends on the age group they fall in.

For players who are 10 years old or younger, the average speed is 40-50 mph.

11 to 12-year-olds average between 50 to 60 mph.

13 to 14-year-olds average speed is 55-75 mph

18-year-olds average at the upper 70s

Players above 18 years average at the 80s

It’s highly possible to increase one’s speed by working on the various influencers of pitching velocity. These include physical strength, power, mechanics, mobility, and body weight. Also, be sure to avoid muscular fatigue right before the time you need to perform your best.

I hope this article has been helpful. Thanks for reading!

For more, don’t miss How Much Does a Monster Truck Cost | Buying vs. Building.

Main photo courtesy of Nan Palmer

Hey, I’m Jim and the author of this website. I have always been interested in survival, fishing, camping, and anything in nature. In fact, while growing up I spent more time on the water than on land! I am also a best-selling author and have a degree in History, Anthropology, and Music. I hope you find value in the articles on this website. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or input!

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5 Things You Must Understand About Baseball Long Toss Programs

Long toss programs have become one of the most popular forms of baseball training over the last several years. It seems like everyone on the internet has a long toss program that guarantees to increase your pitching velocity. The number of youth pitching injuries continues to increase at alarming rates, despite our pitch count guidelines and improved medical knowledge. This has caused some to question the role of aggressive long toss programs on the increased rate of injuries, which may or may not be fair, as there are many different ways of integrating long toss training programs.

The intent of this article is not to offer an opinion on whether or not long toss is appropriate, safe, effective, or anything else. The purpose is not to recommend a specific throwing program or distance either. Rather, I simply want to make sure you completely understand what long tossing does to your body before you start a training program. There are several things you need to understand to best implement a program that is specific to your needs.

Long Toss is Important

Let’s get this point out of the way first – long toss programs are important. I don’t think this is much of a debate as long toss, in some form, is a normal part of almost every baseball training program. Saying you do or do not like long toss is like saying you do or do not like Pizza. There is a large difference between Dominos pizza and something from Boson’s North End. Same goes for long toss. How you define long toss is probably more the debate.

Some consider 120 feet long toss, while others will say over 300 feet. That is a big difference. I don’t know the answer but I know that things change the further you throw. You need to understand this too.

While long tossing is important, it is also often blown out of proportion. People that are advocates of long toss programs will excitedly tell you which big leaguers utilize long distance long toss programs in their training. But realize there are also plenty of professional baseball players that do not incorporate a lot of long toss into their routines. I know many big leaguers who do not often throw more than 120-150 feet, and I’ve talked to many that live in colder climates and throw indoors in places like basketball courts all offseason, limiting the distance they can throw.

I only bring this up because I hear from many of my patients and clients about all these great MLB players that long toss, and while that is true, just realize there are many that do not.

I think long tossing is important to help get the arm in shape and accustomed to developing and dissipating forces. But you really need to understand many of the points below to truly appreciate what long toss does to your body.

Long Toss Does Not Increase Arm Strength

I’m not really sure where the concept of long tossing developing “arm strength” came from but it certainly is common. This may just be a garbage term that is thrown out there, or just an easy term to relate to the player, but to be clear and specific, I actually think throwing DECREASES arm strength.

In fact, I published a few years ago that Major League Baseball pitchers lose between 3-4% of rotator cuff strength over the course of a season , and that is with a well designed strength and conditioning program. It has also been shown that pitchers lose between 11-18% of arm strength from fatigue over the course of a game.

So I think it is safe to say that throwing doesn’t increase arm strength. Rather, it may actually be counterproductive for arm strength as throwing seems to fatigue the shoulder. Long tossing may improve something else, such as muscular endurance or arm speed, but there is a fine line between building speed and endurance and overloading and causing fatigue. If you cumulatively fatigue the arm, you will get strength loss, not gain, and put yourself at risk for injury.

This is an important concept to understand as young baseball players are hearing that long toss increases velocity and assuming that the more they long toss, the harder they will throw. This is resulting in more throwing over the course of the year. Now young baseball players are competitively pitching and then long tossing both during the inseason and offseason. Remember that pitching for more than 8 months out of the year increases your chance of getting injured by 5x!

There is a place for long toss, but it does not build arm strength. To build arm strength you need downtime from throwing and good arm care and strength and conditioning programs.

The Rehab World Does Not Say Stop at 120 Feet During Long Toss Programs

I’m going to take the blame for this one. One of the most common disputes I hear from advocates of long toss programs is that throwing to 120 feet isn’t long enough. I’ve heard and read many people criticize the baseball community for applying the same long toss programs for healthy players and players returning from injury, citing the that the published rehab throwing programs stop at 120 feet.

This is actually a misunderstanding and I speak from experience. I actually helped develop the most popularly utilized long toss rehabilitation programs used by Dr. James Andrews and I published these programs in the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy over a decade ago. If you actually read the manuscript, you’ll see that I don’t say that throwing programs should stop at 120 feet. In fact, the program actually goes out to 180 feet.

We simply state that you need to throw out to 120 feet before meeting the criteria to begin throwing off a mound. Some players will want to go past 120 feet (and should), while others will not. The point is, you don’t have to throw past 120 feet but in order to progress to throwing off a mound, long tossing to 120 feet is just one of the criteria.

Now I readily admit that these published long toss programs are not perfect, and I in fact do not quite follow these programs as I wrote myself. You see, it’s hard to develop a long toss program that is applicable for everyone. A certain amount of generalization needs to occur in the rehabilitation setting. We’ll talk more about this in my last point below.

Long Toss Does Not Promote Proper Pitching Mechanics

It is really impossible to use consistent pitching mechanics when long tossing. This is just simple physics. I’m not sure how people can state that long tossing helps with your pitching mechanics as you need to throw differently the further you go. Glenn Fleisig and the American Sports Medicine Institute recently analyzed the difference in mechanics between pitching off a mound and long tossing at 120 feet, 180 feet, and at maximum distance.

This study revealed significant mechanical changes during long toss. You are not throwing downhill, like on a mound. In fact you are actually throwing uphill, as your trunk is more upright and your front knee is less flexed the further you go back. Your upper trunk angle actually quadruples from pitching to throwing max distance.

These both have implications on throwing as your more upright position will change your trunk and front side’s contribution to throwing and your release point will vary dramatically.

Also, of interest is that you land with your foot position more open the further you throw. Essentially, you long toss more on a line than slightly across your body (which is normal). To me, this implies you need to have less rotational motion to throw the ball for maximum distance. You essential throw more like a ferris wheel than a carousel when you long toss, which utilizes different muscle recruitment patterns and motor planning from when you pitch.

So in light of all our recent research on motor control, neuromuscular planning, and specificity of training, it would appear long tossing does not support improving your mechanics.

I know from my experience with elite level pitching that your ability to repeat your mechanics over and over again is one of the most sought after skills and something the separates the elite from everyone else. Remember my first point above, long toss is important, but it is not because it helps with your mechanics or encourages repeating your delivery.

The Longer you Throw the More Stressful it is on Your Body

When our long toss programs were originally being developed, one of the first questions that we sought to answer was what happens to the forces on your body as you throw from certain distances. We know from the above information that you have kinematic changes, but what about the kinetic forces on the body? Dr. Fleisig also looked at the forces observed on the body in the above mentioned study.

Long tossing at 180 feet has significantly more elbow varus torque and shoulder internal rotation torque, essentially the two types of forces that cause injuries to your shoulder and elbow, especially Tommy John injuries.

We know that pitching a baseball places near maximal stress on the body with each pitch. Long tossing to 180 feet and beyond increases this stress more than pitching off a mound. This is one of the main reasons that the criteria for an injured player to start throwing off the mound is only 120 feet. At 120 feet, the forces observed are similar to pitching. So if you can throw to 120 feet, you can technically handle the stress of throwing off a mound.

Athletes can handle the stress observed during long tossing to 180 feet and beyond, but for how long and at what consequence? I had a discussion with Dr. Fleisig and Dr. Andrews about this concept and the analogy that was used was rather alarming – You can observe a group of Little League aged kids smoke a pack of cigarettes a day and none of them will likely get lung cancer while in Little League, but they may one day. What are we doing to them in the long-term?

Realize that the pitch count guidelines that were developed by Little League and USA Baseball are designed to prevent injuries by avoiding overuse. Long toss to 180 feet and beyond needs to be included in this equation as well. If you want to decrease you chances of getting injured by 5x, you need to not pitch or long toss for 4 months out of the year.

There is a time and place for long toss, but this needs to be treated like pitching and considered in the overall equation for overuse.

Maximum Distance Long Tossing is Stressful on Your Body

To me, the most interesting part of the studies from Dr. Fleisig and ASMI is when they analyzed maximum distance long tossing. In addition to analyzing how your biomechanics change as you throw from certain distances, they also assess the biomechanics of simple throwing as far as you can.

The results were staggering.

When asked to throw as far as they could, with a crow hop and with no restrictions on the amount of arc on the throw, pitchers averaged a throw of 264 feet, far below the recommendations seen in some baseball training programs.

This resulted in a 10% increase in both elbow varus torque and shoulder internal rotation torque. So while long tossing to 180 feet showed an increase in torque to your shoulder and elbow, these forces went up dramatically when throwing for maximum distance.

There is a risk / reward equation with long tossing to 180 feet, but this equation appears to heavily lean towards the risk when throwing further.

The Best Baseball Long Toss Program

I wrote this article for one simple reason – there is no such thing as the best baseball long toss program. Everyone wants one, but it just doesn’t exist. Everyone is different, including their body type, size, age, experience, and mechanics. Recommending one generic long toss program for everyone seems overly simplified. While it may help a small percentage of people, it appears that it could harm a much larger percentage. That is why the rehab throwing programs I published seem so basic.

Now that you understand some of the finer points of long toss programs, I hope this allows you to understand that the best long toss program needs to be individualized. You shouldn’t be doing a program just because some big leaguer is doing it, you should be doing it because it has been specifically developed for you in combination with a well designed arm care and strength and conditioning program.

To follow this up, I will write an article soon on what I believe long toss is actually doing and why it may be beneficial to include in baseball training programs, if designed appropriately.

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