OMG - we got an outbreak of Yardbird Marshall Fungus!!!! Who's got the disinfectant????
People do teach LT wrong when kids are almost hitting airplanes when they do it. LT should be about increasing distance with a slight arc. To get that slight arc you have to throw the ball outward and not upward. If you do that then the velocity will increase as the distance is gained.
OF throws go over relay men heads because they are in the wrong spot usually. It's not that the OF threw it too high (which sometimes they do) but the relay men don't get close enough to the base or catcher. OF relays should be a long throw from the OF to the relay man and then a short throw to the base. When the ball gets into the gap / corner then you have two long throws. But in either one there has to be some height on the ball but not high enough to hit planes.
Imagine this - you go outside and pick up a baseball for the first time. You throw to get loose and then go to the foul line. You throw the ball 100 feet. I think we can all agree that's not good enough once you get to high school. So you have to improve upon it.
Put someone at 95 feet so they catch the ball around the chest / waist area and make 20 throws at max effort everyday for a month. You will see improvement in your speed but you are probably going to be around 110 feet.
Reason being - the weight and distance do not change and once you reach max effort there is nothing else left to improve upon. The arc will never change either. Only way to gain more is through natural growth which will only lead to another slight increase.
But if you put that guy at 95 feet and 20 throws for a week at max effort. Then the next week do the same thing at 100 feet. Each week after that increase about 10 feet you will eventually be throwing around 130 feet.
Reason being - the max effort doesn't change but the arc being thrown will go slightly up with each gain in distance. Plus to get it there requires more velocity.
Think about it like this - when you throw a ball you have to overcome gravity. Each time you increase the distance then you have to increase the arc or it won't get there. Once the ball leaves your hand it is decelerating but the thing you are trying to do is have the deceleration take place later than sooner. So the farther you throw the longer it takes to decelerate.
To go back to the marathon runner example - they incorporate sprinting in their training. Reason is they want to be able to increase their speed down the stretch in case they have to beat someone. The more they can train at max speed for a longer distance the bigger their advantage over someone who cannot maintain max speed for a longer distance.
So basically LT is about building up speed and bullpens are one part of the solution for endurance.
Plus LT is a great way to learn how to throw a changeup.