toss distance/ mph conversion

Distance vs. velocity

Look at the table on the lower left. About 73 mph.

CaDad since you are the guru of speed in my estimation I have a question for you. On that chart it says that if you throw 305' it equals 90mph. Am I reading that properly? My son is throwing at his max distance now long tossing '310. He starts at 60' for 5 then 90' for 5 120' for 5 150' for 5 180' for 3 210' for 3 240' for 3 270' for 2 and 300' for 2. Then he works back in to 240' for 3 on a line as much as possible and then 210 and so on. The other day he threw his throws from 300' and hit 305' and 310' on the second. Does this really equate to him being able to throw 90? The last time I put a gun on him was from home to second- he is a catcher. He was 82. By the way it is effortless for him up to the 240' range then he really has to get into it to reach the 270' 300' range. He can throw 300' several times in a row but I make him stop because I worry about strain on the arm. He has just started pushing past the 300' mark. We use the football field. The other day he threw from the goal line and it landed in the endzone right at the 310' mark or about three or four yards in the endzone. He is only 15, last year at this time he was maxing around 270' 280'. I personally think he is around mid 80's from the hill. What do you think , doesnt that sound more realistic than 90 on that chart.

I'm not a guru of anything. Anything I say or write is worth just as much as you pay for it. My take on it is that when your son puts his maximum effort into throwing, including a crow hop, etc. at just the right angle he is capable of reaching about 90 mph. Put him on the hill and he'd be throwing mid 80s but would have the potential to throw a pitch 89 or 90 mph if he was throwing as hard as he could, not worrying about control and everything clicked.

Also when you are throwing those types of distances even a light breeze can have a fairly significant effect so you have to be careful.

My 13yo maxes out at about 210' and maxes out at 69 or 70 mph on the mound. He throws mid 60s.

I hope I didnt offend you by calling you a guru CaDad. I enjoy your posts and your input. Thanks for the response to my question. I agree he is right around mid 80's from the hill right now. He throws alot harder from behind the plate than he does on the hill thats for sure.

I would suspect that there are a lot of factors that influence the formula. CaDad pointed out an important one when he mentioned the crow hop. Another thing we’d need to know is what type of drag is calculated into the formula. Do these numbers assume a large drag factor like a knuckle ball will produce or do they already assume a 4 seamed, 6-12, tight rotating fastball?

Obviously wind can play a large factor when throwing that far but if we really want to get real scientific, you need to know other factors such as altitude, humidity, etc. At that difference the condition of the ball can even make a measurable difference.

The bottom line is that it appears that going off the chart has plenty of margin for error but when Coach May’s son or anyone throws a non-wind aided 310 feet, I think it’s safe to say with reasonable certainty that he can throw mid-eighties for sure and possibly higher; outstanding for a kid his age.

A side note: In the olden days before radar guns, teams used to hold contests to see who could throw the furthest. I recall some throws were of incredible distance and must have had a decent wind behind them although they never mentioned it. It sure makes for some tall stories looking back at the distances. I forgot where on the web I seen this but I thought some throws were recorded at 400 feet or more.

SBK

A few arms to mention from the olden days

Mays
Clemente
Furillo
Colavito
Evans
Berra

I am sure I am missing others but these guys had no limits when it came to arms--and wind nothing to do with it

TR as a kid I used to marvel at Clemente's arm from RF. I am still in awe of his abilities as a player but his arm stands out in my mind as one of the most impressive abilities I have ever seen on a baseball field. People today talk about the players arms of today. I wish kids today could see that man throw a baseball. It was awesome.

SBK,
Agreed.

Coach May,
No offense taken. Sometimes people will consider someone to be knowledgeable just because they post a lot on a subject and I didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea about me, especially since I've had instances on here where I've defended my opinions quite vigorously only to find that I'd learned from the other side of the argument and had to modify my opinions.

TR,
And last night we saw the importance of a good arm in the outfield when the Angels held Erstad who might have been the tying run in the bottom of the ninth rather than testing Guillen's arm. That was a key play for the Nationals.

Long toss alone wont do much for you. You need a combination of factor to work together. Mechanics, core strength (legs strength, abs rotation strength, arm strength) and long toss. Obviously to get strength you need to do weight and perform exercises that estimulate the above mention part of your body. None would work alone by itself. Because all the above interact together in the pitching motion. By the way, sorry if somebody get upset, not here to argue.