Overhand Throwing Speed

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DD was at the UK camp over the weekend and I noticed the coaches recording with a radar gun the speed of the girls overhand throw from about 60 ft. or so. Can anyone relate what would be considered an average and above average speed for the overhand throw of a girl of High School age.

 

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Average...53-58
Above Average...58-63
D1...63-68

 

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Navarro, the shortstop for Arkansas throws 72.

 

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Average...53-58
Above Average...58-63
D1...63-68

Wow....sounds kinda high to me for your typical HS age player. These numbers sound more in line with high level players at a college recruiting camp. I would think that your typical HS age player throws mid 40's to low 50's. Above average speed would be in the mid 50's and up.

Len

 

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Wow....sounds kinda high to me for your typical HS age player. These numbers sound more in line with high level players at a college recruiting camp. I would think that your typical HS age player throws mid 40's to low 50's. Above average speed would be in the mid 50's and up.

Len

my 12u was gunned at a tryout back in August and they clocked her at 43...and she was by far the weakest arm there.
Anybody know where I can get some HGH?

 

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my 12u was gunned at a tryout back in August and they clocked her at 43...and she was by far the weakest arm there.
Anybody know where I can get some HGH?

Try meat milk and taters..............

 

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LK is right on with his times IMO those are what I was told were the specs while my DD was going through the recruiting process.

@Honor & Glory- went through the same thing with my oldest, weaker arm on the team. Proper mechanics and weight transfer took her from weaker arm to the 2nd strongest on the same team within 2 years, by her soph year she was gunned in the low 60's still the smallest kid on the field...so my 2cents, don't assume that your DD will continue to have a weaker arm. Just make sure, which I'm 100% sure your already doing she is throwing properly and transferring her weight.

 

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Here's the overhand throw results from the 2011 NFCA Las Vegas Recruiting Camp. Results are based on a total of 487 participants. Partcipants were HS age and consist of catchers, infielders, and outfielders. Each participant made two clocked throws so the results below are based on a total of 974 throws. I picked this camp because it had full results (most results are pitcher and catcher only), it is on the west coast, and it had the most participants. A quick study of an NFCA camp in NY produced similar results but only had 78 participants. A Blu-Chip College Recruitment Camp in Missouri produced lower results by 1-2 mph on average.

These numbers are from young ladies looking to be recruited....not your typical HS age player. The majority of the numbers from the recuitment camp are on the low end of LK's range.

Average clocked speed: 53.84 mph
Median clocked speed: 54 mph
Highest clocked speed: 67 mph
Lowest clocked speed: 39 mph

Top third average: 58.50 mph (56mph - 67mph)
Middle third average: 53.70 mph (52mph - 56mph)
Bottom third average: 49.31 mph (39mph - 52mph)

Middle half average: 53.77 mph (51mph - 57mph)
Median half average: 54mph

Top 10% average 61.31 mph (59mph - 67mph)
Top 10% median 61 mph

Data came from this link:
http://www.lvtourneys.com/NFCA/index.php



Len

 

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There is a difference between HS age players and HS players. My numbers represent what I have seen from typical HS age players that are playing travel ball. If I would throw in HS players I would lower my number by as much as 10 mph for average.

In my 8 years of travel I have only coached one maybe two girls that threw over 60.

 

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There is a difference between HS age players and HS players. My numbers represent what I have seen from typical HS age players that are playing travel ball. If I would throw in HS players I would lower my number by as much as 10 mph for average.

In my 8 years of travel I have only coached one maybe two girls that threw over 60.

I guess I read the question differently....lol.

If we're talking mid to high level travel ball players of HS age then your ranges are very close as the data I provided suggest. The data I analyzed from the various sources also suggest the the majority of players in any given range fall in the lower end of their respective range. Other data points of note:

Home to First times: 3.2 seconds on average
Home to Home times: 13.1 seconds on average
Pop to Pop times: 2.1 seconds on average

Pitchers:

Fastball: 55.7 mph
Curve: 55.4 mph
Change: 41.5 mph
Drop - Drop/Curve: 55.0 mph
Rise: 53.8 mph

It's amazing that, on average, other than the change the rise is the slowest pitch. The fastest gunned rise was 59 mph. The slowest was 49 mph. Unbelievable.......

Len

 

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We have been to about a dozen camps/recruiting combines over the past 4 years and Lenskis numbers are pretty much what I have seen.

The majority of the camps we attended were for HS players 14-18 year olds and there may have been a couple dozen players in total that that threw in the upper 60+ mph. The average speeds for pitching and overhand throw was under 60 mph...

They all did record the speed a little different. One camp had a square box set up like you see at a carnival. Others used jugs guns in back or in front of the player some had the gun set up on a tripod and the player was throwing from a line. At one camp this year they stood behind the players with what looked like a cell phone? Not sure which way is the most accurate but over all the numbers year to year were pretty consistent with Lens.

 

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Agree with LK, 45 to 55 typical and 55 to 60 plus when taught correctly.

Weight shift is virtually non existent in most females in my opinion which is why we teach how to throw first. We build from there to incorporate it into the hitting.

Little to no weight shift in hitting normally means a poor throwing technique as seen by the back leg not following around or landing on as stiff front leg.

Landing on the ball of the front foot on a flexed front knee at about 40 to 45 degrees seems to work pretty well.

Gerry built me a 16 x 16 x 5 inch box so the girls can step off the box and throw and they get the feel of it very quickly. The glutes do not fire in a female like a male does. Our knee works more like a hinge upon jumping or landing and theirs work more like a ball joint. They can be taught however.

Mark posted that Coach Candrea personally shows each freshman how to throw himself.

Crystl and I started teaching our kids at the clinics how to throw before we started teaching hitting and it has worked pretty well for us. I think it was 2003 or 2004 when we changed it.

Howard

 

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LK is right on with his times IMO those are what I was told were the specs while my DD was going through the recruiting process.

@Honor & Glory- went through the same thing with my oldest, weaker arm on the team. Proper mechanics and weight transfer took her from weaker arm to the 2nd strongest on the same team within 2 years, by her soph year she was gunned in the low 60's still the smallest kid on the field...so my 2cents, don't assume that your DD will continue to have a weaker arm. Just make sure, which I'm 100% sure your already doing she is throwing properly and transferring her weight.[/QUOTE

Thanks, Uber!
My DD has great coaches and she is always working on proper mechanics. Her speed, strength and agility trainer has also helped to develop her core strength and that is having a positive impact on her throwing speed as well. I guess the slowness took me by surprise because as a 10u and 11u she had very good throw out numbers from behind the plate. I guess the good news ther is her pop time and release are really good. Lol

 

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I guess I read the question differently....lol.

If we're talking mid to high level travel ball players of HS age then your ranges are very close as the data I provided suggest. The data I analyzed from the various sources also suggest the the majority of players in any given range fall in the lower end of their respective range. Other data points of note:

Home to First times: 3.2 seconds on average
Home to Home times: 13.1 seconds on average
Pop to Pop times: 2.1 seconds on average

Pitchers:

Fastball: 55.7 mph
Curve: 55.4 mph
Change: 41.5 mph
Drop - Drop/Curve: 55.0 mph
Rise: 53.8 mph

It's amazing that, on average, other than the change the rise is the slowest pitch. The fastest gunned rise was 59 mph. The slowest was 49 mph. Unbelievable.......

Len

The rise ball, more than any other pitch is fighting gravity because it is thrown in an upward trajectory. Higher pitches will almost always be slower than lower pitches. Have a pitcher throw ten chest high fastballs and ten knee high fastballs and the low pitches will average faster speeds.

 

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The rise ball, more than any other pitch is fighting gravity because it is thrown in an upward trajectory. Higher pitches will almost always be slower than lower pitches. Have a pitcher throw ten chest high fastballs and ten knee high fastballs and the low pitches will average faster speeds.

Do you think that an effective rise ball can be thrown at an average of 54mph? My point was that it is laughable to think you HAVE a rise ball at 54mph. Just call it a high fastball or an upshoot and be done with it. Rise ball my a$$.....

Len

 

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The rise ball, more than any other pitch is fighting gravity because it is thrown in an upward trajectory. Higher pitches will almost always be slower than lower pitches. Have a pitcher throw ten chest high fastballs and ten knee high fastballs and the low pitches will average faster speeds.

I think the main reason the rise could be slower in this age group is because of imperfect technique. Trying to put an effective "undercut" to get good backspin with the wrist aggressively bent is difficult to master, especially while trying to maintain good speed. So the speed suffers until the pitcher is more comfortable with the delivery.

Gravity does play a part in reducing the speed of pitches, but the difference in trajectory between a chest-high and knee-high pitch is not more than 2 or 3 degrees. Any measurable difference in speed between fastballs between the chest and knees is purely dependent on the mechanics of the pitch. A drop, usually thrown low, is going to have (SHOULD have) more spin than a straight fastball. In this age group, it's typical that a pitcher trying to induce aggressive spin will have a slower speed on those pitches - especially when trying to throw a turnover drop. A "drop" that comes in averaging the same speed as the pitcher's fastball probably didn't have any forward spin to make it drop, and was probably just a low fastball labeled as a "drop".

The data shown here shows the average speed of the movement pitches is nearly identical to the straight fastballs. This leads me to believe that quite a few of these movement pitches were thrown with improper, or lack of, spin and probably didn't move as expected. In other words, they were nothing more than another fastball.

It's interesting that female overhand throwing speeds almost exactly follow the same curve progression as underhand pitch speeds. Yet, the mechanics of the two are as different as night and day.

 

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Do you think that an effective rise ball can be thrown at an average of 54mph? My point was that it is laughable to think you HAVE a rise ball at 54mph. Just call it a high fastball or an upshoot and be done with it. Rise ball my a$$.....

Len

That is hilarious, the rise ball needs to be renamed. I do not believe it is physically possible to throw a rise ball. High Fastball , planer , something else besides riseball.

 

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Oh Boy, Rise ball debate.....let me go get my popcorn....:lmao:

 

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there are results posted at doug gillis' website, www.douggillis.com from his last college exposure event. some great, anonymous, data.

 

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Not every pitcher throwing can make a riseball move upwards. Some pitchers call their pitch a riseball when indeed, it is not. However; there is a riseball in this game and a pitch thrown at 54mph in velocity can break upwards if given the proper spin or revolutions per second(RPS) to allow this to happen. As in all spin pitches, there is a need for the proper balance of velocity (V), spin (RPS), and distance traveled to successfully get a final result.

I personally watched Sara Pauley set up a demonstration where she set 2 separate ropes up across the pitching lane and in front of her catcher and was able to throw the ball under the first rope and break upwards and over the second rope. While trying to show us, she struggled and hit the second rope a few times so she moved back about 5 feet to throw. After moving back, she completed the demonstration 6-10 times without missing while we got a chance to stand at the ropes and see the ball clear them. Her riseball was thrown much slower than her fastball but I don't know the speed or the RPS she had on her pitch.

I believe Rev Fire has a chart suggesting 21 RPS's for 43 feet as a good to great for an average high school pitcher throwing from 43 feet so we can only assume the speed to be in the mid-50's. I don't have time to do the math right now. Remember, air density can be a determining factor on just how much a ball will move, even if the proper balance is obtained.