Whether you’re simply interested in the game of baseball, enjoy playing casually with friends, or want to practice your throwing for more professional play, it can help to know how far an average person can throw a baseball. However, how far someone can throw depends on several factors.
How far can an average person throw a baseball?
There are so many factors that go into throwing a baseball that it can be difficult to give an exact distance, or even estimate a distance, for how far an average person can throw a baseball.
For example, an adult is generally able to throw a baseball farther than a child or teenager. However, a person’s fitness level can also affect how far they can throw. Even if a person is fit, though, if their arm muscles aren’t as developed, they won’t be able to throw the ball as far.
A person’s weight can change throwing force. Even weather conditions, such as wind, can change how far someone can throw a ball.
In general, however, the average adult person can usually throw a baseball between 70 and 120 feet.
Children and teenagers who play baseball can usually throw a ball between 90 and 195 feet. How far a child should be able to throw the ball depends on their age, but it can also depend on their personal growth.
Children grow at different rates, so an eight-year-old might be able to throw a ball 120 feet. This is very impressive, but the child may only be achieving that distance because he’s growing faster than his peers. As the child ages, they might be able to throw the ball farther and farther.
On the other hand, some children don’t grow as tall or strong, and although they may once have been able to throw the ball an impressive distance, they might find that distance capped as they get older.
How far can a professional player throw a baseball?
Professional baseball players can usually throw a baseball much farther than the average person, but how far they can throw depends on a few different factors as well.
What position the person plays, for example, can often determine how good they are at throwing. Catchers often have to throw the ball across the baseball diamond, so they routinely throw a distance of 90 or more feet.
Outfields might have to throw across the outfield or from the far corners of the field to the infield. These players might be able to throw a ball 300 feet or more.
Pitchers can throw balls with incredible speed and force, but this doesn’t mean they can always throw the ball as far as other players. Some pitchers practice long throws to change up the muscle groups they’re using and try out different techniques.
Other pitchers feel that practicing long throws can damage the way they pitch since pitches are designed to move in a relatively short straight line.
When practicing, most professional baseball players throw the ball to each other at a distance of about 90 feet. During a game, you might see an outfielder make a very long throw, but more often, you’ll see players make short throws from one player to the next, using each person as a link in the chain.
These shorter throws don’t need to arch through the air as much, so they’re more direct and therefore much faster, which helps to secure more outs.
The record for the longest recorded baseball throw is held by Glen Gorbous. He set the record during an exhibition, and the ball flew a distance of 445 feet.
How can I get better at throwing a baseball?
If you feel that your throw is too short or you simply want to see if you can throw the ball a little farther, there are a few steps you can take. First, throw the ball gently back and forth with a partner. During this time, don’t worry too much about how hard, fast, or far you throw the ball. Instead, consider your form.
Think about what feels comfortable and what throws will give you the most power. Use your whole body to throw, and rotate your hips and shoulders in the direction you want the ball the fly. Release the ball as your hand passes your head. Work on your follow-through, moving your shoulders and back foot as you release the ball.
Practice throws of different lengths and forces. If you want to be able to throw the ball a long way, it’s still usually a good idea to practice throwing powerful throws that only go a short way.
This helps to exercise and stretch different muscles and lets you feel the difference between a short, powerful throw and a long-distance throw. It’s also a good idea to utilize different forms of strength training, such as lifting weights, to increase your muscle strength.
Don’t forget about finger placement when you throw the ball. How you move your hand and fingers can determine how far the ball flies and how it moves as it covers distance.
