Overhand MPH vs pitching MPH

[NorthMS]

I tried to search for this, but came up empty.

Is there a correlation to the speed of an overhand throw vs the pitching speed? Should the pitching speed, generally be more than the overhand throw?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Eric F]

I'm not a pitcher, neither is my DD, and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn last night. Based on my own observations...

...it depends.

I've seen girls who throw faster than they pitch, vice-versa, and some that were very close to the same.

 

[sluggers]

At the younger ages, pitchers throw underhand and overhand at about the same speed. Amy has convinced me that we spend too little time teaching overhand throwing mechanics to young pitchers.

At advanced levels, pitchers throw faster underhand than overhand. Not surprising, really...a good pitcher works 60 to 90 minutes a day, 5 days a week, 50 weeks out of the year on throwing underhand. If they don't throw faster underhanded, there would be something wrong.

 

[RetiredCoach]

I think that it is, in general, roughly the same. I haven't seen a fast pitcher not be able to throw overhand fast as well.

 

[GunnerShotgun]

Lots of guessing so lets look at some data from a PGF camp last November.

OH Avg	Rise Avg  Drop Avg  Screw Avg  Curv Avg  Pitch Avg  Grad Year
 51.0 	 59.3 	 59.7 	 59.3 	 58.3 	 59.2 	  2015
 51.3 	 53.3 	 56.3 	 56.0 	 56.3 	 55.5       2015
 56.0 	 51.0 	 52.3 	 52.0 	 54.3 	 52.4       2015
 50.0 	 61.0 	 60.7 	 61.0 	 60.7 	 60.8 	  2016
 53.7 	 53.0 	 54.7 	 54.0 	 53.7 	 53.8 	  2016
 50.0 	 56.0 	 56.7 	 56.3 	 58.0 	 56.8 	  2016
 48.3 	 48.3 	 48.7 	 48.7 	 49.3 	 48.8       2016
 57.3 	 56.0 	 51.7 	 56.0 	 56.3 	 55.0 	  2016
 52.0 	 59.7 	 57.7 	 58.3 	 59.7 	 58.8 	  2016
 48.3 	 50.7 	 54.3 	 51.3 	 50.7 	 51.8 	  2016
						
 51.8 	 54.8 	 55.3 	 55.3 	 55.7 	 55.3

While the sample size is to small to draw any conclusions it is noted that the pitching speed is faster by a few MPH for the sample. I think the bigger questions that lurk is that if your Over Hand (OH) is slower than your pitching speed is it due to poor OH throwing mechanics (and more finely tuned pitching mechanics). Conversely if you throw faster OH does that mean your pitching mechanics need work?

I could expand the sample to cover more players and grad years if interested. It's interesting with regards to the specific pitch speeds as well. The fourth pitcher on the list is interesting with her OH throw being 10 MPH slower than her pitching average.

 

[NorthMS]

Thanks gunner! That helps a lot.

We're started on AW recently and I pulled the gun out for DD#1 (14) on her overhand throw, for a baseline. She was 48-49 on normal throws (no crow hops), and pitches 47-48. I've been telling her she has more speed in the tank in regards to pitching.

 

[NorthMS]

Gunner, is there anywhere that the public can view the data from the camps?

 

[RookKev]

Something is wrong with that data. I don't know a single girl that throws below 60, much less avg's under 60. Are you sure those aren't kilometers p/h?

 

[Sparky Guy]

The fourth pitcher on the list is interesting with her OH throw being 10 MPH slower than her pitching average.

Sounds like Anjelica Selden. She could pitch like there was no tomorrow. But you didn't want her to field a ball.

 

[Sparky Guy]

Something is wrong with that data. I don't know a single girl that throws below 60, much less avg's under 60. Are you sure those aren't kilometers p/h?

The problems with the data are obvious. They were not using the grandpa radar gun with the parent filter on it. That's why so many of the speeds were too low.