How come MLB pitchers pitch so fast but it doesn't seem like their arms are moving very fast?

Question

Its a little perplexing because when you see a MLB pitcher throw a fast ball that hits about 90mph, it doesn't seem like their arms are moving any faster than someone throwing 65mph. I know there is a lot in mechanics, but even so, your arm has to move faster to throw it faster. Whats the deal?

Answer 1

believe it or not, it mostly has to do with the legs....the stronger the legs....the more powerful the push off the mound...the more force exerted into the energy during release....along the the strengh of the wrist as it whips durning release...arm strengh is certainly a factor....but if you want to throw harder...work on the legs...also...do not listen to answer number one...to throw the ball harder...you have to loosen the grip....tighten for a change-up...for a fastball...you should grip the ball as if it were an egg..so the wrist is nice and loose and allows for more whip

Answer 2

One reason you cannot really tell how hard MLB pitchers throw is due to the camera angle on television, which shoots them from behind. If you watched the same guy throwing a 95 mph fastball from a side view, you would see a completely different perspective, like how far they actually extend their front leg and stretch with their back leg off the pitching rubber generating tremendous force and how much they actually follow through with their bodies after releasing the ball. Most of the velocity is generated by the lower body and transferred up to the arm by rotating the hips and torso and following through with a healthy, flexible arm (like a whip action).

Answer 3

Arm speed is critical in throwing hard...but it's your legs, abs, and arm together that make the speed. Without the drive from your legs, the torque in your mid-section, and the arm speed, the ball will not go fast.

It's all relative...what looks the same, really isn't. It's just the way it looks in reality. If you actually took a frame by frame of a pitcher throwing 95 and one throwing 65, you will notice it's not the same. By at full speed, the naked eye can't pick that up.

The difference in 95 & 75, is less than .5 seconds.

Answer 4

because they snap their wrist, adding velocity, and the mark of a great change is that the arm action is the same. what changes is the grip, which spread the force out over the entire ball, making go slower

Answer 5

Trust me, their arm is moving fast, especially from the elbow down. If you look at old pictures of Koufax in motion his arm was a blur.

Answer 6

Because it is the combined whipping motion of the arm, wrist and fingers that gives the velocity.

Answer 7

They have already good arms (mostly all do)
Using the whiplike motion of the stretch and wind up, with strong legs make for more velocity

Answer 8

It's not how fast you throw the ball, it's how hard. It's all about the wrist.

Answer 9

depends how hard they push off the rubber with their legs. if they have weak legs and the same arm speed compared to someone with strong legs and the same arm speed. the person with stronger legs will throw harder

Answer 10

well i think its cuz they flick their wrisht REAAAAAAAALY fast so its adding about 30 mph to about sixty mph coming from the arm