So, as pitching velocities rapidly increase in baseball, more players are overusing their elbows, experiencing elbow pain, and risking UCL tears that often require the infamous Tommy John surgery. Since pitchers are so influential on the defensive side of a baseball game, there's a growing demand to improve throwing velocity, and baseball throwing programs are rising. Softball doesn't have the same demand because it's already hard to bat a softball from a shorter distance and reaction time. Softball was initially invented to be a safer, slower-paced game than baseball that could be played indoors when the weather was terrible.

Technique: The windmill motion of a softball pitch can't reach the high speeds of an overhand baseball pitch. Therefore, a 70 mile per hour softball fastball can compare to a 'low' 90 mile per hour baseball fastball. The two main reasons for this difference are:ĭistance: The shorter distance gap (43 feet) allows the softball pitch to reach home base much faster than a baseball pitch (60 feet). The pitching record for baseball is 105.1 miles per hour, while the softball record is 77 miles per hour. As mentioned before, baseball pitchers throw at higher speeds than softball pitchers. The UCL that connects the upper arm (humerus) and a forearm bone (ulna) at the elbow helps stabilize your arm when you throw. There are more elbow injuries in baseball than softball because of its overhand technique, notably ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tears. The elbow is where the effects of baseball and softball pitching diverge.

When you constantly pitch in baseball or softball, you strain and tear the muscles and tendons in the rotator cuff. It is made up of muscles and tendons (tissue that connects muscle to bone) that connect the upper arm bone (humeral head or the 'ball') and a part of your shoulder blade (glenoid or the 'socket') to form your shoulder joint. Why? The body part that helps you raise your arm is the rotator cuff. Therefore, we need to acknowledge that both baseball and softball pitchers are prone to shoulder injuries. More studies are focused on the impacts of baseball pitching, so future research that addresses the effects of softball pitching is needed. Although this is true to some extent, there is still potential for overuse in softball pitching. This knowledge contributed to the popular belief that softball pitchers can have more workloads and pitch more games than baseball players throughout the week. Many people point out that the overhand motion of baseball pitches is more unnatural to the rotator cuff. Let's compare and contrast the impacts of the different pitching techniques on these three parts of the arm. How baseball and softball pitches affect your arm College softball pitchers throw fastballs that get rates ranging from 58-65 miles per hour. Speed: Baseball fastballs (the most common type of pitch) from Major League Baseball starting pitchers reach an average speed of 92.3 miles per hour.

Technique: Baseball pitches are overhand, while softball pitches, also known as windmill pitches, are underhand.ĭistance: Baseball pitchers throw from 60 feet while softball pitchers throw from 43 feet. How are baseball and softball pitches different? Read on to find out the differences between baseball and softball pitching and, more importantly, what you can do to prevent injuries as a baseball player. There's even the infamous saying supposedly by Connie Mack that ' pitching is 75 percent of baseball '. The pitcher in both sports is widely considered the most important defensive position and plays a big part in determining a game's aftermath. Throwing is one of the most fundamental skills of baseball and softball.

Softball underhand throw