Often, yes, but not automatically. Long toss builds arm strength, throwing endurance, and a loose, athletic arm swing, and many pitchers gain velocity when it's done consistently and correctly. The research is honestly mixed on direct mph gains, and how you long toss matters more than how far. The full protocol, with videos, is below.
Walk past any high school field in February and you'll see pitchers spread across the outfield, airing baseballs out 200 feet. Somebody's dad swears long toss added five miles an hour. Somebody's trainer says it ruins mechanics. A parent googling for a straight answer finds a biomechanics debate written for other trainers.
So here's the straight answer, and then everything you need to actually use it.
What long toss actually builds
Three things, reliably. Arm strength and endurance: throwing at distance is progressive work for the arm, the way longer runs build a runner's engine. Range of motion and looseness: reaching for distance stretches the throw out and frees up an arm that mound work tends to tighten. And the one that matters most for young pitchers: athleticism at full intent.
“Long toss lets a pitcher throw at 100% and stay an athlete while he does it.”
Full effort, whole body, no mound tightening him up.That last one deserves a sentence more. When kids throw hard on a mound, plenty of them tense up and muscle the ball, aiming instead of throwing. Chasing distance in an open field flips a switch: the legs drive, the body moves like it's playing, and the throw organizes itself around effort that feels free instead of forced. That's the version of high-intent throwing we want young arms learning first.
Does it add velocity, though?
Here's the honest version, because you deserve it over a sales pitch. Many pitchers gain speed during periods of consistent, well-run long toss, and coaches from youth ball to the big leagues use it for exactly that reason. At the same time, the research is mixed. Studies show that throwing mechanics change at extreme distances, and that maximum-distance throws load the arm at least as much as pitching does, which means long toss earns velocity as a training effect over weeks, not as a magic trick over an afternoon.
So the fair summary: long toss is one of the best tools for building the engine that velocity comes from. It is not a guarantee, and any program promising specific mph from it is selling something. What decides the outcome is the delivery doing the throwing, which is where the last section of this article comes in.
The house method: how our training plans run long toss
There are two camps in long toss. One says air it out with arc and chase distance. The other says stay flat and keep your mound mechanics. Our plans use both, in the same session, because each phase does a different job.
Long Toss + Pull-downs
High-Intent SessionOpen field with a partner (recommended), or use a net if needed.
Extension phase: throw with arc to stretch out to your maximum comfortable distance. On the way back in, deliver 5-15 pull-downs. Start at the lower end and build up as you get stronger. Maintain the exact same aggressive arm speed, but throw the ball on a line at your partner's chest.
A free, loose, and aggressive arm swing. Let your body feel the patterns you've been working on in your drills. Intent is 100%.
Long Toss with Arc Only
High-Intent SessionOpen field with a partner (recommended), or use a net if needed.
Extension phase: throw with arc to stretch out to your maximum distance. Focus entirely on leverage and distance. Once you reach your max distance, work back in slowly with easy throws.
High intent, but let the arc of the ball do the work instead of overthrowing. Let your body feel the patterns you've been working on in your drills.
Two sessions a week is plenty, and they should be the hard-throwing days of the week, not extras stacked on top of them. For pitchers under about 12, stick to the arc-only version. Pull-downs are maximum-effort throws, and young arms get everything they need from chasing distance with arc. The pull-down phase enters the picture as pitchers mature and, ideally, once someone who knows their delivery is keeping an eye on it.
How far by age?
One rule beats the whole chart: distance is earned, never forced. The moment a pitcher has to change his throw to reach his partner (a big crow hop turning into a running heave, a grunt where a rhythm used to be), he's past his max. Come in ten feet and own that distance instead.
The rules that keep long toss safe
- Long toss counts as throwing. Max-distance throws load the arm about as much as pitching does. It goes on the throwing-workload ledger, never on top of a full ledger. No long toss the day after a real pitching outing.
- Warm up first. Long toss is the workout, not the warm-up. Easy catch, stretching out gradually, then distance.
- Build distance over weeks, not innings. Adding 10 feet a week is progress. Adding 60 feet in one Saturday is a dare.
- Soreness that lingers or any actual pain ends the session. And if pain comes back the next time he throws, a doctor looks at it before anyone resumes. Never trade a healthy arm for a number, including a distance number.
The part most parents miss
“Long toss doesn't build a delivery. It reveals one.”
Whatever patterns he throws with, distance amplifies.Long toss makes a pitcher stronger at whatever he already does. If his delivery is clean, hundreds of high-intent throws groove exactly the patterns you want. If he's flying open or dragging his arm, long toss grooves that instead, with more force behind it every week. The tool amplifies. It doesn't correct.
Which is why the smartest first step isn't measuring off 150 feet. It's finding out what delivery he'd be reinforcing. Film one pitch, upload it to our free evaluation, and we'll break his delivery down frame by frame: what's clean and ready to be amplified, and what to fix before the volume gets stacked on top of it.
Find out what his long toss would be reinforcing
Upload one video and get a free frame-by-frame breakdown of his delivery: what's working, what's leaking, and what to fix before adding training volume.
Start the Free Evaluation →Takes about 2 minutes · See a sample analysis firstCommon questions
How far should a 12-year-old long toss?
Most 11 and 12-year-olds max out somewhere between 100 and 150 feet. The number itself matters less than the standard behind it: max distance is the farthest he can throw while staying comfortable and keeping his normal delivery. Forcing distance past that point trains bad habits.
Does long toss make you throw harder?
It builds the arm strength, endurance, and loose arm action that harder throwing comes from, and many pitchers gain speed over weeks of consistent long toss. Direct guarantees aren't honest, though. The research is mixed, and results depend on the delivery doing the throwing.
How often should a young pitcher long toss?
Twice a week works well for most, treated as the high-effort throwing days of the week. Long toss counts as real throwing workload, so it never stacks on top of a pitching outing or a sore arm.
Is long toss safe for young arms?
Run sensibly, yes: warmed up first, built up gradually, counted as throwing workload, and stopped at pain. Maximum-distance throws load the arm about as much as pitching, which is why the same rest rules apply. Lingering soreness or pain means stop and see a doctor.
Should long toss be thrown flat or with arc?
Both have a job. Arc throws stretch out distance, range of motion, and athletic freedom. Line throws (pull-downs) translate that looseness back into aggressive, mound-like intent. Our protocol uses arc on the way out and pull-downs on the way back in, with younger kids sticking to arc only.
Upload one video. See his delivery frame by frame. Free.
We'll show you exactly where his mechanics are costing him, and what to work on first.
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