The Launch Window Hypothesis and the Speed-Accuracy Trade-Off in Baseball Throwing

Abstract

The speed-accuracy trade-off in throwing has been well described, but its cause is poorly understood. The popular impulse-variability hypothesis lacks relevance to throwing, while the launch window hypothesis has explanatory potential but has not been empirically tested. The current study therefore aimed to quantify the speed-accuracy trade-off and launch window during a throwing task at two different speeds. Nine elite junior baseball players (M age = 19.6 yr.; M height = 1.80 m; M weight = 75.5 kg) threw 10 fastballs at 80 and 100% of maximal throwing speed (MTS) toward a 7 cm target from a distance of 20 m. A 3D motion analysis system measured ball speed and trajectory. A speed-accuracy trade-off occurred, mediated by increased vertical error. This can be attributed to the launch window, which was significantly smaller, particularly its vertical component, during 100% MTS. Maximal throwing speed correlated negatively with launch window size. The launch window hypothesis explained the observed speed-accuracy trade-off, providing a framework within which aspects of technique can be identified and altered to improve performance.