PDA

View Full Version : Can a person kick a ball farther or throw a ball farther



sneakers
10-07-2013, 05:27 PM
which one goes farther?

BroncoWave
10-07-2013, 05:29 PM
Interesting question. I would probably say kick. Seems the upper limit of how far a QB can throw a ball on the fly is around 70 yards or so. Kickoffs routinely go further than that.

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
10-07-2013, 06:07 PM
I'd say it's pretty even. There are some quarterbacks who can throw the ball 90+ yards.

BroncoWave
10-07-2013, 06:08 PM
I'd say it's pretty even. There are some quarterbacks who can throw the ball 90+ yards.

On the fly? I highly doubt it. Not a regulation NFL football.

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
10-07-2013, 06:18 PM
On the fly? I highly doubt it. Not a regulation NFL football.

John Elway did it....and in San Diego, 90 yards in the air. My son is only 16 and he can chuck it about 55-60 yards in the air. Michael Vick was reputed to be able to throw a ball 100 yards....there's a long list of qb's who have been able to chuck it in the 90 yard range. Brett Favre chucked it over 85 yards in the qb competition back in the day they use to have skill competitions at the pro bowl.

slim
10-07-2013, 06:28 PM
It depends.

Dreadnought
10-07-2013, 06:30 PM
John Elway did it....and in San Diego, 90 yards in the air. My son is only 16 and he can chuck it about 55-60 yards in the air. Michael Vick was reputed to be able to throw a ball 100 yards....there's a long list of qb's who have been able to chuck it in the 90 yard range. Brett Favre chucked it over 85 yards in the qb competition back in the day they use to have skill competitions at the pro bowl.

Did Kyle Orton participate? Just curious.

Dapper Dan
10-07-2013, 07:02 PM
It depends on the person.

John Elway can throw a football farther than he can kick it.

Matt Prater can kick a football farther than he can throw it.

Moar threds!!!1!!!1

slim
10-07-2013, 07:04 PM
I can throw a baseball farther than I can kick it.

slim
10-07-2013, 07:05 PM
I can also kick a soccer ball farther than I can throw it.

Dapper Dan
10-07-2013, 07:07 PM
I can probably kick a cheeseburger faster than I can eat it. But I'd rather eat it.

OrangeHoof
10-07-2013, 07:21 PM
I can catch hail quicker than I can hail a cab if it counts for anything.

Joel
10-07-2013, 10:14 PM
Farthest throw I've seen was 72 yds from Randall Cunningham at the old NFL QB Challenge on TV. Most years most guys were in the 60-65 range. That's about the limit for accurate kicks though, too. I think it's about even, and that's not as surprising as it might seem if we consider passing power mainly comes from legs and hips—just like kicking power. It also depends what we want (e.g. accuracy vs. raw distance,) and the ground (air?) rules. Ball travel (i.e. end-over-end vs. an aerodynamic point-first spiral) makes a difference. So do drop kicks bouncing off the ground first rather than kicking a stationary ball from a tee or hold.

My bet is it's pretty close to a wash for most folks, but the spiral and ability to guide balls with hand and fingers makes the throw more accurate. Prater or someone bounced a kickoff off an upright yesterday, and that's 75 yds from the tee, but it didn't go THROUGH the uprights, and on the rare occasions one does it takes a strong leg and lots of luck.

Joel
10-07-2013, 10:21 PM
Also, I assume this is through the air, not counting the roll? There's an apocryphal story in The Hidden Game of Football about Arnie Herbers (perhaps the first true bomber) teammates betting him he couldn't throw a ball the length of the field if they gave him the roll. So he stands on the goal line, heaves it downfield, it hits at the 15—and bounces BACK because the angle was so sharp, just like the other Packers expected.

BroncoWave
10-07-2013, 10:23 PM
John Elway did it....and in San Diego, 90 yards in the air. My son is only 16 and he can chuck it about 55-60 yards in the air. Michael Vick was reputed to be able to throw a ball 100 yards....there's a long list of qb's who have been able to chuck it in the 90 yard range. Brett Favre chucked it over 85 yards in the qb competition back in the day they use to have skill competitions at the pro bowl.

I have a hard time believing Elway threw an NFL football 90 yards in the air or that Vick threw one 100. I would have to see video to believe that.

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
10-07-2013, 10:41 PM
I have a hard time believing Elway threw an NFL football 90 yards in the air or that Vick threw one 100. I would have to see video to believe that.

I've seen video of Elway completing a pass 86 yards in the air, when he was in high school. A lot of people have probably seen it. It use to be part of a commercial. He threw it from the 7 yard line of the left hash mark and the receiver caught it on the right sideline at about the 7 yard line. That ball went well over 90 yards in the air....and that was when he was in high school. You can probably find it on youtube.

I've seen Troy Smith throw it 75 yards in a throwing competition. His arm was strong, but he didn't have a cannon.

BroncoWave
10-07-2013, 10:50 PM
I've seen video of Elway completing a pass 86 yards in the air, when he was in high school. A lot of people have probably seen it. It use to be part of a commercial. He threw it from the 7 yard line of the left hash mark and the receiver caught it on the right sideline at about the 7 yard line. That ball went well over 90 yards in the air....and that was when he was in high school. You can probably find it on youtube.

I've seen Troy Smith throw it 75 yards in a throwing competition. His arm was strong, but he didn't have a cannon.

High school footballs are quite a bit smaller than NFL footballs. I want to see a player throw a regulation NFL football that far.

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
10-07-2013, 10:56 PM
High school footballs are quite a bit smaller than NFL footballs. I want to see a player throw a regulation NFL football that far.

I'm not sure what you're talking about. The footballs used in high school and college are the same size as the NFL. My son's NFL ball is the same size as the one he plays high school ball with. They stop using junior balls when they get out of junior high.

There was also a commercial years ago where Dan Patrick is quoted as saying Elway has the longest documented completion in the air in NFL history in SD for over 90 yards. Vick's stories are lore, but Elway has documented throws that far.

BroncoWave
10-07-2013, 10:59 PM
Huh, well ok then. I seemed to have it stuck in my head that 70-80 was as far as NFL guys could throw it. I guess I'll take your word for it.

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
10-07-2013, 11:02 PM
Huh, well ok then. I seemed to have it stuck in my head that 70-80 was as far as NFL guys could throw it. I guess I'll take your word for it.

Well, there was only one Elway. 70-80 is as far as most qb's can throw it. However there are always a few genetic freaks out there.

chazoe60
10-07-2013, 11:07 PM
I heard that Elway could throw a baseball from home plate and hit the center field wall in the air. Not sure if that's true and all ballparks are different, but if it is true no matter the park it's one helluva throw.

topscribe
10-07-2013, 11:37 PM
John Elway did it....and in San Diego, 90 yards in the air. My son is only 16 and he can chuck it about 55-60 yards in the air. Michael Vick was reputed to be able to throw a ball 100 yards....there's a long list of qb's who have been able to chuck it in the 90 yard range. Brett Favre chucked it over 85 yards in the qb competition back in the day they use to have skill competitions at the pro bowl.
Much of that is exaggerated. I remember Elway's pass in SD. I don't remember
just what year it was at the moment, but it was to McCaffrey, I believe. The
DB who was covering him had actually given up because he thought they were
too far downfield. The pass went 80 yards.

I saw the QB competition in which Favre participated. He lost it because he
accidentally threw a lame duck. So he just started throwing footballs, every
one he could find. The last one he threw went 77 yards.

I severely doubt that Vick or anyone else can throw a football 100 yards.
Just go out and stand on the goal line and try to look at the other goal
line. You can't even see it. There is a limit to human performance, and
Superman is dead, last I heard.

Here's a tidbit: When Kyle Orton was 17, he threw the ball 72 yards in a
QB competition. He beat John Kitna, who had already turned pro, in that
contest. In another contest, our own Peyton Manning threw it 68 yards.
I know the year to that one: 2002. Tom Brady and Jake Plummer were in
that one, too. Brady threw it 67 yards, and Jake 66. Jake won the
overall contest that year. Just a side note.

There are a lot of stories about what some of the legends have done. One
thing about myths and legends: They can get pretty wild . . .
.

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
10-07-2013, 11:47 PM
Much of that is exaggerated. I remember Elway's pass in SD. I don't remember
just what year it was at the moment, but it was to McCaffrey, I believe. It
The DB who was covering him had actually given up because he thought they
were too far downfield. The pass went 80 yards.

I saw the QB competition in which Favre participated. He lost it because he
accidentally threw a lame duck. So he just started throwing footballs, every
one he could find. The last one he threw went 77 yards.

I severely doubt that Vick or anyone else can throw a football 100 yards.
Just go out and stand on the goal line and try to look at the other goal
line. You can't even see it. There is a limit to human performance, and
Superman is dead, last I heard.

Here's a tidbit: When Kyle Orton was 17, he threw the ball 72 yards in a
QB competition. He beat John Kitna, who had already turned pro, in that
contest. In another contest, our own Peyton Manning threw it 68 yards.
I know the year to that one: 2002. Tom Brady and Jake Plummer were in
that one, too. Brady threw it 67 yards, and Jake 66. Jake won the
overall contest that year. Just a side note.

There are a lot of stories about what some of the legends have done. One
thing about myths and legends: They can get pretty wild . . .
.


Well neither Kitna nor Orton were known to have cannons for arms. You might be right about Elways throw in SD because I'm just repeating what Dan Patrick said in a commercial. Do you think he fabricated it? I've seen the video of Elway's high school throw with my own eyes.

I'm not sure which year you're talking about with Favre because I'm pretty sure he won the year I'm talking about.

topscribe
10-07-2013, 11:53 PM
Well neither Kitna nor Orton were known to have cannons for arms. You might be right about Elways throw in SD, but I've seen the video of Elway's high school throw with my own eyes.

I'm not sure which year you're talking about with Favre because I'm pretty sure he won the year I'm talking about.
Oh yes, in fact, I might still have that video. I downloaded it a couple years
ago or so. I actually showed it at one time and calculated the throw at 85
yards, IIRC. Then TXBronc did the same calculation and said, no, it was 80,
When I went back and did it again, I found he was right. A high school kid
throwing the ball 80 yards in the air. Talk about a freak.

And yes, Favre did win that competition, IIRC. He won the distance, too.
That one lame duck didn't make any difference because, as I remember,
they took off the longest and shortest throws, anyway, back then. It
just got to his ego, I guess. Maybe it embarrassed him before a national
audience. But he really lost it at that point. lol

And I don't want to get into any debate about how strong Orton's arm is.
All I know is that he threw it 72 yards as a high school senior. :whoknows:
.

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
10-07-2013, 11:57 PM
Oh yes, in fact, I might still have that video. I downloaded it a couple years
ago or so. I actually showed it at one time and calculated the throw at 85
yards, IIRC. Then TXBronc did the same calculation and said, no, it was 80,
When I went back and did it again, I found he was right. A high school kid
throwing the ball 80 yards in the air. Talk about a freak.

And yes, Favre did win that competition, IIRC. He won the distance, too.
That one lame duck didn't make any difference because, as I remember,
they took off the longest and shortest throws, anyway, back then. It
just got to his ego, I guess. Maybe it embarrassed him before a national
audience. But he really lost it at that point. lol

And I don't want to get into any debate about how strong Orton's arm is.
All I know is that he threw it 72 yards as a high school senior. :whoknows:
.
From the 7 to the 7 is 80 yards? Are we talking about the same throw?

topscribe
10-08-2013, 12:03 AM
From the 7 to the 7 is 80 yards? Are we talking about the same throw?
Maybe not. I studied the one video. There might have been others. But
I would have to see it to believe it. (I know how to calculate the actual
distance. Remember, the field is 53 yards wide, too.) I have seen some
very strong arms in my 50+ years of football, and I personally have never
seen or heard (factually) about anything over 80 yards . . . and there is
only one person I have seen actually do that: our own John Elway.
.

Ravage!!!
10-08-2013, 10:20 AM
I don't think Elway could throw the ball 90 yrds in the air. I would have to see it to believe it, and I dont believe it. Vick has a CANNON of an arm. Truly, an amazing arm. But he can't throw the ball 100yrds in the air. Flacco has a REALLY strong arm, and he threw a BOMB against us last year, and when he did, he put some air under it so that it rainbowed (which is why our DBs really blew it on the timing)....and it wasn't near 100 yrd throw.

The leg is not only the largest muscle in the body, but he foot can generate a LOT more speed than an arm can. Not only do kick-offs go further than throws, but they do it while going WAY up into the air.

underrated29
10-08-2013, 10:31 AM
The only time I remember seeing elway throw anything over 90 yards was when NERF came out with that new swoosh? football thing. Remember that torpedo looking thing. It was like the first half of a mini-football with a tailwing on the back of it. I think it was called a swoosh but im not sure. In that commercial Elway was at CUBuffs stadium I think. He stood on the goalline and chucked it all the way to the little slant hill thing behind the endzone.


The only other throw I have ever seen go super far was Jamarcus walRussell in a drill- that one looked to be around the 80 yard marker.

BroncoWave
10-08-2013, 10:51 AM
The only time I remember seeing elway throw anything over 90 yards was when NERF came out with that new swoosh? football thing. Remember that torpedo looking thing. It was like the first half of a mini-football with a tailwing on the back of it. I think it was called a swoosh but im not sure. In that commercial Elway was at CUBuffs stadium I think. He stood on the goalline and chucked it all the way to the little slant hill thing behind the endzone.


The only other throw I have ever seen go super far was Jamarcus walRussell in a drill- that one looked to be around the 80 yard marker.

Vortex football.

BroncoWave
10-08-2013, 10:52 AM
I don't think Elway could throw the ball 90 yrds in the air. I would have to see it to believe it, and I dont believe it. Vick has a CANNON of an arm. Truly, an amazing arm. But he can't throw the ball 100yrds in the air. Flacco has a REALLY strong arm, and he threw a BOMB against us last year, and when he did, he put some air under it so that it rainbowed (which is why our DBs really blew it on the timing)....and it wasn't near 100 yrd throw.

The leg is not only the largest muscle in the body, but he foot can generate a LOT more speed than an arm can. Not only do kick-offs go further than throws, but they do it while going WAY up into the air.

I tend to agree with this. Seems like the classic fish story, where the fish you caught gets bigger every time you retell it. I have a REALLY hard time believing anyone has every thrown an NFL football 100 yards. MAYBE 90 if there was a really strong backwind, but even that I doubt.

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
10-08-2013, 11:44 AM
I tend to agree with this. Seems like the classic fish story, where the fish you caught gets bigger every time you retell it. I have a REALLY hard time believing anyone has every thrown an NFL football 100 yards. MAYBE 90 if there was a really strong backwind, but even that I doubt.

Well, like I said, I have never seen it done. The longest throw I've ever seen was the one Elway completed in high school. The feet of throwing a ball 90+ yards doesn't seem impossible to me. I could throw a ball over 50 yards when I was 37 and I'm only 5'11" 190.

underrated29
10-09-2013, 12:25 PM
Vortex football.




Yes, thats it!

Elway could only throw that thing 90 yards and that thing flies forever. I doubt that he or anyone else could throw a larger less aerodynamic object equally as far or close to it.

topscribe
10-09-2013, 01:16 PM
Yes, thats it!

Elway could only throw that thing 90 yards and that thing flies forever. I doubt that he or anyone else could throw a larger less aerodynamic object equally as far or close to it.
Well, I know Elway could throw the ball 80 yards because I saw him do it
twice: once in high school, and once against SD as a pro.
.

BroncoNut
10-09-2013, 01:28 PM
I think it depends on the individual like another poster suggested.

BroncoWave
10-09-2013, 03:22 PM
Well, I know Elway could throw the ball 80 yards because I saw him do it
twice: once in high school, and once against SD as a pro.
.

Big difference in 80 and 90 yards though. I don't doubt he could throw it 80, but that seems like the upper limit to me. And in a game, when you saw him do it, he probably had some adrenaline pumping too, which always helps.

Slick
10-09-2013, 03:40 PM
Elway used to throw some deep balls 60 yards or more, and sometimes that was from one side of the field to the other so I don't think 80 to 90 yards is out of the question.

As to the size of footballs, I thought I remember reading that the high school balls were in fact smaller up until about 5 years ago. I'll see if I can find a link.

topscribe
10-09-2013, 08:03 PM
Big difference in 80 and 90 yards though. I don't doubt he could throw it 80, but that seems like the upper limit to me. And in a game, when you saw him do it, he probably had some adrenaline pumping too, which always helps.
I wouldn't doubt it. It was during game action Elway did it.

You may be right about the difference betwenn 80 and 90, too. It may be
like the day Roger Bannister ran the 4 minute mile, if they would have said
he could have run it in 3:50, which was then a long ways away from the
3:59 he ran. Sometimes, a few seconds or yards seems so close, but
then get out there and try to do it,

Take Favre's 77 yard toss, for instance (which he did in anger, so there's
the possible adrenaline factor). That's only three yards away from 80.
So could he do it? Well, obviously, he couldn't do 78, and that's one yard,
if you get my drift.
.
.

AlWilsonizKING
10-10-2013, 09:53 AM
Not sure about throwing a ball, but as far as Disc Golf goes....

You can roll a disc further than you can throw it. Though there are not many good opportunities to roll them on most of the courses.

Just an FYI....


PEACE!!!

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
10-10-2013, 11:02 AM
Here's the video. He's standing on about the 10-12 yard line, he spins and rolls to his left and launches the ball from the 7 between the hash marks. The guy catches the ball at the six yard line on the right side of the harshmark, but the ball would have easily travelled to the 5 or 4 yard line if not caught.

Check it out at the 12:56 mark. It's easily 88 yards in the air.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=wgiMa8DaMdk#t=773

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
10-10-2013, 05:15 PM
So I finally found the video, and no one takes the time to look? Jeesh!

:confused:

Slick
10-10-2013, 05:21 PM
I saw it babycakes. Hell of a throw.

Dapper Dan
10-10-2013, 08:17 PM
I tried to count the yard markers. It looked to be about 70 yards.

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
10-10-2013, 08:22 PM
I tried to count the yard markers. It looked to be about 70 yards.

70? He threw it from the 7 to the 6..

Dapper Dan
10-10-2013, 08:30 PM
70? He threw it from the 7 to the 6..

The quality is iffy. I can't tell for sure if that's the goal line. So I assumed the lines were 5 yards apart and counted them.

topscribe
10-10-2013, 08:46 PM
Here's the video. He's standing on about the 10-12 yard line, he spins and rolls to his left and launches the ball from the 7 between the hash marks. The guy catches the ball at the six yard line on the right side of the harshmark, but the ball would have easily travelled to the 5 or 4 yard line if not caught.

Check it out at the 12:56 mark. It's easily 88 yards in the air.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=wgiMa8DaMdk#t=773
Now I remember. Elway actually passed from the 8. I thought the ball had
come down at the opposing 8, but TXBronc is the one who corrected me,
made me look a little closer.

You need to count the yard lines to get at the actual yardage. There are
actually 12 yardlines between the throw and the catch. And then he threw
2 yards before the first yardline, and the catch was made 2 yards beyond
the last one. That figures to 64 yards.

Then he passed it from roughly 2 yards from the center of the field to half-
way between the center and the right sidelines, which would be about
13 yards, so it went about 15 yards across the field. Using the formula for
the hypotenuse, which is the straight line between point A (the pass) and
point B (the catch), it comes to 65.73 yards actually in the air. Still a heck
of a throw for a high school kid, but probably not all he was capable of.
.

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
10-10-2013, 08:59 PM
It appears to me that some of the five yard marks are missing. It appears to me that they are faded around midfield and are more evident around the 20's.

topscribe
10-10-2013, 09:08 PM
It appears to me that some of the five yard marks are missing. It appears to me that they are faded around midfield and are more evident around the 20's.
Yes, I took that into consideration. A couple of them were very easy to miss.
I had to run it again and again to be sure.
.

topscribe
10-10-2013, 11:17 PM
Here's the video. He's standing on about the 10-12 yard line, he spins and rolls to his left and launches the ball from the 7 between the hash marks. The guy catches the ball at the six yard line on the right side of the harshmark, but the ball would have easily travelled to the 5 or 4 yard line if not caught.

Check it out at the 12:56 mark. It's easily 88 yards in the air.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=wgiMa8DaMdk#t=773
By the way, thanks for posting the vid. I watched the whole thing again
It never gets old to me.
.

Joel
10-28-2013, 03:47 PM
Just stumbled on this: 87 yard pass by Bradbury Robinson in 1906 (a year after passing was legalized:) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradbury_Robinson#.22There.27s_the_pass.2C_boy.22
Only written accounts survive, but they are numerous, and all but a few agree the pass traveled 87 yards from passer to receiver—and that was the old style footballs: Thicker and unpointed; basically rugby balls. It's also worth noting many at the time (including Robinson himself) regarded him as something of a freak of nature for his hands, which were unusually large, and Robinson claimed a childhood injury on his throwing hand had permanently bent his pinkie so his spirals had more rotation. So it looks like the longest pass was by the guy who came up with the idea (perhaps unsurprisingly.

Anyway, thought the pass' inventor throwing historys longest just two years later worth a bump.

BigDaddyBronco
10-28-2013, 04:21 PM
I wonder if you can kick or throw a baseball farther.........

Ravage!!!
10-29-2013, 10:41 AM
I wonder if you can kick or throw a baseball farther.........

hah.. test that out for me and get back. TIA

Joel
10-29-2013, 11:52 AM
I wonder if you can kick or throw a baseball farther.........
Yes

slim
10-29-2013, 01:09 PM
I wonder if you can kick or throw a baseball farther.........

I already told that joke on the first page. FFS, have some self respect