Why Humans Became So Good at Throwing

Your ability to throw may be one of the strangest things evolution ever gave the human body. Your shoulder can store elastic energy, your torso can transfer it, and your hand can turn that stored energy into a surprisingly fast projectile. Neil Roach and his colleagues studied the biomechanics of high-speed human throwing and published their findings in Nature in 2013, helping explain how human anatomy became unusually effective at storing and releasing energy during a throw. The human shoulder can act like a biological spring during the throwing motion. The torso, hips, elbow, and wrist work together as one kinetic chain. The anatomy behind throwing may be connected to the survival challenges faced by ancient humans. The same basic movement that once launched stones can now launch balls, spears, and even machines. The human throwing system reveals how evolution modifies old anatomy for entirely new abilities. By the end, you will understand why a simple throw is actually a movement shaped by millions of years of human evolution.