Looking for help on correcting a throwing issue

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Aug 20, 2018
107
28
Hope I'm putting this in the right area. I see areas for hitting, fielding, coaching and training but nothing for throwing. I have a girl on my 14u team that I recruited because she has a cannon for an arm. She play SS for me but over the last 2 months she's developed a really nasty habit. When she draws the ball back, everything is in good position, her elbow is up, ball is good, but then she pauses before throwing. It breaks all her momentum, takes a long time to get the ball from her glove to 1st, which from SS is a killer, and it really weakens her throw. I've tried doing the bottle drill to promote continuous motion rather than stopping but I can't seem to fix it. She knows she does it, but for whatever reason, she can't seem to break it.

Does anyone have any ideas how I can work on this and speed her back up to where she needs to be to be successful at SS?
 
Dec 5, 2012
4,143
63
Mid West
Along with Wassernam drills, Are you promoting a fluid, non-stop approach towards the ball, receiving it out front on her glove side, and then throwing against a resisted glove foot?
Or are you of the camp that promotes a squatted down, triangle, gator chomp defense?
 
Feb 21, 2017
198
28
Quincy hit on something I have seen quite a few times, girls with strong arms are afraid to air it out for fear of hurting someone. Just too nice.

Keep working her form but if it is not a specific form issue and just a pause in the throw the following should help both her and team.

As a team I suggest throwing around the bases BUT catching with the back of the glove or paddle so the transfer has to be quick. Make it catch-pop-throw or catch-shuffle-throw depending on direction. Emphasis on a quick transfer and release. Instruct that during the pop or shuffle phase the players learn to focus eyes on target. Make it a game and if they can execute 50 in a row (no drops) the coaches will do push-ups at end of practice. One caution is don’t run more than 5 minutes, arms will get tired and injury or bad habits will creep in.

This also does not single out the player but incorporates it as a team drill and really everyone will benefit. I have had pretty good luck doing this.

CoC


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Dec 15, 2018
807
93
CT
For a player who has a mechanical hiccup, and who knows it but can’t self correct, i’d suggest working on a verbal cue. In practice, fielding through the ball have her say out loud something like “smooth and easy, smooth and easy” as she fields and throws in a continuous motion. This helps shift the focus from the hiccup, puts a positive external locus on the routine. Eventually she can go from saying it out loud, to saying the phrase internally...eventually she will internalize and correct.
 

Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,908
113
Mundelein, IL
Try having her slow down the whole motion first. Work on being fluid and rhythmic. Then build up the speed.

You can also try having her close her eyes and throw into a screen. Sometimes the hesitation comes from trying to aim at a target. Take that element out and she may learn to make more of a continuous motion.
 

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