Softball Throwing Mechanics

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Feb 16, 2010
456
0
Nashua, NH
Another thing about throwing to start practices.... Throwing is way more controlled than hitting. The visual cortex isn't responding to an oncoming ball, there is no timing factor, so the player can be more deliberate. Plus, the movement pattern is a very close match to hitting so once it is understood and felt, it can be easily duplicated across both skills.

There is a hs baseball player from another forum who has been working mostly on hitting and saw his velocity jump significantly because the movement pattern was recruited to his throwing. (A significant jump for 86-88 to 91-94 and topping out at 96.) This issue is not isolated to softball. Some kids just get it. I have a girl at my facility who throws 68. Another girl in town throws harder. These are the players who coaches have the "natural" ability.... But that can be taught. It is a movement pattern. A sequence of movements and mental processes that add up to high level performance and no pain!
 
Oct 12, 2009
1,465
0
Mike Candrea on throwing, what do you thing?

Sportskool

His stuff on the arm circle, and how showing the ball to CF/2B/Directly behind them reduces the risk of injury, actually INCREASES the risk of injury.

If you teach this and your players develop tenderness on the bump on the inside of the elbow, this is why.

You are teaching them to throw a slider or cutter.

PLEASE DON'T TEACH PLAYERS TO SHOW THE BALL TO CF.

That's why the players in the video, while making a show of showing the ball to CF to please the coach, don't actually throw from that position. They show the ball to 3B (1B for lefties) just before throwing.

In general, dropping the elbow is incorrectly blamed for injuries.
 
Last edited:
Feb 16, 2010
456
0
Nashua, NH
For the first time ever, I agree with Chris. I agree that showing the ball to CF is bad. It promotes supination when the arm comes forward as a need to align... or the hand finishing on the side of the ball. This is similar to a slider arm action and does put stress on the elbow - specifically on the ulnar collateral ligament aka the Tommy John ligament.

I was always taught it growing up. Two summers ago I filmed an entire infield/outfield of the independent team I used to play for. Not a single position player pointed the ball away. I was looking at it thinking... wow. Here are 11 or 12 pro players... not a single player is doing it. The only players who throw with the ball facing center field are pitchers who counter rotate their shoulders a lot. The counter rotation causes the ball to face away, not the actual arm action. Rarely, some players have anatomical setups that makes is more efficient to make point the ball at the corner outfielder or SS/2B, but directly to center isn't good. If you watched the World Series, Madison Bumgardiner does this.... similar to Justin Masterson (Indians) or Andy Sonanstine (Rays). They can turn the ball over and get a lot of movement. They also tend to throw across their body, usually have sweeping breaking balls. For position players, this simply isn't needed.


Next time you see a coach instruct throwing, watch them point the ball away, then when they throw they relax their arm, drop into layback (External Rotation) and throw normal. Exactly like 5:09 in the provided video. I always find it funny when that happens.

The sections starting around 6:00 made me cringe. The throw at 7:25 made me cringe. If those are truly the mechanics they use, then both of those girls could throw 3-5 mph harder.


I do not believe that video will help girls or guys find a high level throwing pattern. There are huge, huge components missing. I mean no disrespect, I know Candrea is a big name in softball. This stuff doesn't add up.
 
R

RayR

Guest
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vpxt8GgPUn4?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vpxt8GgPUn4?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
 
Oct 19, 2009
1,827
0
Chris and Tewks I totally agree with what you advised, my daughter has been to a number of college camps with 4 different programs and all have taught identical mechanics of the throw as the MC example. The reason I posted the throwing segment with MC is the ball facing backward and the elbow high feels and looks like it places too much strain on the arm and shoulder, I tried it myself. Having said that, who am I to disagree with MC, but I was not totally convinced it was the best way. My DD pitching coach advised the same he said, it was an unnatural movement and he did not teach getting the arm in this position.

Another problem is the progression throw seems to promote a hesitation in the throwing mechanics. I used the progression drill for the girls I work with and began to notice this. My daughter gets to the position of the arms extended back and hesitates like she is doing the drill. I now only do the progression drill to correct a flaw not as a drill.

Thanks for all the feed back!!!!!!!
 
Last edited:
Oct 12, 2009
1,465
0
yes I would call it short arming and their elbow is lower than their shoulder without much space between forearm and bicep, instead of elbow high what would be a good cue?

I don't see a huge problem with this, as long as it doesn't turn into a push (which I have seen it do).

That is how most infielders throw. Catchers have a tighter elbow angle, outfielders a more open elbow angle.

Generally, I do like the elbow angle open a bit more than short-arming, with the forearm just inside of vertical, in part because it seems to reduce the tendency to try to push the ball in younger girls. I also like the elbow just below the level of the shoulders.

Here's Mariano Rivera, whose elbow is just outside of 90 degrees. Notice the back elbow just below the level of the shoulders.

alg_rivera.jpg


Here's Danica Patrick in a pretty good position except for the hand under the ball. I would teach her to show the ball to 3B.

CeremonialFirstPitch_DanicaPatrick_001.jpg


As long as a girl was having a good results with this, then I mostly wouldn't touch her.
 
Last edited:
R

RayR

Guest
For the first time ever, I agree with Chris. I agree that showing the ball to CF is bad. It promotes supination when the arm comes forward as a need to align... or the hand finishing on the side of the ball. This is similar to a slider arm action and does put stress on the elbow - specifically on the ulnar collateral ligament aka the Tommy John ligament.

I was always taught it growing up. Two summers ago I filmed an entire infield/outfield of the independent team I used to play for. Not a single position player pointed the ball away. I was looking at it thinking... wow. Here are 11 or 12 pro players... not a single player is doing it. The only players who throw with the ball facing center field are pitchers who counter rotate their shoulders a lot. The counter rotation causes the ball to face away, not the actual arm action. Rarely, some players have anatomical setups that makes is more efficient to make point the ball at the corner outfielder or SS/2B, but directly to center isn't good. If you watched the World Series, Madison Bumgardiner does this.... similar to Justin Masterson (Indians) or Andy Sonanstine (Rays). They can turn the ball over and get a lot of movement. They also tend to throw across their body, usually have sweeping breaking balls. For position players, this simply isn't needed.


Next time you see a coach instruct throwing, watch them point the ball away, then when they throw they relax their arm, drop into layback (External Rotation) and throw normal. Exactly like 5:09 in the provided video. I always find it funny when that happens.

The sections starting around 6:00 made me cringe. The throw at 7:25 made me cringe. If those are truly the mechanics they use, then both of those girls could throw 3-5 mph harder.


I do not believe that video will help girls or guys find a high level throwing pattern. There are huge, huge components missing. I mean no disrespect, I know Candrea is a big name in softball. This stuff doesn't add up.

In response to the bolded part above - I played catch with a few players that have this action throwing OH (sliders) and even a couple windmilling while saying they are throwing (trying to throw) a screwball. Facing the ball to CF is never a good thing - have no idea where this idea came from but it is like trying to change someone's political or religous views...
 

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,481
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top