Throwing Drills

SportScout said:

It's just a matter of opinion bro... maybe I'm not in the right place but I'm coaching 7-8yr olds. The video I posted is a simple drill for early arrives to the sport, some who have never thrown a ball. For me, having a 7/8yr old fumble around with a water bottle is only going to silliness. This is an open environment for everyone to share and learn... snarky comments like 'waste of time' doesn't benefit anyone. My hope is maybe folks will find the water bottle drill helpful and maybe some will find the one I posted helpful.

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You are free to teach whatever you think serves your players best, and I agree, it is a matter of opinion. That said, there is a large contingent of DFP'ers - including people who have been around the game a long time (like grumpy ol' Greenmonsters) - who have a very strongly-held opinion that the throwing pattern taught by Austin Wasserman is best because it matches the throwing patterns of the best players in the world. Personally, I try to teach the skills young players will need going forward in the game, not just what will get them by right now.

I have been coaching my DD since she was 8yo, which included her very first 8U rec ball team. What I found was that 7-8yos will learn what you teach them. Teaching the water-bottle drill isn't any more complicated than what was in the video you posted. What I have also found is that teaching good fundamental movement patterns from the beginning means the players don't have to break down and re-learn those things later. Currently, as a coach of a 12U TB team, I see quite a few girls making the move from rec to travel with sub-par throwing patterns because that's the way they were taught early in their development. Getting those patterns to change is sometimes a difficult process because of deeply-rooted muscle memory. A poor throwing pattern can not only be limiting to their effectiveness on the field, but can lead to injury.

As for this forum being the right spot or not for you to learn more about the game, that's up to you. In my experience, the shared knowledge available on DFP is an extremely powerful learning tool, but will sometimes require us to challenge our own beliefs and opinions. When I was a new softball-parent and coach, nothing helped me learn more about the game, and how to be a better teacher to my DD and her teammates, than the knowledge I gained on DFP from people who have been down the road before me.

OK, so I'm going to probably come under fire for this drill but ... Tonight my JV practiced for the first time by themselves. WE have major throwing issues. So, I had the players line up on the 1st base line with tanner tees behind them extended as high as the would go. The players were to stand with an open front foot, slightly rotated back foot, hips in between those two angles. Players were to then reach back to grab the ball, and without stopping bring it up behind their heads and explode forward throwing, bending at the waste, and following through by having their back leg come around and they were to tap their back toe into the ground in an angle in front of them. I hope all of this makes sense.

So, we started to throw and the girls were amazed at how much further they were throwing the ball. OK so we couldn't throw a ball far at all. Rinse and repeat.

Now, I took the team to 2b and set up a tanner tee on home plate with a ball on it. My players were to throw in groups of 2 to try to knock that ball out. We made this a competition and the girls had a blast. Before we started, I call the girls in and told them that such and such would be the first to hit the ball. They all looked at me so odd. I told them again she would do it. Can you imagine their eyes when this young lady launched a ball on a line and took that ball off that tee? They started jumping and screaming and hugging each other. I wish I had that on tape. It was one of those moments that I live for as a coach.

SportScout said:

It's just a matter of opinion bro... maybe I'm not in the right place but I'm coaching 7-8yr olds. The video I posted is a simple drill for early arrives to the sport, some who have never thrown a ball. For me, having a 7/8yr old fumble around with a water bottle is only going to silliness. This is an open environment for everyone to share and learn... snarky comments like 'waste of time' doesn't benefit anyone. My hope is maybe folks will find the water bottle drill helpful and maybe some will find the one I posted helpful.

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Sorry SportScout, but I taught my DD from 4 to 8 years old, similar mechanics as being shown in this video. L- Drill, face the ball away, glove tuck, spin and throw. She had a strong accurate throw and better than most girls her age. She, however started having shoulder and elbow pain. I knew something was wrong and my research led me to Wasserman's book. You want to know what I learned? That what is being shown in that video is absolutely horrible, and I am being nice. My DD (a catcher) now throws with excellent mechanics and pain free thanks to Wasserman's eBook. It literally changed my DDs life. Oh, and nobody steals on her at 16U.

I have seen many girls from 10u - 16u that have played with my DD who were taught similar mechanics and subsequently had elbow and shoulder pain. My son learned the water bottle drill at 6 and I never taught him how to throw. The water bottle drill taught him to throw. I am now coaching his 10u team and we do the water bottle drill daily with excellent results. Age 6, Age 16, the water bottle drill is the easiest way to teach the proper sequence and pattern for high level throwing mechanics. Most of the throwing instruction out there is garbage. Regurgitated old school crap.

Here are some Wasserman articles that might help:

Water Bottle Drill Clarification
Why your Softball Players have Elbow Pain
Top 3 Drills you should stop doing
No Glove Tuck


Coach YoYo

I currently coach an 8U rec softball team. Every practice, we do the water bottle drill as part of our warm-ups, and I've already noticed a difference.

True, at first some of the girls were having a hard time getting the movement down with the water bottle, but even those girls are improving every day. Also, to start the drill, I bought every girl an 8oz gatorade and had them drink half. I told them that just like their glove and their bat, they had to bring the bottle to every practice. Then, I e-mailed all the parents with a link to the drill and the explanation. Sure, it's difficult to teach the proper arm path, but I wouldn't say that it's any more difficult teaching with the water bottle than without. And it will pay huge dividends for them down the road.