Is underhand style IR used at all in an overhand throw?

[jryan15]

Along with pitching, DD (11yo) and I have been working on overhand throwing. Our infield and outfield throwing is somewhat weak, and we would enjoy learning how to add snap to our throws without tearing up shoulders. We've been working on getting sideways and keeping her hand away from her head (lot of elbow bend in her throws). Recently I've been reading about IR in pitching mechanics and especially enjoy'd BM's post in the IR Thread. Now I'm wondering if any of the IR mechanics apply to the overhand throw? If so is there any chance of someone editting (or recreating) BM's IR post for the overhand throw?

Thanks!

 

[sluggers]

IR applies to overhand pitching, but not necessarily to overhand throwing.

Whether baseball or softball, a pitcher is attempting to achieve maximum ball velocity on every throw. The pitcher can also take as long as she/he wants to get into a suitable position for the throw. If you break down the pitching motion of advanced pitchers in either sport, you'll see IR.

However, the other players are usually trying to do something quite different...i.e., get the ball out of their hands as quickly as possible. So, the emphasis generally is on getting the ball out of the mitt and into the air rather than on trying to throw the ball as hard as possible.

There are some occasions in baseball where an outfielder can get into a good position for a throw at maximum speed, but it just doesn't happen very often in softball. Most of the time, an infield player should be taught to throw the ball with minimal, if any, adjustments to her body position.

I'm not sure it is really worth the effort to spend much time when instructing overhand throwing in softball.... Amy of AZ really is quite proficient about teaching overhand throwing. She probably has some pretty good insight into this.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

Along with pitching, DD (11yo) and I have been working on overhand throwing. Our infield and outfield throwing is somewhat weak, and we would enjoy learning how to add snap to our throws without tearing up shoulders. We've been working on getting sideways and keeping her hand away from her head (lot of elbow bend in her throws). Recently I've been reading about IR in pitching mechanics and especially enjoy'd BM's post in the IR Thread. Now I'm wondering if any of the IR mechanics apply to the overhand throw? If so is there any chance of someone editting (or recreating) BM's IR post for the overhand throw?

Thanks!

While some IR happens in an overhand throw, it's really of minimal importance because the IR occurs after the elbow extends.

 

[jryan15]

Thanks for the feedback and clarification. Sluggers that Auburn document's gonna be tough for me to work through, but I'll give it a shot. Chris, I've been to your site a few times before and gleaned information.

I was concerned that maybe I was missing some sort of IR type motion that may have been limiting our progress on the overhand throw. I'm pretty sure that I'm still missing some things, but at least now I know it's probably not IR . Maybe I'll make a post in one of the general forums about adding snap to infield throws or something. Thanks again!

 

[chinamigarden]

too much bend in the elbow, I have found, is usually related to too much bend at the shoulder. Get the ball hand up by getting the whole arm up. Elbow above the shoulder.

 

[starsnuffer]

Most overhand throwing issues are a matter of sequence, not arm position. Having the elbow above the shoulder is a bit of a misnomer, as the body (shoulders) are tilted at the time of the trow.

Like pitching, focus on arm whip, make sure the elbow leads the throw before "whipping" the ball. IR is important insofar as it is necessary to rotate the ball hand externally to "cock" properly for release (this doesn't have to be behind the thrower or towards 2nd base, but should still be externally rotated), so when the throw actually happens, there is internal rotation during the whip back from the point where the hand was pre-loaded . . . if that makes any sense.

Again, I'd work on her sequence before fiddling around with common "coaches" cues. Video would help.

-W

 

[jryan15]

Thanks for all of the feedback! I took some video last night, but it's pretty hard to see in slow motion. Our camcorder is HD, but it still only captures at 30 fps. We also have a Canon T1i, but I'm not sure if it will do any better for video frames per second.