I agree that many strong arms are negated by two or three steps prior to throwing. We have started working on getting our catcher to get the ball back to the pitcher as quick as possible. The result has been much quicker release from the catcher and much faster pop times. To build strength in the arms we have our catchers warm up together at the beginning of practice and have them do quite a bit of long toss prior to assuming their defensive position.
Stronger Throws to 2nd
- Thread starter Don
- Start date
Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch
Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.
Playing catch with a weighted ball (10 oz.) has done wonders for my 11 yr. old's velocity.
Long toss-long toss-long toss. Make sure your catchers work on their throwing as much as your fielders take infield. Your head coach is right in thinking speed of throw is important. The good news is you have the whole winter to build up the strength in the arm and be prepared for spring.
This past week I had the opportunity to work with one of my graduate instructors on their throwing when a student missed their scheduled lesson. My instructor has a very good throw already, but we focused on velocity for this session. We checked her base line throws at 48 to 52 MPH from her runner on stance. We then focused on including additional muscle groups into the throw. So often students throw with only their arms. They miss out on using their entire body... from leg muscles, hips, shoulders and arms (both of them) which means they miss out on a lot of velocity! We focused mainly on utilizing leg muscles and follow through... and after a half hour we retested her throws. She had gone up to 56-58 MPH with two simple adjustments!
Please note that velocity is only one part of the equation when throwing a runner out... The catcher must be able to get the ball in the air quickly. Without a fast transition, velocity is wasted. It is just as important to focus on a quick transition from receiving the pitch to throwing, eliminating wasted motion as well as maximizing velocity to throw the runner out at any base. We have 18 year-olds and 12 year-olds alike blocking pitches in the dirt, recovering the ball and then proceed to throw out the runner attempting to steal. It's really fun to watch them in action!
Please note that velocity is only one part of the equation when throwing a runner out... The catcher must be able to get the ball in the air quickly. Without a fast transition, velocity is wasted. It is just as important to focus on a quick transition from receiving the pitch to throwing, eliminating wasted motion as well as maximizing velocity to throw the runner out at any base. We have 18 year-olds and 12 year-olds alike blocking pitches in the dirt, recovering the ball and then proceed to throw out the runner attempting to steal. It's really fun to watch them in action!
