Throwing Mechanics

[Screwball]

I really like this. Thanks to Mr. T and Chris O'Leary

Proper Throwing Mechanics

Now let's discuss it. (Although Maddux/Rogers, whatever, really has his hand turned under. I am just not that flexible. But gollee, makes me feel like I did not waste my whole softball career doing it wrong.)
Sorry for the typo. Mechanics

 

[Chris O'Leary]

This is the key position I teach to both boys and girls.

Sideways to the target. Back foot blocked (perpendicular to the direction of the throw). Elbows up and just below the level of the shoulders.

Getting sideways to the target and blocking the back foot is probably 80% of throwing well.

As I have said before, my younger daughter has quite good throwing mechanics, and a big reason why is that both of her older brothers are pitchers. She has seen us spend hours and hours pitching (and they pretty much always throw from the Set position) and it seeped into her head. When I first started playing catch with her, she got right into this position and then even did a bit of a hip load before throwing.

I don't know how familiar most girls are with baseball, but one cue may be to tell them to set up like a baseball pitcher.

 

[quincy]

I do not know if this is the correct term but what do you think about a crow hop? (Plant foot starting the throwing motion)

 

[CoogansBluff]

From a practical (and not training) standpoint, would it be fair to conclude that many infield throwing errors occur at the youth level because of the failure to get perpendicular to the target? Should coaches advise infielders to work to get into this position when they have time?

 

[Chris O'Leary]

From a practical (and not training) standpoint, would it be fair to conclude that many infield throwing errors occur at the youth level because of the failure to get perpendicular to the target? Should coaches advise infielders to work to get into this position when they have time?

Absolutely.

I had a HS baseball coach tell me that once. I don't know if he did the analysis or if someone else did, but throwing errors were most errors and bad footwork was at the root of most throwing errors.

Not getting sideways to the target also cost the Tigers the 2006 World Series. The footwork of their pitchers was absolutely terrible. I had just keyed into this at the time, and it really stood out to me.

I have a simple drill that I did with my 9U shortstop last year. She had a tendency to face the target when throwing. What I would do is play catch with her during warm-ups and I would walk circles around her and force her to re-block her back foot and get sideways with every throw.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

I do not know if this is the correct term but what do you think about a crow hop? (Plant foot starting the throwing motion)

That's a good way of improving the odds that the back foot gets blocked correctly, but it's no guarantee that the athlete will get sideways.

 

[quincy]

I have mentioned this before but it applies.

DD, and other players, do a better job emulating then listening. As a parent or instructor you need to do what you are asking them to do, every time and all the time. If you pay attention to your own mechanics the players will follow.

 

[BrianMonk]

As long as you get the arch of the foot (same foot as throwing hand) pointed in the correct direction, the hips and shoulders will follow.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Absolutely.

I had a HS baseball coach tell me that once. I don't know if he did the analysis or if someone else did, but throwing errors were most errors and bad footwork was at the root of most throwing errors.

Thanks for the response. Our team is above average in throwing errors (ie, we make too many), so this gives me something to focus on.

 

[Mr T]

I really like this. Thanks to Mr. T and Chris O'Leary

Proper Throwing Mechanics

Now let's discuss it. (Although Maddux/Rogers, whatever, really has his hand turned under. I am just not that flexible. But gollee, makes me feel like I did not waste my whole softball career doing it wrong.)
Sorry for the typo. Mechanics

Thanks to Chris. All I did was what when Chris talks about taking 5 minutes to look at video and sanity check if what supposed "gods" like Candrea claim is factually correct. It's as plain as day that not a single player on his team actually does what he says is good throwing mechanics in a couple of key areas.

I would be interested to hear how people think these ideas (namely high elbow and showing to 2nd) came to be. Is it that instructors have tried to have kids overcompensate as a training tool? If so, to what degree does this work?

Another possibility is that instructors have looked at video and been fooled by the high elbow and ball orientation. Because as Chris points out, if you *really* load, where your target can see some of your back, the ball is facing center, but still really 90' with respect to your shoulders. And when you deliver, your elbow can be high, but again not with respect to the line of your own shoulders.

I would be interested to know what blocking the back foot is. See, clearly I am not to thank, I know little of the mechanics although throwing was maybe the best part of my abilities as a player.

In Chris's article, he mentions both 90' and 135'. A bit confusing. Also, as in the Danica pic, it seems a little "back tilt" in the arm is desirable, like a waiter holding a platter. Is this true?

Finally, it's interesting what quincy says about being an example. I have lobbed many a ball to young ones who are just learning to catch. When I do this I often use very poor mechanics to be able to throw it slowly enough at them. It had dawned on me that I am setting a bad example.