4 Simple Drills for a Perfect Throw
Learning to throw a ball is one of childhood's most important skills, but it can also be frustrating. Throwing engages the whole body in ways that aren't immediately natural for kids.
These drills allow kids to learn each part of a throw one at a time. Before you know it, they'll be throwing zingers and brimming with confidence.
1. Start with Grip & "Wrist Flick"
Teach your child to grip the baseball across the seams for best control. While adults place two fingers across the seams (and thumb underneath), smaller kids should put three or all four fingers on top of the ball to secure it throughout the throw.
Then standing just 6-8 feet apart, show your child how to get the ball to you accurately by simply "flicking their wrist" (resting their elbow on top of their glove and extending their arm from your elbow).
2. Master Your Upper Body with "Cement Feet"
While still standing square to the target holding feet still, teach your child the upper body movements of a throw. Starting with the ball at their chest, they will twist back and separate their hands, pointing their glove to the target reaching back with their throwing hand, and turning their hand as if their knuckles were knocking on a door behind them. Then they will rotate forward, tucking their glove and throwing.
3. Get Perpendicular & Generate Leg Power with "Rockers"
Using your ThrowMo Trainer as a visual and tactile aid, teach your child to get perpendicular to the target. This is a confusing concept for kids, but with your ThrowMo lined up on the ground, all they need to do is stand on the footprints.
Then teach them to step straight toward the target. Young throwers tend to step offline one way or the other and send their momentum in the wrong direction, but with ThrowMo, they will step straight onto the turf landing pad.
Then with their front foot already stepped toward the target, help them get the feel of lower body power and direction by rocking backward and then forward as they throw.
4. Do the Full Motion with Pauses — then without Pauses
Finally, guide your child through a complete throwing motion with pauses at moments 1 and 2 below. Starting with their feet perpendicular (on the ThrowMo footprints), they will:
- Pause when they bring the ball to their chest and lift their knee (position 1);
- Pause when they step to the target (i.e., step on the ThrowMo landing pad) — at this moment, their hands should be separated, with their glove pointed to the target and their ball hand stretched back, knuckles positioned to knock on an imaginary door behind them;
- Finally, they will tuck their glove to help rotate, throw, and follow through with their trail leg.
After mastering these 3 steps with pauses, kids can remove the pauses. Once they do that, they are throwing fluidly!