Teaching Youth Players To Throw

I was watching some youth players playing catch last night. They were probably 8 or 9 years old. As I watched them throw it brought me back to when I was coaching high baseball and I was always shocked at how so many of our players threw the baseball with unsound mechanics.

The three biggest mistakes, that are correctable at the lower levels, are not turning the ball backwards before they throw it, not staying sideways as long as possible, and not finishing with the glove up near the chest. These three areas are going to have everything to do with how hard and accurate players can throw as they mature physically.

By the time these players get to high school they have made so many throws using that same motion it is almost impossible to change it. Trying to change it often does much more harm then good. I have learned that the hard way as well.

I know there is a ton of information out there about throwing and pitching. There are many different approaches available for you to try. Most of these approaches will have the same base philosophy but then they will add their own spin to it.

I caution everyone not to get so caught up in the 900 different ways to teach every single little detail about pitching for instant. It is confusing to players and only makes it harder. Instead, what I believe is to get your players to understand the three base concepts above until they can master those areas. Once they have done that and you want to build from there that is your choice.

As you can tell I am putting throwing and pitching together because it's the same base concepts that are important. I really believe throwing is such an under emphasized skill. Coaches spend time with pitchers but very rarely spend enough time with entire team on throwing the baseball.

We have won State Championships because other teams could not make throws when it counted most. Soon I will write a post called The Process Of Playing Catch Effectively where I will outline what I believe in.

The skill of throwing a baseball must be an emphasis in your program. It allows your defense to play at it's best and your team will develop many more players who will turn into quality pitchers. Let's take a look at three critical skill concepts.

Throwing Skill Concept #1: Turn the ball backwards

Let's use a right hand pitcher as an example. As he breaks his hands and takes his arm back, his hand and the ball should turn backwards. A general rule of thumb here is a right hand pitcher should have the ball pointed at the shortstop and a left hand pitcher at the second baseman.

Having said that's a general rule of thumb I would only check to see that he is getting it turned backwards to at least that far. I would not mess with him if he is turning it back a little more then that. Below is a picture of Pedro Martinez turning the ball back.

If you look at the ball in the picture you will see that it is clearly pointing backwards. Pedro Martinez is very small for a major league pitcher but he has developed great arm speed and throws the ball in the mid 90's in his prime. No doubt god given ability has a lot to do with that but so does a proper throwing motion.

A lot of times this small detail goes unnoticed in young players and will become the way they throw the rest of their lives. They are costing themselves velocity. I have had numerous players during my coaching career who have come to me throwing without turning the ball backwards. They all left still throwing incorrectly because we were unsuccessful in changing it. It is almost impossible to change by the time you are 16,17, and 18 years old!

Throwing Skill Concept #2: Stay sideways as long as you can

The second problem I see with youth players in their throwing mechanics is they open up to soon. The front shoulder and hip fly open way to soon. When this happens it slows down your velocity and puts added stress on the throwing shoulder.

What we would like to have happen is when our hands break (ball is removed from the glove) and we start towards the target we are throwing to, we want to be sideways as long as possible before we rotate. You may of heard of this as late hip rotation.

Stay sideways as long as you can is a much easier for the player to visualize then interpreting late hip rotation. In fact even easier is showing them video and pictures to get the idea. Below is a picture of Greg Maddux who stays sideways as long as anybody.

As you can see the first picture is of Maddux pitching with the Braves. Notice how sideways his body still is as his front foot is about to hit the ground. In the second picture when he is with the Cubs his front foot has already planted in the ground and you can see how sideways his body still is.

This means he will have great late hip rotation maximizing his velocity and minimizing the stress on his arm. Greg Maddux has pitched for a long time and is one of the greatest in the game. One reason he has done so well is his durability. I believe his ability to stay sideways is a major reason why!

Throwing Skill Concept #3: Glove finishes some where near the chest

As players are throwing the ball the glove hand should be pulled back to their chest. What you will see from a lot of of players is the glove flying out to the side and their arm dangling down as they release the ball. This is a sure sign that they are flying open with their front shoulder.

The picture below of Pedro Martinez shows where the glove should be located when you throw the ball.

You can see Pedro has pulled the glove back into the chest which helps keep him closed and aligned with home plate. One thing you must be aware when teaching young players however, is check to make sure they do not put the glove on their chest during the entire throw. Their glove hand should come out in a normal throwing motion and then pulled back to the chest.

There are different debates here as to whether the glove hand should be extended straight out or kept bent. Again I wouldn't spend my time worrying about it so long as it goes out then back to the chest. Also, Pedro's glove is pinned to his chest. I wouldn't get overly critical about making it pin like his does. Just get the idea and in the vicinity of the chest.

If you watch major league baseball you will see not all the pitchers finish with the glove in the same spot but they do finish somewhere near the chest.

In Conclusion

Throwing is the main skill in baseball. I don't believe it is emphasized or practice enough however. I also believe that is true for all levels not just youth baseball. You can gain a huge advantage over your opponents by not overlooking the skill that most do.

There is very little difference between throwing and pitching the mechanics are very similar. If you can get players to focus and master those three concepts then they have a great chance to be an outstanding thrower whether it is in the field or on the mound.

One final note here. Some of you may be thinking you didn't mention arm swing. Should the players break their hands and go straight back or should they make that long C motion where they take their thumb to their thigh and their fingers to the sky.

I use to coach that long C motion because that is what I was always taught. But then I began researching on my own taping major league pitchers. What I found is some make a long C and some take it straight back. The straight back guys seem to have great control throwing that way.

When Roger Clemens was a younger and dominating for the Red Sox he was a long C motion guy. In the middle of his career he changed to a much shorter take back. He was very successful both ways. So I ask you which is right? I am sure you have an opinion but I challenge you to study for yourself. Not from a book or coaching video where they are selling their point but from your own watching.

Alot of what you believe you will find many major leaguers do not do. Alot of what you think are fundamental truths will be questioned. Don't over coach unnecessary details that confuse and make players uncomfortable. Instead focus on the major points because the rest is mainly style. Best of Luck!