Sandy Hart: My son is 7 and we play catch in the backyard every night before dinner. What are some throwing mechanics that I should know when helping out my son?

Sandy, thank you for your question. Just picking up a baseball and throwing it can be challenging at any age without knowing the right mechanics. So, we are going to go through everything it takes to through a baseball. Eventually with enough practice, you and your son should be playing catch without having to chase down the wild balls that may occur.

Before throwing the baseball it’s important to grip the baseball correctly. The School of Baseball teaches a 4-seam grip, which is the best grip for a firm and straight throw. Place the index and middle fingers across the horseshoe part of the ball, with your thumb below the baseball. Younger players who have smaller hands may have some difficulty with stability so feel free to use the ring finger as a stabilizer. All 4-seams should be seen rotating in the air after the ball has been released.

Now that we have the grip we’re ready to start throwing.

•   Before the baseball if thrown, you need to find your target and position your body perpendicular to it, so that your feet, hips, and shoulders are all pointed directly at your target.

•   Start with the ball in your throwing hand, and your throwing hand in your glove. Then take your throwing hand with the ball straight down your hip and at the same time you will point your shoulder and elbow towards your target.

•   All in one motion, extend your glove towards the target and your throwing hand back (your index and pointer fingers should be pointed towards the sky). Oftentimes it resembles the letter “T” and it’s an important habit to get full extension before the ball is thrown.

•   As you get extension, take a step towards the target with you front foot. This will generate momentum towards the target. Make sure you are stepping directly at the target!

•   Continue the throwing motion by bringing the ball so it’s about ear level. Bend your elbow at 90-degrees, and keep your forearm vertical. Now, your throwing arm should resemble the letter “L.”

•   From this position you will rotate your shoulders and hips towards the target. As you are going this, bring your throwing arm forward while pulling your glove hand and elbow towards your body.

•   As you reach your release point the glove hand should be tucked, but you want to avoid letting your glove flail as your throw.

•   When the ball is released let the ball hand continue its motion, this step is called follow through. You can damage the shoulder and elbow if you stop the arm from continuing through its natural motion.

•   Remember, the more compact and fluid your body is while throwing, the easier it is to control the accuracy of the ball.

•   When you finish the throwing motion you back leg should come up and your throwing hand should be reaching down toward the opposite shin.

Practice

Our best recommendation is to keep throwing. Everybody has their own unique throwing motion, however, the basic mechanics will always stay the same. Over time you will begin to develop a motion that will be accurate and comfortable. Keep in mind that younger players bodies, typically at the little league level, are always growing at different paces, so the mechanics are particularly important at this level. Oftentimes the body doesn’t allow the motion to be natural but don’t get discouraged! Keep throwing and the flaws will work themselves out.

Baseball players throw the baseball thousands of times over their career, so that is why it’s so important to develop this skill at an early age. Correct mechanics will prevent injuries that typically occur late in a baseball player’s career because of the amount the throwing arm is used.

Sandy, I hope The School of Baseball was able to answer your question. Keep throwing with your son and watch for the tips that were recommended above. You can really develop a good throwing motion at this early of an age!