PSoTD

Throwing Progressions for Baseball
Arm Strength among young baseball players is definitely not as good as it used to be. Why? I blame the age of technology, and I'm certainly not the only one who says that.

In any event, I have see many young players who have poor throwing mechanics that severely limits their ability to have good arm strength right from the start. Additionally poor mechanics is the #1 cause of arm strain, pain, and injury. So let me give you some good throwing drills you should have your player do before every practice and/or game at every age.

* Before they even start throwing, check that every player has a 4 seam grip on the ball. Their index and middle fingers should laying across 2 seams of the ball with the thumb directly under the fingers. If you draw a line the thumb should split the fingers. Fingers should be an inch apart for good accuracy.


1. (Flip Toss) Start from a seated cross leg position and have them toss to their partner with the throwing arm out in front of their body. Simply keep the throwing elbow high, bring the hand back and to the throwing side ear and extend to their partner. The last 10% of the throw is what this emphasizes. Do this drill at about 5 yards, adjusting distance if needed by age.
Cues: 4-Seam rotation, Good extension, and Elbow high.

2. (1 Knee Drill) Have the two players move back and put the throwing side knee on the ground and the non-throwing knee pointed at their partner. Bring the hands up and use the upper body only to throw to the partner. Focus on being accurate with this drill and the thrower keeping his nose on their partners glove, keeping the head relatively still while rotating the body during the throwing motion. Finish on the other side of the knee that is up.
Cues: Knee to target, Front shoulder to target, Elbow high, Good follow-through.

3.(10 Toes Drill) Moving back several feet have players start with both feet pointing straight forward. This drill is to isolate the upper body. Turn upper torso pointing glove side shoulder at your partner. After throw is made the upper torso should be bent forward - not standing straight up.
Cues: Front hip to target, Front shoulder to target, Elbow high, Upper body bend, nose to target.

4. (Figure 8 Drill) Moving back another couple of feet have players stay in a 10 Toes position. Circle hands to glove side and then to the throwing side in a figure 8 motion. This drill is to establish rhythm when throwing. Stay loose and smooth through the movement.
Cues: Smooth delivery, Front shoulder to target, Elbow high, nose to target.

5. (Walking 8 Drill) Moving back several more feet (70'-90' depending on age) this will be the start of long toss. Have players walk forward while performing the figure 8. Finish by bringing the backside forward towards the target into a 10 toes position.
Cues: Good Rhythm, Front shoulder to target, Elbow high, nose to target, Backside through.

6. (Long Toss) Moving back from the Walking 8 drill, players begin throwing by position. Catchers and Infielders should throw together and Outfielders should throw together. If your team has designated Pitchers, they should throw together as well. Infielders should have a shorter arm action than outfielders and pitchers. Have infielders and catchers work on a quick shuffle step and throw and outfielders work on crow hop throwing. All players should work on following their throw and not stopping after they release the ball. Take an extra step or two towards the target. Make sure players are staying in a straight line towards their target after release, don't peel off right or left. Additionally, make sure the elbow doesn't drop as distance increases. This is the tendency in younger players.
Cues: Combine cues above, Follow-through, Nose to target, and Elbow High.

Other related throwing drills to be discussed later:
- Cutoffs and Relays
- Catcher throws
- Double play feeds
- Pick offs