Throwing a baseball

Growing up as a kid, nobody ever taught me to throw a baseball. I just learned by trial and error. In fact, everything I knew about baseball up until I was over 40, was learned by observation and trial and error. Well, there was the time when I asked Bob Allisat how to hit a fast pitch, and he told me to keep my feet together and step into the pitch as the pitcher threw the ball. He was mostly right, and it helped a lot. That's about it, though.

I learned from watching friends, and watching baseball on TV. I did have a certain amount of natural ability - I was a fast runner, which helped me overcome my many mistakes in fielding and my lack of knowledge of positioning. But I learned these things too, by watching friends, competitors and the Montreal Expos. Watching pro outfielders (especially Andre the Hawk Dawson, perhaps my fave player ever) cured me of throwing side-arm from the outfield. Watching other fielders taught me to communicate verbally with other fielders while tracking down fly balls and grounders.

But I didn't really understand the game until I was over 40 and started coaching my own kids (and other people's kids). At first, I was an assistant coach, and learned a heck of a lot from John, Warren, Pat and Rob. After two years, I could teach stuff that I didn't know two years earlier. Tons of stuff. Being strictly an outfielder, I knew very little about the infield. In fact, I had no idea how to play any of the positions. Not really. Two years later, I could teach them. The most important thing I learned was the "ready position" - that's 50% of it right there. Knowing what to do THAT PLAY, based on the number of outs, and where the base runners are. That's another 25% right there. 75% of the way to being a good infielder right off the bat (pun intended).

I then watched pitching coaches teach pitching to my kids - and learned a lot from both Dave and Warren. A whole lot. Now I can take a kid, show him a few things, and turn him into a pitcher. At least a relief pitcher. (Assuming he has some basic throwing skills already- which is not always the case.) Which takes me to throwing a ball.

As I said, I had some natural ability, a strong arm and some not totally bad technique. (Stopped throwing side-arm before high school.) There's more throwing than a strong arm, though. In fact, while arm strength is 50% of it, technique is everything else. You use your whole body - including your legs - to throw a ball. I see youth pitchers using only their arms, and doing well. I can only imagine how much better they could do if they would just use some proper technique. Eric, I'm talking to you.

Now have a look at this picture. This is Nomar Garciaparra, who was a big star shortstop for the Boston Red Sox in the 1990s and early 2000s. Here, with the Cubs, while tossing the ball in the infield, he shows us one of the most important aspects of throwing a ball. A proper wind up. I'm not talking about the complicated pitcher's windup like in the way cool image below, but rather just a simple start to a basic throw. Like tossing the ball from shortstop to first base between innings, warming up before the game, tossing a ball with a pal, etc.

Football guys will do something similar, but will cradle that ball (like it was a football) with hand facing upwards. Incorrect for baseball. An extended arm with the hand (and ball) facing down is the correct way to start your throwing motion. Many good athletes can throw just fine (results-wise) not doing this. But like anything else, using proper technique will improve your game no matter how well you're doing with improper technique. If you're throwing accurately 90% of the time with poor technique, you'll get closer to 100% using proper technique.

More importantly though, a kid throwing accurately 50% of the time or less, using improper technique, will dramatically improve accuracy (and velocity) using proper technique. If you're not starting your throwing motion like that, do it, and see the difference. And even more importantly, get your kid to start his throwing motion like this. It matters, and it will definitely make a difference.