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Q & A, New Kind Of Throwing?
by Dave
Monday, March 27, 2006
A reader writes,
My daughter is on a softball team where the coaches are teaching all of the (very young) kids how to throw based on a drill they say is endorsed by a number of the major softball teaching bodies. I am certain the coaches are very well intentioned, and are trying to implement a drill that does exist and is endorsed by experts, but I have a strong suspicion that they somehow got the mechanics of the drill confused and are now teaching each child the absolute wrong throwing mechanics.
In essence their drill has a right handed child stepping forward with the right foot then throwing with the right hand, while leaving the left foot trailing during the entire throw. The explanation is that this drill encourages proper hip movement. The result of this drill is all of the kids are throwing incorrectly and a lot of them are getting frustrated, confused and discouraged.
If you have heard of the drill I describe please provide clarification.
Answer:
Welcome to the wonderful world of recreational softball where well-intentioned, dedicated, volunteers who have never seen a reasonably competitive fastpitch game become "experts" by attending a couple hour program held at the local little league fieldhouse where another well-intentioned, dedicated, volunteer who has never seen a reasonably competitive fastpitch game teaches them unorthodox drills. These volunteers will then invariably get the drills wrong and then teach them to kids at an even worse degree of misunderstanding!
The first reaction I have to this is wondering if it is part of some sort of skill progression. I could see having girls throw without stepping in order to teach proper arm movement and wrist snap. But I assure you, it will not teach proper hip movement since the result of what you describe is an over-rotation of the hips. Over-rotation is a common error so why would you want to teach that? Ask your daughter's coaches if this is a skill progression and if they tell you it is, ask for the rest of the steps. If they understand what they are doing, they should be able to explain it to you in a way which makes sense.
There is a skill progression which begins teaching very young girls to throw just with their wrist, then with the wrist and forearm, but then everything else is geared towards a step with the opposite foot. The reason for this is a law of nature which says that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you step forward with the throwing hand, the glove side bodyweight shifts backwards which creates imbalance forward toward the throwing side. If you now throw the ball, you have zero body weight working behind it and all the stress is placed on the throwing shoulder and elbow. It is a dangerous way to throw.
It isn't enough for your coaches to think they are right when they advocate such an unorthodox drill. It can result in injury to your daughter. Ask them for specific references (not vague generalities but specific references) of who is advocating this. If they "appeal to a higher authority" by, for example, saying "all the big name schools are teaching it," ask them to name one specific school. You will often hear uninformed people grasping at straws by claiming that "all the big time coaches are doing X." Appeal to a higher authority is a logical fallacy and should never win any argument. If they are so sure all the big name softball schools are teaching it, then they ought to be able to name just one for you.
Does Mike Candrea (head coach Olympic team, national team, and perenial powerhouse Arizona U. team) endorse it? Does defending national champion Michigan coach Carol Hutchins endorse it? Does UCLA head coach, Sue Enquist, endorse it? None, NONE of their players throw that way. Does Jennie Finch, Michele Smith, or any known person who is a coaching consultant advocate this? I've never heard anything evenly remotely similar spoken by any known softball coach or coaching consultant.
If you are not satisfied with the answers you get, tell them your daughter will either not be throwing that way or will not be on their team. You should contact the person in charge of the girls' softball program and get them in on the discussion. Perhaps they can straighten out the coaches or assign your daughter to another team. In any event, do not allow your daughter to engage in a drill which is not proper and which holds potential to not only teach her the wrong skill but also to injure her.
It should be understood that I am not merely disparaging every recreational softball coach. Many are quite good, know proper mechanics, and can teach skills very well. But for every good coach, there are as many as a hundred who are completely out of their minds. Of the hundred bad coaches, maybe 20% think they know what they are talking about. This particular subset of bad recreational coaches can ruin the whole rec experience for you and, more importantly, for your child. You have to be aware of it and fight against it. If you are knowledgeable in softball mechanics, I suggest you attend some coaching clinics and then get off the sidelines and become a coach. Your humble knowledge will counter the effects of so many bad coaches. That is the only way to achieve balance in the girls recreational softball universe.
Follow-up Posting - October 18, 2006:
Brad writes in: "I bought a throwing mechanics video by Mike Candrea. It has a drill on it which sounds exactly like the one described. It is not a "this is how you throw" drill. It is intended to correct certain mechanical flaws." The video is entitled "Throwing Mechanics & Drills". It is available from Candrea's web site here: http://www.candrea.com/pages/form_pro.html
 
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