What can we do to change the culture around throwing in softball? Leave a comment below!

Awesome vid, coach! I've thought most of these things watching our daughter at practice and it is def uncomfortable to see the way they are being taught to throw. It's robotic and stiff and they get almost zero body momentum energy. The funny part is the girls who throw hardest do none of that when they throw. My daughter had a better more fluid throwing motion when it was just us playing catch w a baseball ages 6-8. All you are saying here aligns with everything I have witnessed also.

I played T ball as a little kid and quit when we switched to softball because the ball was large and awkward to throw, even to catch it in the mitt was hard because it was so big. I really wish girls' baseball was more popular, I would've kept playing then.

Such gold. Thank you for championing this

Good stuff Coach. It's tough to overcome some of the old school beliefs and it can be tricky informing parents what they're telling their daughters is outdated. I just found your site and I'll be binge watching to pick up new or different tools and ideas to help my girls. Will start by adding a bucket of baseballs. Thanks.

So true!!! It is an unfortunate epidemic. Thanks for the knowledge.

We are seeing a lot of 14u and up that don’t use their feet and lower half to help them throw. I was always taught to move and position body before we even threw a ball.

The only comment I’d make is about pregame warm ups… Typically travel softball warm ups are in the outfield or side of a field around the field you play on next. Not a lot of space for proper warm ups and coaches get lazy with their practice time and just run glorified bp for 2hrs.

I wish I had this information when I played in high school. I played center field and throwing was my weakness

What would you recommend for throwing progressions if not the old way of doing it?

I agree 100% with what you said about softball girls not getting their legs and body into the throws. I'm a baseball guy but have coached little league softball and some club ball and I have to really emphasize proper footwork and getting their bodies into their practice throws. Have you noticed also many players not getting lower when fielding grounders? I emphasize getting lower to get a better view and to have a lower center of gravity so that the players have better balance throwing the ball after fielding it.

My daughter went from baseball to softball and I was horrified at how these softball coaches were showing these girls how to throw. Just brutal.

Great content in all your videos! Could I send you a three second video of my daughter throwing and get some feedback? She played baseball until she was 10 and transitioned from there.

Do you provide any analysis through video. Would love to get your feedback on my daughter.

I worked with both my daughters who play softball more baseball mechanics as well and in the cages I would throw over hand to them to get used to faster pitchers. And when we went to practices they would tell them that what they did was wrong.

My daughter is a 16 yo 18u catcher. We got her a bownet with the big mouth for hitting off the tee at home and just put together a ball return i just bought her. She got a new rico mitt but she needs to break it in the old fashioned way so it lasts. Question: the ball return came with a target that can be weaved into the ball return. She’s not a pitcher, she likes playing with them at the batting cages so i thought anything to help break her glove in. Not gonna lie I’m TERRIFIED to play catch with her and her dad works a lot. But she NEEDS to break that catchers mitt in as fast as she can. It was not steamed or anything - we heard if broken in the old fashioned way it’ll be the last glove she ever has to buy. So i thought the ball return would be good plus i don’t want to die. Yes it’ll have to be returned to her to break it in or i can throw it - I’d be lucky to get to the pitcher from home lol. But after its broke in WHAT HIGHT SHOULD THE TARGET BE to emulate throwing down to 2nd? Also what distance should i measure off to emulate a regulation field? She aims low like shortstops shins for the tag. The video here obviously is good throws but sometimes she throws into center field (she knows she’s standing up to high usually when that happens) - blocking, those are all day long. I think 3-4 balls got by her all season only bc they bounced off the front of the plate. She’s all conference catcher and academic all state and the hardest working catcher ive ever seen. She’ll work (once the snow here melts lol) but should i put the target on the bownet maybe instead for throw down practice? They say don’t practice until you get it right, practice until u can’t get it wrong. Thats her philosophy. So any advice would be appreciated!!! Thanks coach! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/l7F_qrecp6vGY6c.html

Uh, when you say 10-8 spin, Dan, I think you mean 10-4!

Young boys aren't throwing with correct mechanics either..Most coaches just dont focus on correct throwing mechanics but instead push lifting weights and long toss as a fix all. Nothing worse than incorrect long toss