The coach said these are what I need to improve on(“throwing lollipops and in the dirt”). Any tips/advice on how to fix these flaws with a tight budget?
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Move to 2b or DH
Bob
@Consultant posted:Move to 2b or DH
Bob
I already play 2nd base
I'm glad you asked the coach, and that he gave you an honest answer. It sounds as though you need someone to teach you how to do these things. Do you know anyone who can help you for free? Older kids? Former coaches? Maybe work out a deal at a baseball gym where you work in exchange for some lessons?
@PALOBASEBALLER posted:The coach said these are what I need to improve on(“throwing lollipops and in the dirt”). Any tips/advice on how to fix these flaws with a tight budget?
It sounds to me like you never learned proper throwing mechanics as a young boy. Which is not that uncommon. You can teach yourself proper backside arm action by learning how to serve a tennis ball. The arm action is the same as throwing a baseball. To do either one well you have to learn how to internally rotate the elbow and lay the forearm back. Once in that position you can effectively throw the baseball. The beauty of the tennis racquet is that you can practice by yourself once someone shows you the proper movements.
PALO,
1) Watch YouTube. https://youtu.be/-aO9KtcUQCo or other instructional throwing videos.
2) Purchase a bucket of balls and net, or grab a buddy with a mitt.
3) A tripod (or a stand) for your smart phone to record yourself for feedback.
4) Review the recording to compare what you are doing with what you should be doing.
5) Practice & repeat
One of my sports life lessons is owed to my former college coach. He was ahead of his time. He was recording on VHS tape our practices and drills, and then made us watch ourselves. This went back to 1981....when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The lesson here is that you get immediate feedback from the way you should be doing something and the way you are doing it. I'm still active in that same college sport, and I still record my mechanics when I feel something is off.
Additionally, I've recently bought golf clubs (2022) and taken up golf more seriously in 2023. I did exactly as I've "preached" above in that 5 step process. I've subscribed to a handful of Youtube videos that make sense to me, and recorded my swings for comparison to the professional instructors. I've yet to take a professional paid golf lesson, and doing quite well on the course for a beginner/intermediate. I hit at least a hundred golf balls every day into a net in my backyard. If I can do this, you can do this. Stick with it.
JMO, and good luck!
@adbono posted:It sounds to me like you never learned proper throwing mechanics as a young boy. Which is not that uncommon. You can teach yourself proper backside arm action by learning how to serve a tennis ball. The arm action is the same as throwing a baseball. To do either one well you have to learn how to internally rotate the elbow and lay the forearm back. Once in that position you can effectively throw the baseball. The beauty of the tennis racquet is that you can practice by yourself once someone shows you the proper movements.
I've said it many times, I love tennis as a companion sport to baseball. so many movements are similar.
this video may help further explain, as a visual, the use of a tennis racquet and the concept of the arm spiral. I've seen so many youth baseball lessons showing (mostly because its not taken in the original context) pointing the ball to second base and swinging the arm strait back into the 90 degree position. We've all seen that guy teach the ball to second base and at the end he looks like he's signaling a field goal. The arm needs to spiral up into that position, like a tennis serve. The arm needs to lock into position into the trunk through scap load and ride it, swinging straight back, like often taught, doesn't allow that load, you feel like your arm is just back there, and not connected so often you end up pushing the ball because you are just using your arm or the opposite, dragging the arm because you have to yank your opposite shoulder and head to create energy and stretch.
This video's main focus is for pitchers, but the actions are similar, just think of being up to your waist in water and as an infielder keeping the ball out of the water, for a catcher think above belly button. Pitchers and outfielders break down. but honestly, for anyone having problems throwing correctly, I'd rather see them throwing like a pitcher and correctly than worrying about short arm actions at first, worry about adjusting later.
Other contributing factors can be physical, but you would need to have someone evaluate that to help.
good general strength can help with things, exercises like pushup pluses, bear crawls, wall slides, landmines, all designed to help strengthen the muscles that need to keep the shoulder and shoulder blades etc. moving correctly.
There is a lot out there for free on youtube, just be critical. My warning sign is when someone says something like, "the entire baseball industry doesn't know this, or does this wrong, so do it my way",,, that's usually someone to stay away from. I find that so many teaches, old school and new are actually trying to get to the same thing, but maybe shortened or started at a certain point without good explanation. Even the point that ball to second may have had a purpose that got lost in translation or as part of something else that went missing.
Agreed and kudos to OP that he got direct and blunt feedback. No guessing, surmising, or reading between the lines that come with sugar coating. He knows exactly where he stands and where he needs to improve. @HSDad22 I too love the tennis analogies. Agreed, there is a lot of biomechanical crossover. I would also add that many infielders throw with more of a sidearm or low 3/4 slot arm action, so it's also akin to a "western grip" forehand in tennis. Incidentally, some would argue there's biomechanics overlap between top hitting hand and the same western grip forehand, but I digress... Also thinking out loud tangentially, I'm aware of Consultant and Adbono advocating for defensive basketball as a great training tool, as it trains overalll athleticism and first move quickness; vital to catchers, MIF,s and CFs (really ALL 9). Couldn't agree more, BUT issue here is TIME, and the lack of it.
In a vacuum, it's difficult to efficiently direct you to the most useful help. From a cost efficiency standpoint, researching as many videos on throwing, and then going out and putting into practice would seem the most COST efficient, but not necessarily most efficient overall. Also keep in mind it's not just about throwing. A 2B also needs to coordinate footwork to optimize throwing accuracy and power. First things first. Tread Athletics (HSDad22's link above) has a TREMENDOUS amount of video resources. My son and I have viewed their stuff countless times and it has been VERY helpful. More recently, Robby Rowland's videos have proven even more useful, but are often harder to follow and digest without some baseline understanding. I will get even more simple and suggest Overhead Athletics and their YouTube site.
https://www.youtube.com/@OverheadAthletics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilnFINxU6es. (how to stay "closed")
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF2jRHT4FoI (throwing mechanics; pitcher vs position player)
From my limited experience there are "natural" throwers and "learned" throwers. You know the natural throwers from a YOUNG age. I've seen firsthand, and video of kids as young as 2-3 who have the range of motion in their shoulder, and innate spatial awareness, coordination, and basic sequencing (ie athleticism ) to produce surprisingly hard and generally accurate throws. Ive also seen kids as young as 6 and 7 maneuvering the MIF like mini-pros with excellent fundamental footwork and who throw hard across the smaller diamond (and no, Im NOT talking about my own kid) . That's a minimum of 3-5 years of "well trained" development with a natural throwing base. You obviously don't have that kind of time, but you are 14?, and sound motivated. So, as a more mature athlete, you have more strength and body control and understanding of the task at hand, so you CAN do it (efficiently).
Additionally, throwers can be categorized generally as catapults, bullwhips, or trebuchets. Most are somewhere in between, and body type (tall skinny long levers, shorter stocky STRONG) often dictates which one you are or lean to. Know thyself, understand which you are, and try to seek out the correct videos or coaching help. Ultimately, after you've done a lot of your own training, paying someone to advise you on a limited, more cost efficient basis might be MOST efficient, especially when you arrive at the footwork stage. Good luck. You CAN do it!