IF Throws to 1B

After release have him point to his target

He should be throwing a 4 seam. Also, ball should roll off his finger tips.

Without seeing him, it would be tough but here are some things to consider:
- Be sure his footwork right before and right after catching are sound. Many bad throws originate from poor footwork.
- Make sure his fingers are behind the ball. Some kids let their fingers go off to the side a bit when they throw creating a throw that tails, cuts, or curves away from the first baseman.
- Does he pitch a lot? The reason I ask is that pitchers are taught to throw downhill. Pitchers start tall and finish small (low). Infielders field low and finish high to allow the ball to travel a farther distance. An infielder who comes up too quickly can drive a lot of throws into the dirt.
- He should be moving in a straight line towards his target for a few steps after throwing.
- He should be trying to throw the ball "through" the first baseman instead of throwing it "to" the first baseman. Guiding it there has the same effect as a pitcher "aiming" the ball.

There are more tips people I'm sure will offer. IMO you tend to get the most bang for the buck when you focus on footwork.

Good luck!

BaseballByTheYard

NJ, this may be an issue where your son needs more reps. Drills where he is focused on just making the throw to 2b and 1b may help. A lot of times the athletes natural ability will figure it out with extra work. With this work he will figure out his foot work and throwing motion that works for him.

Good luck,
Lefty...

Work on pointing to the target after release. This is an effective drill for improving accuracy.

You do not always have the luxury of finding a 4 seam grip when under pressure to release the throw.

quote:

You do not always have the luxury of finding a 4 seam grip when under pressure to release the throw

Agreed. However, it should always be used during warmups, in between innings, etc, to get the feel for it. 2013 Son had this problem and did a drill posted here in response to my question, and it worked pretty well.

meachrm,
Excellent post.

Also when warming up having him pick targets to throw to. left shoulder, right knee, etc. Make a game of it.

I work with IFs a lot. Many times the problem lies in their footwork before and after they catch a GB. Where are his throws going? High towards his throwing arm side?

I was wondering how this turned out. I would also be interested in hearing your take redbird. What would you do if they were indeed high to that side?

I have a slightly different perspective. Have your son make all the crazy throws he can during practice. Off balance, weird arm angles, terrible grips etc..

You don't want to be in a game and have it the first time you have to make a crazy rushed throw. You will be surprised.

quote:

Originally posted by NDD:
I was wondering how this turned out. I would also be interested in hearing your take redbird. What would you do if they were indeed high to that side?

If his throws are to high arm side, it is most likely a footwork issue. Usually, he is not creating any momentum toward 1B and tries to make up for it with arm strength OR his momentum is taking him up the RF line and the same thing occurs.

To correct, have him throw and take 4 steps toward 1B after the throw ("follow your throw"). If he does, most likely the ball will not run high to arm side.

Thank you.

Agree with Doughnutman. Don't minimize the importance of footwork. But hitting a lot of grounders and encouraging the kid to 1) go hard to the ball and 2) make whatever throw the position demands is great practice. Gotta make those routine plays but all kids need to step it up for the special plays that get the team fired up.

Without seeing him actually play it is very hard. It could just be that he is nervous about making a good throw. In that case, make sure he is taking a shuffle step or two in the direction of 1st base in order for him to get relaxed, not rush the throw, get more power on the throw to make up for the lost time, and to get a good grip on the ball. Nothing will solve this better than just taking grounder after grounder and throwing to first. Just make sure his fundamentals are right (try videotaping if you have to) because practice doesn't make perfect...practice makes permanent whether you are doing things the right way or the wrong way. Cheers!