How to Throw a Baseball – (5 Essential Tips)

Good baseball throwing form can help prevent injury and improve a pitcher’s ability to execute a specific pitch. Additionally, practicing the correct way how to throw a baseball increases opportunities that the ball will land on the designated target. With that in mind, here are five tips to help you learn the correct techniques on how to throw a baseball properly.

5 Tips to Throw a Baseball

Step 1 - Use a Proper Grip

Throw a Baseball

The best way to grip a baseball is with a four-seam grip. This method works by placing your thumb under the ball and holding it with two fingers across its seams. To master the four-seam grip, start by playing catch with someone and focusing on pulling the ball out of the glove using the fingers across the seams. It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to master. However, you’ll notice that the ball gains more accuracy and speed the more you train with this grip.

Step 2 - Use Appropriate Hand Placement

The Appropriate Hand Placement

When you pull the ball out of your glove, make sure that your thumb is facing down towards the ground. This will allow you to see the back of your hand and not the ball. Getting into the habit of throwing your glove hand back to your back while throwing the ball can make a big difference in your throwing accuracy.

Step 3 - Practice the Arm Motion

Take note that the motion that your arm makes while throwing the ball is circular. It aids in your throwing by providing more natural momentum. Furthermore, when you’re pulling the ball out of your gloves, place your hand on the back of your knee and extend your arm out to the side. Also, the elbow of a throwing arm should be above the shoulder to deliver an accurate ball.

Additionally, developing a proper wrist snapping motion can be challenging, but you can improve your grip strength and flexibility by placing your finger on the ground between your chest and abdomen. This exercise will help develop the proper angle and motion for snapping the ball.

Step 4 - Understand the Rotation of the Ball

Understand the Rotation of the Ball

To make sure that the ball doesn’t tail, you want to make sure that the ball is rotated at least 12 degrees. If you are not careful, you may end up with a bad ’12-6′ rotation. It’s also worth mentioning that those two numbers signify the numbers on the clock, wherein 12 is at the top and 6 is at the bottom. Therefore, to get a good ’12-6′ rotation, twist your wrist as the ball comes forward.

Step 5 - Point the Baseball to the Clouds

To complete a good throwing arc, the best approach is to point the ball to the clouds. In other words, the starting point of the ball should be pointing upwards. After that, follow through with a good circular arc and you should be able to throw with excellent efficiency.

How to Throw a Baseball by position

Each player has their unique throwing styles and mechanics. However, different circumstances make for varying pitching styles. One way to adjust your baseball-throwing technique accordingly is to understand the different positions in the sport.

Pitcher

Take note that there’s a lot more to being a good pitcher than just throwing a ball. It also involves a lot of mental and physical stamina, strategy, and confidence. Regardless of the form you choose, it’s important to make sure that you use the same wind-up every time. The proper stride length is also an important factor to consider when throwing a baseball. Also, if you have a wider foot than a smaller one, try to place it flat on the ground after contact.

Infielder

Infielder

When throwing a baseball from the infield, the throw must be on target and in the most opportune moment. One thing to keep in mind is that you should keep your hands above your shoulders so you can generate enough power to throw across the infield without taking your arm out.

Here’s a quick video to help you throw a ball when you’re playing in the infield.

Outfielder

Outfielder

Several principles exist that you can use when throwing a baseball out of the outfield. Check out the video below to know how to use an outfield throw called the crow hop effectively.

Final Words

Throwing accurately is one of the most important paths to success in baseball. Follow the tips mentioned in this article to help improve your throwing arm. Finally, kindly note that it doesn’t take overnight to perfect the ideal pitch. Practice frequently, and you can throw with the pros over time.

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