Baseball drill

Shuffle and throw drill

Name: How to Teach Young Kids to Throw [Step-by-Step]
Channel: Coach Dan Blewett
Description: Young players turn sideways to the target, take two quick shuffles toward it and throw. Getting the feet moving lets the rest of the throw line up on its own, without a lecture about the elbow.

Young players turn sideways to the target, take two quick shuffles toward it and throw. Getting the feet moving lets the rest of the throw line up on its own, without a lecture about the elbow.

Video by Coach Dan Blewett on YouTube. The write-up below is ours.

At a glance

Sport: Baseball and Softball
Skill: Throwing
Ages: 6U to 10U
Players: 2 (a player and a coach or parent), or pairs of players
Time: About 10 minutes
Level: Beginner
Equipment: Gloves, A bucket of balls
Indoors: Needs a field

Very young players often stand flat-footed and square to their partner and throw the ball like a dart. Telling them about elbow angles rarely helps. Turning them sideways and getting their feet moving does: two quick shuffles toward the target, and the arm tends to fall into a better rhythm by itself.

Use it after a few minutes of easy catch, once you have backed up far enough that the player has to put some effort into reaching you. Keep the feedback about the feet and the energy.

Setup

Pair a player with a coach or parent on open grass or turf.
Start at an easy catch distance, then back up to one that makes the player work a little to reach you.
Keep a bucket of balls by the player, so missed throws do not stop the reps.

How to run it

The player starts with the ball in the glove, hands together at the chest.
They turn sideways, glove shoulder pointing at the target.
They take two quick shuffles toward the target, staying sideways.
As the front foot lands after the second shuffle, they break the hands and throw to the coach's chest.
Give a point for every throw with good shuffles that reaches the chest, and play to five or ten.

Coaching points

Coach the feet, not the elbow. Energy and rhythm in the shuffles first.
Chest stays sideways through the shuffles, so the player does not open up early.
Let the hands come apart as the feet land, without stopping in between.
Small hands throw better with a ball they can grip, so young softball players can start with a baseball or a soft ball.

Common mistakes

Catching and throwing straight away from a square stance, like a dart.
Stopping the feet after the shuffles before starting the arm.
Making the glove arm point so stiffly that the upper body cannot turn.

Printable drill card

Take this drill to the field: the setup, steps, coaching points and equipment on one card, with the video's address to find it again. Free, no account needed.

Print the drill card

Smaller: half page or quarter page (PDF).

By age

Tee ball and coach pitch

Keep the distance short enough to reach and count shuffle, shuffle, throw out loud. Use soft balls if players are throwing to each other.

10U

Stretch it out into light long toss, so players have to drive harder with their legs to get the ball there.

Next: Free defensive lineup generator.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my child's elbow drops when they throw?

Before talking about the elbow, try getting the feet moving: turn sideways, shuffle and throw, from a little farther away. Many young players' arms improve once their legs are in the throw.

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