Coaching Clinic - Throwing Technique and Pointers
Throwing drills are among coaches' most popular drills because they don't require a regular playing field and most of them include all the players at once. These drills maximise both space and time.
However a majority of young players when doing these exercises are using an incorrect throwing technique which is leading to injuries further down the track.
Throwing is a complicated motion. Some children seem to learn it naturally, and others need lots of practice to master it. Common mistakes by young players are throwing from the ear (short arm), elbow lower than shoulder, not following through, or throwing with just the arm rather than using the whole body.
It is important to teach young players proper throwing technique because it gets more difficult to correct their technique as they get older.
 Coaches should stress correct mechanics over throwing accuracy. Important elements to look for in proper throwing mechanics are:
- Extending the arm behind the head rather than starting the throw at the ear.
- At the point of release the elbow is above or level with shoulder height.
- Using the whole body including the legs and hips rather than confining the throwing motion to the upper body.
- Holding the ball with the fingers on top (hand in the cookie jar) rather than gripping it using various hand positions.
If incorrect technique is continuously carried out then this will lead to shoulder (rotator cuff) injuries, which will result in the inability to throw the ball later on in the players' carrier. A good example of this is Courtney Walsh, who due to bad throwing technique was forced towards the end of his carrier to bowl the ball in from the boundary, not only costing his team runs, but also never having the chance to cause a run out.
There are many other things to look for when assessing throwing motion, however coaches and parents of young players should concentrate on the four points above. It is imperative as coach that you are aware that the failure to be able to teach this can lead to the development of bad throwing techniques that could lead to serious injury.
Most players nowadays at the professional level all have very good throwing techniques. These have been changed over the years with hours and hours of practice. This is one of the reasons why you see so many balls being returned over the top of the stumps with great velocity.
Players have been taught how to throw properly in alignment with the above four points, not only reducing their injuries but also increasing power and accuracy - ultimately resulting in more run outs and less runs taken by the batting team.
Furthermore, the base from which a player throws is very important. If we take a baseball pitcher for example they have a very good stable base to throw from and it is all in a straight line e.g. shoulder, hips and feet all straight throughout the throw and at the conclusion (after follow through).
Several years ago New Zealand Cricket employed Mike Young as a fielding coach for a season. Young, looked to import the crow-hop from baseball into cricket. The crow-hop involves bringing your back foot in FRONT of your front foot as you build up to throw. (The traditional way to throw from the boundary in cricket is to put it behind your front foot. The best way to understand this is to stand up right now and try it yourself.)
Young says he aimed to bring a different rationale to the ways cricketers throw; "The first thing players are taught to do is to get it in quick. Well, when you get it in quick, ultimately you throw off balance which means you don't have enough behind the throw; your accuracy will suffer and more importantly, you've been standing there doing nothing for 20 minutes and now you're going to get it in quickly from 60 meters - well, you throw the ball and you could hurt yourself.
"Throwing is all about working in straight lines, getting your feet in the right position, being balanced. Yes, you need to get it in quick sometimes - but only on a very limited number of occasions. I focus on mainly vision - where your eyes go the ball will follow - and balance, you have to have quick feet and be in a position to be accurate with your throws."
There may be debates about best practice, but the key point of agreement is that every team needs to study and work hard at its fielding. To neglect it is to give runs away. Any team that takes its eye off the ball, fielding-wise, will suffer.
More than batting or bowling, it seems to be the discipline that can decline or improve most rapidly; something that all squad members must work on hard on the training ground - and then execute in two-hour bursts on the park.
To conclude it is important as a coach you really work on your athletes throwing technique and not worry about accuracy initially, as this will come. If you are patient and follow the four points above, along with other NZC coaching points and work on their balance and stable base, then in time you will see improvement in accuracy and power resulting in more run outs and less runs for the batting team.
Not only will you see the results on the field but it means in the future, due to good technique they will still be able to throw accurately and with power as their body will allow them to - thanks to you, the coach.
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