hawaiibball 0 Report post Posted February 7, 2010 I have a 5 yo boy who is relatively good for his age at throwing. However, I'm a bit of a fundamental nut, and he does two things fundamentally wrong, often.1. He doesn't get his shoulders turned and often steps with his lead foot towards the left of his target (not towards his target) (he throws right).2. He drops his elbow during his throwing motion.I've set up bamboo sticks to force him to step towards the target, and I've tried to get him to throw overhand best I can, but he just doesn't do it consistently in game/practice.Soooo, first, should I just let it go for now, and keep going with gentle reminders? Or should I really make sure I repeat the proper mechanics as much as I can.If let it go, how long til I get a little more adamant about it? I see 7-8 year olds that can't throw from 2nd to 1st base because of poor mechanics and it scares me.Any other ideas of how to fix these problems, please feel free to share.Thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Orange 26 Report post Posted February 8, 2010 You can make up little games and drills that you have him do. That will certainly help. But I'd say the biggest thing is just to play catch, a lot. If he gets a lot of reps AND has fun and you correct him now and then, you'll have a straight throwing 8 year old. Make sure you praise him much more than you correct him.My son is 11 now and I've seen a lot of kids playing different sports, coached a lot of them including baseball. One thing I've learned is that all kids are different as to motivations, abilities, personalities, etc. Some will pick up throwing quickly, others will take longer to learn. Some will love to practice, some hate it. Some strive to get better and are very competitive and others not so much. You are at the beginning of your sons sports career and if you want to make it a long and prosperous one, make it fun for him. If it becomes like work he'll get tired of it quickly. Learn his personality and what makes him tick. Is he motivated to beat others, does he just love to have fun, maybe he could care less? Have fun, enjoy the time together and don't get too serious until he's much older. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dblinkh1 0 Report post Posted February 9, 2010 I agree with MVP. At this age it is more about "fun" than technique. Also I might add that not every kid takes coaching from their dad. I have two sons and one loves for me to coach him and work on stuff to get better. My other son won't take any direction from me but will listen to his team coach tell him the same thing. Go Figure. Good luck and enjoy the time together. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coach Larry 0 Report post Posted February 15, 2010 Orange is right. Do not "PUSH" a five-year-old to do anything sports wise. Instead make up games and have fun with him. Two games I play with my players to help them throw more overhand.To help prevent the arm from coming down rather than throwing over the top- 1) Play catch with them in a swimming pool. Kids love to dive for a pickle or whiffle balls and make the catch. If you make sure they are standing in water that is chest deep - (deep enough to force them to throw the ball back overhand). The elbow will not be able to come down because the water will mess up the sidearm throw. 2) Have them lie down flat on their back. Then see how many times they can throw a pickle ball straight up into the air and then catch it with the same hand. By being on their back they cannot drop the arm down on the side. They are forced to keep their elbow up and use the proper throwing motion with their forearm and wrist. Make it a game and try to get them to do 10 in a row or beat their last score. You should do it with them. This is a little harder for 5 year olds. If they start to get frustrated, move on to something else. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hawaiibball 0 Report post Posted June 16, 2010 Orange is right. Do not "PUSH" a five-year-old to do anything sports wise. Instead make up games and have fun with him. Two games I play with my players to help them throw more overhand.To help prevent the arm from coming down rather than throwing over the top- 1) Play catch with them in a swimming pool. Kids love to dive for a pickle or whiffle balls and make the catch. If you make sure they are standing in water that is chest deep - (deep enough to force them to throw the ball back overhand). The elbow will not be able to come down because the water will mess up the sidearm throw. 2) Have them lie down flat on their back. Then see how many times they can throw a pickle ball straight up into the air and then catch it with the same hand. By being on their back they cannot drop the arm down on the side. They are forced to keep their elbow up and use the proper throwing motion with their forearm and wrist. Make it a game and try to get them to do 10 in a row or beat their last score. You should do it with them. This is a little harder for 5 year olds. If they start to get frustrated, move on to something else.Thanks for the feedback. I just wanted to say that, I found a more active forum to visit, but this post seems like a good idea. He's 6 and 2 mos now and throws sidearm with a curve (seems to twist his arm turning his palm up as he throws). Really trying not to nit pick him, but worried that most of his energy is going into the spin of the ball, rather than the throw itself.Thanks again! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites