Catching and Catchers discussion Sidearm....thoughts?????

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My dd (catcher) throws slightly sidearm (not fully). We've tried to adjust it before with a little luck and a LOT of work. She's back at it again. She throws very hard, with pretty good control. She is not having any soreness. Should this be addressed or do we leave well enough alone??

I would appreciate your thoughts/advice.
 
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Hard to say without actually seeing it to make any kind of determination on whether or not it would be harmful long term. My thought, however, is that any kind of mechanical "bug" could cause injury or simply not be as efficient (power, accuracy, or both) as it could be.
 
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Anything below 45 to 60 degrees should be addressed. Parents need to stop thinking about the girls as youth and start thinking about when they're 30, 40 or 50 years old. My dd on occassion will drop her elbow and make a perfect throw from the side, but you can bet she'll be hearing the lecture later. There is life after travelball and I don't want my dd paying the price when it comes time for her to coach her kids later in life. Push proper mechanics now and prevent any regrets later. JMHO
 
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How old is she now?

And I agree in the years to come it will become an issue.

We do a throwing 101 drill for a hard case side armer....really anyone.

Have her lay on her back and extend her arm above her head so her elbow will be on the ground and above the shoulder and the back of her throwing hand will be on the ground.

If you can visualize someone throwing a ball properly with the elbow leading and the elbow above the shoulder then have her get into that position while laying on her back.

Now have her raise just the elbow 10 or 15 times while the back of the hand holding the ball stays on the ground.

Then have her throw the ball up into the air by leading first with the elbow and then release with the wrist....usually one of three things happen....the ball will go straight up and she will catch it or it goes behind her which means the ball rolled off her finger tips or she palmed it and threw it towards her feet.

She can practice this indoors using a whiffle ball or tennis ball however it must be done daily to break the habit of dropping the hand versus leading with the elbow.

We have never not been able to break the side arm issue IF they do this daily and re program their throwing mechanics.

I will also send you a PM
 
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Hitter, ?

My dd is twelve - thanks for the drill, ?we're going to start doing that!
 
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I wouldnt be too worried if it is a little to the side. You want it to feel natural and some people are actually a little uncomfortable throwing straight over the top.
Infielders should be able to throw sidearm when needed.

My name is thatguy2120 and I approve this message
 

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