Fielding - Throwing Problem

[SteveyD]

Fielding - Throwing Problem

Good morning!

I have a bit of a problem fielding at the moment, and that is my throwing.
I have never been able to throw a ball properly/far and whilst it doesn't affect me that much (i tend to field SEC/SMW/Slips ) it is a bit of a pain that when i chase down a ball that the keeper missed etc, I dont have the power to get the ball back to the stumps effectively.
What I find happens is that I think that I move my weight too early and jujst sort of flail with my arm gtting no power into it afterwards. I have never learnt how to throw properly, and unlike many at school, just never really picked it up etc!
So if anyone can suggest how to throw, or knows any good videos etc, would be appreciated (I dont find the colingwood video on the bbc that informative)
Stephen

pps
How do you use a slip cradle? I came accross one sitting in the changing room, and was told its been used about twice since they bought it. . .

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Fielding - Throwing Problem

I'd have directed you straight to the Collingwood video, but if you're saying that's of no use I'd then have to investigate why? Personally being a child of the 1960's and living a completely different lifestyle to people younger than me I gew up throwing and doing physical stuff. Throwing was a main feature of our lives - throwing at cats, birds, each other, accuracy and distance games, if we got bored it'd be a case of 'Who can hit that can from here' type thing. But at 50 and being a teacher, throwing's not something I do these days and it's now replaced by - press ups, pull ups, rotational press ups and using elasticated bands behind the head to maintian rotator cuff, arm and shoulder strength.

YouTube - Rotational Push-ups for instance is my favourite.

Also, you may find that throwing under-arm in non-essential situations helps?

Look at what you do for leisure and work activities - do they mean that you're physically active and offer opportunities to practice? I don't know how old you are and I am prone to generalising, but if you're under 35 the chances are you're years as a youth may have been spent playing computers and watching TV primarily, in which case it may be catch up time if you're looking to be able to throw that ball in the manner you wish?

 

[SteveyD]

Re: Fielding - Throwing Problem

I'd have directed you straight to the Collingwood video, but if you're saying that's of no use I'd then have to investigate why? Personally being a child of the 1960's and living a completely different lifestyle to people younger than me I gew up throwing and doing physical stuff. Throwing was a main feature of our lives - throwing at cats, birds, each other, accuracy and distance games, if we got bored it'd be a case of 'Who can hit that can from here' type thing. But at 50 and being a teacher, throwing's not something I do these days and it's now replaced by - press ups, pull ups, rotational press ups and using elasticated bands behind the head to maintian rotator cuff, arm and shoulder strength.

YouTube - Rotational Push-ups for instance is my favourite.

Also, you may find that throwing under-arm in non-essential situations helps?

Look at what you do for leisure and work activities - do they mean that you're physically active and offer opportunities to practice? I don't know how old you are and I am prone to generalising, but if you're under 35 the chances are you're years as a youth may have been spent playing computers and watching TV primarily, in which case it may be catch up time if you're looking to be able to throw that ball in the manner you wish?

My underarm throwing is reasonable, provided that i sort of "lunge forwards" however its a case of times such as throwing in from a 3/4 length single or a throw from the boundary to stop the 2 that is causing my problems.
I am 23, I train for triathlon primarily, I have spent too much time playing computers indeed. I also play bass guitar, and football once a week in goal.
I Look at the collingwood video and I dont see what he does differently. I've tried the standing low down technique but it doesn't seem to work.
I'll have to video myself throwing I guess!

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Fielding - Throwing Problem

I think even though throwing seems like a really basic rudimentary thing to do you've only got to be around older cricket players who've played for 20-25 years and you'll hear them saying 'I can't throw anymore as my shoulders shot' or they'll throw at the start of the season without any warm up and that's it they'll have knackered their shoulder in one throw and wont be able to throw properly for a month or two or maybe longer if they're older like me. I did exactly that and threw in the manner I would have with stones and things when I was younger and damaged my shoulder. Talking to Liz Ward about it on the Fitness and nutrition thread she said that throwing is one of potentially most damaging thing you can do to your body due to the acceleration/deceleration factor if I recall correctly.

I found that if I follow the Collingwood advice and do warm ups and the exercises the impact on the shoulder and rotator cuff seems far less stressful when trying to throw in from the boundary. I always go and meet people half way when fielding balls that have gone over the boundary so as to encourage them to not try and throw ridiculous distances and when I retrieve such balls I walk back to the boundary and then usually throw it in under-arm.

Collingwoods action is a 'Through' arm action rather than a round arm action which is more like what I've always done.

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Fielding - Throwing Problem

Another point is that both David Hinchcliffe and Liz Ward on here will both tell you and advocate that you train specifically for cricket, although it's kind of got this laymans image of being a slow old duffers sport, if you're doing it to win and competitively it's very demanding on the body and requires 'Cricket specific' approaches to the way you train, so although you're doing triathlon training I'd imagine it's not specific to cricket?

 

[Boris]

Re: Fielding - Throwing Problem

Something I may actually be able to help on here. Baseball is my number 2 sport, and in baseball you don't just get taught to pitch and/or bat like you would bowl and/or bat in cricket, fielding is just as, if not more important due to the differences in games. You can very easily loose a spot in a team if you can't throw flat and fast from at the very least 3rd to 1st.

I'm a pitcher, and as such I've been reaching speeds of about 130-135 km/h pitching, and when you train for weeks on end for that, throwing a ball in from the boundary is a synche. Throwing is very underrated amongst cricketers, not just for the obvious fielding benefits, but the safety aspects as well.

First thing that helped me when I was being coached was the wrist. Crouch down so that your right knee is on the ground, but your left foot is as well, kind of like a lunge. You should be able to reach your right hand through the gap between the bottom of your left thigh and the ground. Keep your right forearm hard up against your thigh with your palm facing to the sky and wrist just past the left side of your thigh. Now place a ball in your right hand, and while pressing up on your thigh with your forearm, flick your wrist upwards. You should throw the ball in the air, past your face (be careful not to throw into it, always use a cricket ball for this!). You should aim to try and get that ball as high as possible (while not straining becase this is an odd position), while more importantly try to get it to fall straight back down so you can attempt to catch it (very hard to do). This simulates the point of release when you are throwing, as the greatest cause of lack of power is not flicking the wrist. This also imparts backspin and allows the ball to be thrown further distances. Having your forearm pressed up against your thigh also simulates the pressures that your arm is under while whizzing through the air, so it becomes what I think is a pretty handy exercise.

This link here is actually one on how to pitch in baseball, but I found from this crouching position was the best to start from when building up accuracy and power. Have a listen to what he says, but pitching is different to throwing so don't take it as 100% correct for throwing.

YouTube - ‪How to Pitch a Baseball : Body Position Exercises for Baseball Pitching‬‎

When you see the front on video at the end, you see the release point of the ball is quite out to the side, more side arm then perhaps you would see normal. In baseball we are taught to throw quite side arm with a very big elbow flick, but that is mostly for saving time as you don't have to raise your arm all the way up, and pitching it helps with power.

However this doesn't work in cricket, so try and keep those two planes linear, as he says, up and down and side to side. Keep the arm up and down and follow through right through to your thigh. Start off in this crouching position, and focus on twisting your torso all the way around so that your right elbow (that is if you are RH) touches the opposite side of your left knee. Copy what he does from a more side on position with the arm up and down. You want your torso to be facing perpendicular to the right of your target. Also, if you want that power, focus on bringing that left hand back into your chest when in this positon. Remember while in this position to not attempt to throw hard, as the body is in an awkward position and you will end up damaging something. The aim is to get power from the elbow and wrist flick instead.

1. In this position, at first you should concentrate on getting your elbow to flick through properly. Start from a point beside your head and flick through with your elbow leading, and ensure to ALWAYS follow through to that left thigh, while keeping your chin at your target. Keep it going until you can throw reasonably powerfully (accuracy comes later when throwing) to a point 15-20 metres away.

2. Now move onto the wrist as well. Get the elbow/wrist flick happening, if you haven't naturally done it. Concentrating first on the elbow normally gets this happening naturally, as you strive for some power you add every joint into the equation. Use the under the thigh flicking you used above and add this exact flick to the end of your through. You will have to get used to point of release, and while attempting to physicaly add a wrist flick don't be surprised if you start throwing at the ground 2 metres away from you. Remember to start from beside your head and flick through, not back in the proper position yet. Remember to follow through.

3. Once you are able to throw reasonably flat to that point 15-20 metres away you will want to extend your throw. Bring you arm back as said in the video so that your forearm is perpendicular with the ground, bent at the elbow. Now, nice and gently bring the arm through very smoothly, adding the elbow flick and wrist flick at the end to throw. Don't forget to bring your left arm into your chest and to follow through right down almost to the ground. Keep your weight going forward and your chin pointing at the target the whole way. REMEMBER THE FOLLOW THROUGH. It is pivitol to the next step.

After getting used to this, throwing flat and now looking for some decent accuracy as well, now it's time to stand up.

4. The thing most people get wrong is the follow through. If you were to keep your head looking straight ahead with the alignment of your body, you should first be looking perpendicular to the right, then at the end after the release of the ball, perpendicular to the left. You are looking to turn a complete 180 degrees, with the fulcrum being your left foot that you plant and turn around. Practice planting the left foot down on the ground, and swivelling on it so that you go from facing one direction, to the opposite. Your target should first be the direction your left shoulder is facing, and once you have finished your through, should be the direction your right shoulder is facing. The whole time your head should be looking at this point, and your neck twisting to stay straight.

5. Now it's time to add some arm movement. Start from the elbow and wrist section again (step 2), except this time standing up. Start with your throwing hand just beside and up from your head (never directly beside) and nice and gently elbow and wrist flick and follow through so that you sweep past your left thigh. When you bring your arm up into the ready position, you should then plant your left foot as you were doing before. Don't over anticipate the use of the follow through, as the way you twisted your torso before should have taught your body to just 'flow' with what is natural. Your body should feel a point when you are going through your throw where it feels uncomfortable and needs to change and twist. That's when you pivot and turn so your chest turns and faces to the opposite direction. It takes a bit of practice to time exactly right, a bit early and you'll drag the ball down and to the left, too late and not only will you get no power but you will probably end up hurting yourself on a full out throw.

It is important to just 'let it flow'. You will feel what is most comfortable, and that will be the way to generate the most power. You will see baseball pitchers that pitch near 100 mph in a graceful seemingly stressless and powerless throw. That is where the find the ultimate timing for their body, and as such, best power and accuracy.

6. Now extend it back to a full throw. Concentrate on a very gentle and graceful action. I concentrate on a series I say in my head turn right, arm up, chin forward, glove in (left hand pull in), shoulder, elbow, wrist through, slap thigh, right foot down, turn and face left. I say that little mantra to myself and get myself to throw through nice and smoothly, looking for grace rather than power. That whole sequence goes through smoothly (no stopping and starting) and in less than a second at full speed. Once you find that point of 'grace' you should automatically be throwing with some power, and you can refine your accuracy from there.

Sorry it was quite long, but hope it helps some.

 

[WK_Batsman]

Re: Fielding - Throwing Problem

That is amazing dedication from Boris there.

 

[SteveyD]

Re: Fielding - Throwing Problem

It is, and I forgot to say thank you!
so boris, this is for you :

 

[mas cambios]

Re: Fielding - Throwing Problem

Good morning!

pps
How do you use a slip cradle? I came accross one sitting in the changing room, and was told its been used about twice since they bought it. . .

Slip cradle - simple. You have a least one person each end and you throw the ball onto the cradle. It'll find it's own path and whizz off the other end, mimicking a slip catch. Best to throw overarm but take it easy at first - you can really get the ball to whip off the cradle at pace and with practice at strange angles.

 

[Boris]

Re: Fielding - Throwing Problem

It is, and I forgot to say thank you!
so boris, this is for you :

Hahaha that's a new one.

Any time.

 

[SteveyD]

Re: Fielding - Throwing Problem


It has ac tually improved my throwing insanely. I've been getting the ball in from boundaries at a nice low level and almost consistantly at the stumps.
Hell, I even took a catch yesterday (Deep Square Leg, Skyer that went around 3/4 in, but swirling like a sod in a windy day). Somethings gone wrong!!!
We lost unfortunatly, chasing 203 only managed 187 off the 40 overs :\

 

[someblokecalleddave]

I've just stuck this in here as it's the nearest thing I've found relating to throwing/fielding. But.... Strewth! Hasn't the fielding been good in the world cup especially throwling the ball at the stumps for run-outs, how do they do that so consistently and so well? Do they spend hours practicing and is there anything specific that you can do to be better at it?

 

[Tumo]

Just drilling it. We played something called "4 corners" at Uni. It's fairly simple.

1 ball, 1 set of stumps, 4 roughly equal groups at each corner. We play it in the sports hall, so it's probably about 40m x 25m.
Person at team 1 throws it on the full to someone in team 2. team 2 then has a shy/attempt at the stumps, and team 3 backs up the shy. Team 3 throws it on the full again to team 4, who has a shy at the stumps and team one backs up. What we do though, is we 'follow the throw', so if team 1 throws it to team 2, the person at team 1 runs to the back of the queue at team 2. We also play with a sawn off set of stumps, so probably the bottom third. Really good practice, especially if your team's fielding isn't up to scratch.

 

[Boris]

I've just stuck this in here as it's the nearest thing I've found relating to throwing/fielding. But.... Strewth! Hasn't the fielding been good in the world cup especially throwling the ball at the stumps for run-outs, how do they do that so consistently and so well? Do they spend hours practicing and is there anything specific that you can do to be better at it?

Well I'd actually beg to differ, although I have been watching mostly Australia and their fielding skill has halved in recent years (most of it went with Symonds).

I think cricket the world over has some pretty bad fielding all round. There needs to be some more baseball incorporated into the game. There are too many cases of players not being able to throw from the boundary to the keeper without the ball raising above 3.5 to 4 metres at the very most from the ground. Kids in America grow up being able to do this because this is what they are taught straight away. In cricket we get a bat in their hand or get them to bowl down a few balls. Everything revolves around the nets, not the field. This is particularly the case with subcontinent teams, hence why their fielding is almost always lacking in comparison.

Firstly you need to get your throw right, then you go onto the drills. Ponting has about the best "looking" throw in cricket at the moment, and about the best speed at close distances.

The next best technically correct and most effective throw is Johnson, then you look at guys like the Hussey brothers for technically correct (but severly power lacking) ones and then for out and out power you look at somebody like Mpofu from Zimbabwe.

All these guys are trained by a dedicated baseball coach. Coincidence?

Then you go onto the English fielders. I'm sorry to say it Dave but all the side arm flicks and round arm slings from the English team doesn't look good. It's not powerful (how many bounces do you see?), not accurate, dangerous on your body and looks pretty laughable. The same is true of the Indian team and particularly the Pakistan team.

I'm not trying to start an argument about Australian fielding being better than the rest, but the best fielding and most technically correct teams in the world have a baseballer in there somewhere. That's what cricket needs. Even if it is showing them a major league baseball game where errors in the field rarely get above 2 from a whole 9 innings.

 

[Tumo]

I'm gonna go the opposite way here Boris, I think the English fielders are good, look at Jimmy/Colly/Bell/Trott, all with decentarms! One of the best outfielders I ever saw was Heath Streak, Jesus he had one hell of an arm. Obviously Roger Harper for short throws, or any of the Windies batsmen like Viv, Sir Clive, etc from that time! The amount of direct hits have been good, the catching has been good, but the amount of good outfielders with strong throws are definitely dying out!

 

[Boris]

I'm gonna go the opposite way here Boris, I think the English fielders are good, look at Jimmy/Colly/Bell/Trott, all with decentarms! One of the best outfielders I ever saw was Heath Streak, Jesus he had one hell of an arm. Obviously Roger Harper for short throws, or any of the Windies batsmen like Viv, Sir Clive, etc from that time! The amount of direct hits have been good, the catching has been good, but the amount of good outfielders with strong throws are definitely dying out!

I'm going to pose to you a question, though. Have you seen a major league baseball game in action? You struggle to follow the ball, that's just how fast and accurate everything is.

It's great if you've seen one but not the other, sort of thing.

These are two pretty normal plays for baseball. These two don't have massively strong arms, either. Remember it's 38 metres from 3rd to 1st! And Durango throws from the centre field, so that's nudging on 60 metres. And these throws are flat and very fast, you're looking at 120km/h, while running and off balance. Plus you'll notice that these throws are deadly, deadly accurate. This is a skill cricketers simply don't have.
Sandoval's Strong Throw
Durango's Strong Throw

I'm not arguing on the most part about catching. Almost all teams are brilliant at that and is something baseballers could only dream to do - catch with bare hands at the massive speeds, spin and variability that cricket has (you don't get a backward cut with a lot of spin on it, in baseball, for example), but they aren't good at throwing.

Collingwood is accurate at close range, but even then he throws completely side arm (which lessens your speed by a lot unless you have massive forearm power at close range, and is also very bad on your shoulder) and isn't as accurate as say fielders like Ponting, Rhodes and Symonds, who all have baseball throws and all hit the stumps with an uncanny consistency. Plus I've seen Ponting throw from long on to the keeper's end at the MCG on the full, and flat, almost running a West Indian out. Now there's a guy who's been taught long and hard by Mickey Arthur.

English fielders are great with catching, but definitely not throwing. You can tell just by looking at it. In fact I have no idea how Trott manages to get within 5 metres of the stumps from the circle with an action like his.

I feel bad about relating baseball so much, but it needs to be pushed, especially if you are trying to introduce cricket to baseball playing countries. As a cricketer and baseballer myself I know just how much cricketers get teased for their throwing arms, it's about the first thing that comes up in the usual cricket vs baseball argument. It's pretty hard to play with those guys haha

 

[Tumo]

Unfortunately I cannot see those links in my country, damned youtube. I did, however, find a clip of an Italy-Canada game, and I was very impressed at the arm this lad put in. Extremely powerful! I'd be interested in getting taught how baseballers throw, As my arm at short range is good, but not so much as an outfielder (which, being one of the younger members, and also better fielders, I get asked to do quite a lot) and I feel I need to improve. How would you go about teaching someone, or how would I go about learning?

 

[Boris]

Unfortunately I cannot see those links in my country, damned youtube. I did, however, find a clip of an Italy-Canada game, and I was very impressed at the arm this lad put in. Extremely powerful! I'd be interested in getting taught how baseballers throw, As my arm at short range is good, but not so much as an outfielder (which, being one of the younger members, and also better fielders, I get asked to do quite a lot) and I feel I need to improve. How would you go about teaching someone, or how would I go about learning?

That's odd, baseball mustn't like your country

The first one has Sandoval throwing from 3rd to first completely flat, the second has Durango throwing from about 60 metres out on the full without a care in the world.

Generally for such a strong throw from the outfield it is usually coupled with a dive, you pretty much throw yourself over into a roll.

Throwing is about the only technical movement in cricket I think I'd be qualified to coach at a higher level (if you got me as a bowling coach trying to correct your bad action you'll probably end up with a lot of injures ).

I wrote up a step by step process to get your action correct above for StevieD, I think that would also be of help to you.

That's the first step to a better throw, just focussing on the technique. A smooth graceful looking throw is miles better than anything else. You have to get all the sub routines in order and coordinated at exactly the right time for the best, most accurate and powerful throw. And to start with, the only way is to slow yourself down so you can get them all correct and timed.

See if that lengthy post of mine earlier explains enough and I'll see if I can add anything else after that.

How is your catching?

 

[Tumo]

I shall have a long look through later, I'm going to have to start my assignment (due in for tomorrow, but not a biggy) so I'll have a longer peruse over it later. I remember Paul Collingwood doing some fielding videos, and in one he covered throwing, and All I can remember from that is throw from a strong base, very much similar to how Ponting does it. then bring your body through.
My catching is decent, in fact I'd say it's very good.

 

[Bazza04]

Hi Guys,
I'm new to the forum and i am 15 years old and an opening batsman. I have HUGE problems with my fielding and throwing. I cannot throw from my under 16's boundary and this weekend I am also playing for one of my clubs senior sides. I am a terrible throw and I need to know how to improve my throw. I have been told by team mates that I have a strange throwing action and apparently I have a "floppy" arm but I am not sure how to correct this action. Any ideas or help with my action?
Much appreciated