Throwing is an essential skill in many sports including basketball, baseball, cricket, American football, rugby, bowling, javelin and discus. While the technique varies massively depending on what you’re throwing and the rules of the sport, there are a few universal principles that you can follow to improve your throw. This post lists a few of those principles that could have you throwing better.
Use your whole body
Throwing isn’t just about how you use your arm, but how you use your whole body. In some sports, how you position your body is key to accuracy, while in other cases using your whole body is key to generating strength for speed and distance. Start from the ground up when perfecting a throw - identify the perfect stance and when you need to use power in your legs, then consider the position of your torso and then work on your shoulder and arm position. A coach can help you adopt the right body position. You can also watch videos and look at diagrams to help you position your body correctly.
Improve upper body strength
While upper body strength isn’t necessary for some throwing sports like darts, it is key to most throwing sports. Practising upper body strength exercises could help you to generate more power in your throws. Push ups, shoulder presses, tricep dips, bicep curls and pull ups are all great examples. Focus particularly on exercises that target the latissimus dorsi if you want to generate power. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should neglect leg and core workouts as these too can impact your throws and overall performance.
Record speed, distance and precision
When practising throws, record stats such as the speed and distance. This can help to give you personal best targets to beat. When trying to improve distance, practise throwing from the same location and use markers to help you identify your furthest throw (you’ll likely need a large open area such as a park). When it comes to speed, you can use a radar gun to record the velocity of each throw. When it comes to precision, use target boards at different distances (obviously, if you’re improving basketball throws, you can just use a hoop). You can also take photos and videos.
Take a deep breath
Holding your breath as you aim can help you to steady yourself and improve accuracy, while exhaling can help generate power. Try taking a deep breath before making an important throw and then let it out as you throw - see how this impacts your accuracy and your power. Even in sports like darts some people find that this helps.
Practice, practice, practice
As is the key to improving anything, it’s essential that you continuously practise throwing. This can help you to build a technique that works for you. Of course, practising with a coach can help you to make sure you’re not adopting bad habits that could cause an injury or hinder your throws. However, you can also practise on your own without a coach. Your most serious competitors will be practising regularly in their free time, so make sure that you are too.