How to Throw a Baseball

By Jeff Moree for PitchingTips.com

Throwing a baseball is an act that requires the entire body to work in unison in order to do it successfully. Every position on the baseball diamond requires being able to throw a ball correctly. Being able to throw with accuracy and velocity requires you to have good mechanics. It takes a lot of practice to be able to throw a baseball effectively, but it can be done! This article will explain the basics of throwing a baseball.

To begin, you need the proper grip. The most effective and common grip for throwing a baseball is the four seam grip. Take your index and middle finger and place them across the "horse shoe" of the ball. Your thumb should rest comfortably underneath the ball with your ring and pinky against the outside edge of the ball. The four seam grip will provide you with the straightest and fastest throw.

Once you have the grip, it is time to begin the throwing motion. You want to take a step toward your target with the opposite foot of your throwing arm. As you step, twist your upper body towards your target in order to generate some power.

As your lower body is doing the above steps, your upper body should be doing certain things as well. Your glove should be pointing towards your target, and your throwing hand should be cocked in the opposite direction of your glove arm in an "L" shaped position. As you step to throw and your core twists, you should bring your glove in to your body like a chicken wing. Your throwing arm should naturally come around and you should release the ball out in front of your body.

After you throw the ball, you should finish the motion by letting your throwing arm continue on its path down towards your front leg. Your back leg should naturally come off the ground, and you should finish with your back nearly parallel to the ground.

Describing how to throw is difficult to do in words, so I encourage you to look at PitchingClips.com to watch hundreds of professional pitchers as they throw a baseball. Good luck!