Backspin

[Comet 86 *```]

Just wondering if anyone can help me out here I have a strong shoulder and pretty mean fastball but I struggle to get enough backspin on it for me to excel. If any body has any ideas, techniques, drills etc. that can help I would be very pleased if you could share them with me.

Cheers.

[BallCoach06]

Just wondering if anyone can help me out here I have a strong shoulder and pretty mean fastball but I struggle to get enough backspin on it for me to excel. If any body has any ideas, techniques, drills etc. that can help I would be very pleased if you could share them with me.

Cheers.


You can do a drill that isolates just the wrist and forearm when throwing. Take your glove and put your throwing arm elbow into it. Now, throw the ball with a four seam grip with just your wrist and forearm. This drill will focus on basically the last 10% of your throw where you get your extension with the forearm and wrist snap.

[Jake Patterson]

You can do a drill that isolates just the wrist and forearm when throwing. Take your glove and put your throwing arm elbow into it. Now, throw the ball with a four seam grip with just your wrist and forearm. This drill will focus on basically the last 10% of your throw where you get your extension with the forearm and wrist snap.

This was demonstrated at the World Baseball Convention as a remedy for this problem.

[Coach45]

This was demonstrated at the World Baseball Convention as a remedy for this problem.

Jake,

The problem with this drill is that it points the elbow in the direction a player is trying to throw the ball, allowing them to extend the forearm straight forward. This isn't what really happens to the arm while throwing. Standing with the chest facing our target, if we put the glove under the elbow with the throwing upper arm extended to the side, directly in line parallel with the shoulders and then try to do the same with the forearm and wrist snap, it provides a clue why the drill won't work.

If you try the drill as I describe it, particularly if you use a curveball or slider release, you'll have yet another clue why the back of the elbow takes a beating.

Given the conversation I won't try to provide an alternative drill. Simply pointing out that this one doesn't work very well because it's nothing like what actually happens.

Coach45

[Chris O'Leary]

The problem with this drill is that it points the elbow in the direction a player is trying to throw the ball, allowing them to extend the forearm straight forward. This isn't what really happens to the arm while throwing. Standing with the chest facing our target, if we put the glove under the elbow with the throwing upper arm extended to the side, directly in line parallel with the shoulders and then try to do the same with the forearm and wrist snap, it provides a clue why the drill won't work.

I agree.

The drill as described will force you to throw with your Tricep and the muscles of your wrist. The problem is that, while these are the muscles that you use when throwing darts, these muscles are flaccid in a high level throw.