Step 1: Catch the ball

• Whenever possible, catch the ball underneath you...on the glove side.

Step 2: "Gather" your hands

After catching a ground ball, bring glove, ball and throwing hand together, 6 inches in front of your chest. 

• As hands and ball move up from the ground, execute a quick jump turn. Align your shoulders with your target, with feet under your shoulders and perpendicular to the target line.
• Your weight should be spread equally on both feet. Your body should be under control in a comfortable, athletic position.
• Transfer ball to throwing hand.  Grip the ball properly.

Step 3: Slide & step towards target

• Slide your rear foot towards your target until your rear foot is either:
  • adjacent and parallel to your front foot, or
  • When a long throw is required, cross rear foot over the front foot and land it in front or slightly past the front foot.    Both feet should be perpendicular to the target line.  
  • Practice both options until you are comfortable executing both movements.
• Shift your weight onto your "throwing hand" foot (i.e. if you throw with your right arm, shift your weight onto your right foot.)
• Take long step towards your target with your "glove hand" foot.  Point your toes at, or slightly inside, your target.  

Step 4: Thow the ball.  

The throwing motion should be a quick, smooth, continuous motion.    Your hands, arms, shoulders and chest work together to make a strong and accurate throw.  As your front foot steps to the target:

• Starting with both hands gathered in front of your chest, pull the ball straight back along the target line and slightly in front of your body.  Simultaneously, the glove hand makes an identical move in the opposite direction, towards the target.  For a split second both arms will be at shoulder height, parallel to the ground, bent at the elbow, with forearms perpendicular to the target line.  The palm of your throwing hand, and the ball, should face the ground (see Step 4 photo).
• As your hands separate, raise your front leg 8-12 inches off the ground and shift your weight onto the inside of your rear foot.   Rotate your front foot so that your toes are at a 45-degree angle to the target.
• As your front leg steps towards the target, extend and straighten your front arm, throwing your glove hand towards the target. 
  • Rotate your shoulders and chest to the target as your throwing arm moves up and then accelerates forward. To make a strong throw, your shoulders, chest and throwing arm must move in unison.  
  • As your throwing hand passes your rear shoulder, your chest should have completed its 90- degree turn and be pointing at the target, and the ball should be above your head. 
• Extend your throwing arm as is "whips" past your head. 
  • The ball should be above the arm and wrist as it travels past your head.
  • Keep your elbow loose, relaxed and above the shoulder.
    
• Release the ball:
  • Your chest should be turned to your target as your throwing arm whips past your head.  
  • Release the ball after it passes your head.   Snap your fingers and wrists downward to create power and backspin.
• Follow through: 
  
  • After the ball is released, allow your throwing arm to swing down and across your body.  The throwing hand finishes in front of the opposite thigh.
  • Allow your body's momentum to swing your glove hand around and behind your body.  The glove finishes slightly below your waist.
  • Allow your entire body to move towards the target. 
  • As you throw, your momentum will cause your body weight to shift forward onto your front foot. Don't resist the weight transfer.   Pick up your rear foot and rotate the rear leg forward to a position where in can land and maintain your balance.
• Final Tips:  Don't Aim

  Once you have fielded the ball and you are preparing to make the throw to your target, it is important that you relax and trust your mechanics. Don't try to aim or steer the ball towards the target.   

• Slow Motion Drill:  Without throwing the ball, practice your throwing motion in slow motion.  Ensure that your shoulders, chest and throwing arm move together.  As the ball reaches your rear shoulder, verify that the ball is above your head.   Extend your throwing arm down and across your body. Verify that your glove side added power to your throw by pulling both your glove and shoulder back behind your body.

THROWING FROM THE OUTFIELD

Outfielders should usually find their "cut-off" infielder and throw the ball, at a catchable height, directly over her head.  When a ball hit to the outfield requires a strong throw into the infield, the cut-off decides where the outfielder should throw the ball.  The cut-off will select and stand on the outfielder's "target line", wave both her arms in the air and call out the base to where the outfielder is to throw.  If an outfielder's throw is off-line or will not reach the target, the cut-off will catch the ball and either: 1) quickly relay the ball to the target, or 2) run the ball into the infield.

 Sometimes an outfielder will know that, in order to have any chance at throwing a runner out, she must throw directly to a base.   In these situations, the outfielder will try to throw the ball, in the air, or on one long bounce, to the infielder straddling the target base.

Long throws from the outfield require different mechanics than those used by infielders.   Outfielders will typically:

• coil the back and shoulder muscles to supply additional power to the throw.   
• simultaneously raise front shoulder and lower rear shoulder.
• extend and straighten the front arm while raising glove over her head.
• throw the ball on a higher arc in order to get more carry, and
• get more body weight into the throw, by executing a 2-step or 5-step release. 

When an outfielder throws to her "cut-off", pin-point accuracy is not a priority because the cut-off infielder can move and adjust to the ball.   If a throw is off-line, the cut-off will move to where she can catch the ball and then quickly make an accurate throw to the target base.  When an outfielder chooses not to use her cut-off, her throw must travel further and must be on-line to the target base.   If an outfielder's throw arrives to her target before the runner, but the throw pulls the infielder off the base, the runner will probably slide in safely.  Despite the added difficulty, game situations will sometimes dictate that the outfielder by-pass her cut-off infielder and throw directly to a base or home plate.