Softball throwing is the same overhand motion as baseball. Most young kids sidearm because it feels natural. Overhand has to be taught early or bad arm paths stick.
What you need: 5 soft baseballs (11” for 10U). Open grass.
Setup: Stand 8 feet apart. Kid faces you with throwing-side foot back and glove-side foot forward.
How to run it:
- Walk through the cue: Turn, Shuffle, Point, Fire. Today we focus on Turn and Point.
- Show them: throwing shoulder turns sideways toward you, glove arm points at your chest, throwing arm bent in an L behind the ear.
- Have them mirror it without a ball. Three reps.
- Hand them a ball. They turn, point, and throw to you. No shuffle yet.
- Do 10 reps. Then switch and you throw so they see what good looks like.
What to watch: Is the throwing arm coming up over the top of the ear? If it’s coming around the side, gently move their elbow up and have them try again.
If they’re struggling: Move closer to 5 feet. Use a softer ball. Skip mechanics and just have them hand the ball in the right body position.
If they’ve got it: Move back to 12 feet and add the Shuffle. They take a small step with the back foot toward the front foot before the throw.