There are probably more than a few readers that either:
Have no idea who Doug Flutie is, or
Know that Flutie is a retired NFL quarterback, known primarily for his tiny frame, and a Hail Mary touchdown pass way back during his days at Boston College.
So what does Flutie know about throwing a baseball?
Actually I have no idea if he’s ever thrown a baseball! But the other day, I was perusing the categories on Time Warner’s “Sportskool,” and found Doug Flutie talking about throwing mechanics. Even though I knew he wasn’t going to be talking about throwing a baseball, I had to check out the video to see just how similar the mechanics of throwing a football is to throwing a baseball.
I was very happy to see just how similar his tips were compared to the pointers I believe every player should have down pat.
Let’s break it down…
Grip
After a warm up and stretch that quite frankly didn’t do it for me (I’m an anti-stretch guy), Flutie talked about the importance of the grip on the ball. Now obviously, there is pretty much one way to grip a football – especially when you compare it to the countless ways to grip a baseball, but the “tip” that stood out for me: the tip of the middle finger is the key, because the ball comes off of that particular phalanges.
If you haven’t heard me say this before, the quality of the throw/pitch you make is decided by the strength of the tip of your middle finger. It’s the longest finger (usually) on your hand, which means that is the last part of your body that is contact with the baseball before your release. Where you place the middle finger will dictate what direction the ball will go, too. (Need a more obvious example? Take note at the type of spin you get on a basketball when your middle finger isn’t centered on the ball.)
Release
The key word: PRONATE. Flutie was adamant about pronating your throwing hand through release. (Peyton Manning calls this “flicking boogers.”) He didn’t say it would be nice if you did. He didn’t say that it would probably happen if you extended your hand at the target. He said flat out: you NEED to make the effort to pronate your throwing hand through your release.
Most people have a hard time visualizing this, but you can pronate the release of every type of pitch you throw. YES… all of them!
I love watching the super-duper slo-mo shots of pitchers (like Cliff Lee in this year’s post season) pronating their breaking pitches. It’s a nice way to show people that pronating does happen – even on pitches most people think to supinate their throwing hand – even if you don’t agree with my particular throwing beliefs. (A subtle I told you so, maybe?)
If this is the only part of the post you read, pronate your release!
Throwing Over the Top
Quarterbacks (especially little guys like Flutie) have a more obvious reason to throw “over the top:” huge linemen. If you drop your arm down, those big boys will slap the ball out of the air with their big mitts.
But anatomically speaking, throwing over the top “activates” the biggest muscle in your upper body: the Latissimus Dorsi. Use this muscle, and take the strain off your shoulder. Plus, you’ll be taking advantage of a power no other muscle in your upper body can match.
The way to check yourself: if your throwing hand finishes outside of your glove hip, you aren’t throwing over-the-top.
Step “Just Outside” of your Target
I loved that Flutie brought this up… and I’m sure you’re thinking, “Huh?”
Think about it…
When you do what I’m sure you’ve been taught (stepping on the line created by the throwing-side foot and the target) you block the throwing side from driving straight through to the target. The throwing side has to “go around” the glove-side foot, which means the throwing arm can’t drive straight to it’s target.
But if you step “just outside” of that line, you will create a lane for your throwing side to drive – in a straight line – toward it’s intended target.
Throw with the Whole Body
Flutie brought this up because he’s a little guy, and according to him, in order to keep up with the big guys, he had to use his whole body. (I’m watching David Eckstein throwing a ball in my head.) But when it’s all said and done, if you “pass” on throwing with your whole body, and decide to leave out some powerful muscles, it’s you’re funeral.
Glove Arm
I’m sure you’ve heard to “tuck” your glove arm, or (keeping with the football theme) imagine tucking a football like a running back. Well, that’s wrong!
According to Flutie (and yours truly) in order to rotate your body on an axis perpendicular to the ground, your glove elbow should fold up tightly against your body, with your glove hand up against your glove shoulder.
Not only will this allow you to turn as quickly (and efficiently) as possible, if you are a pitcher, you are positioning your glove to protect your money maker (that would be your face)!
At the end of the day, it’s pretty plain to see that the proper “over hand throw” is the same from sport to sport. The ball may be different, but your body is the same.
Coach Bones
