I can't throw :/

[Susan]

For an education I'd like to start I have to pass a test in different basic athletic skills. One of them is to throw a ball (about the size of a basketball, weighting 2 pounds) for at least 14 meters distance.
And I just can't do it.

Thinking about it I was never good at throwing or playing with balls.
My teachers in school, my husband, a close friend and now a trainer have tried to teach me how to do it. But despite knowing what I SHOULD do, I just can't do it right.

I often lose the ball because it rolls over the tips of my (small ) hands. Or I am told that I "stop" the throwing motion too early. Or my hip doesn't assist the throw. Or I am not looking "up" but "down"....
I guess the big heavy ball makes this even harder, it feels really awkward.

I am frustrated beacuse I usually am able to learn quickly from things people tell me to do better. But drills and practice didn't work so far. Throwing feels totally wrong for me. It hurts my shoulder and despite being a strong woman I cannot put my strength into a throw at all.
My husband doesn't even have to try to throw twice as far as I am able to throw if I give it "my all"... which isn't much because, as I said somehow I just can't put any strength into my throws.
(I wish we could just lift some weights or do push ups or whatever.)

I have have read such a lot of good advice here, so does one of you wise women maybe have any wisdom how I could stop embarrassing myself whenever I pick up a ball? ;)

[GLC1968]

Hmmm, I'm not sure how to help. I can't throw small balls (tennis balls, baseballs, softballs, even apples on our farm!) but I can throw large balls like basketballs or soccer balls. It sounds like your ball is larger than the ones I have issues with! Oh, and I can throw a nice spiral football pass, too. Luckily, my quarterback father taught me that when I was so young that it took (apparently).

Have you tried throwing it with two hands? Are you doing it over hand or under hand? Or even side-arm? Sometimes an unorthodox position helps!

[Susan]

Hey GLC :) The size is very much like that of a basketball, but the ball is a little softer (it's a small medicine ball).

We are supposed to throw with one arm and the trainer told me to throw it like a javelin throw - so you start with some steps then turn to the side and throw by stepping left, then turning your hip and letting your arm follow through (overhand).
I think they don't focus very much on the right technique as long as you throw far enough and use one hand.

If I throw with two hands over my head I may look stupid but can throw just as far as using the right technique.
I also suck at throwing smaller or lighter balls like baseballs, it's not just the size of the ball. Somehow I never got the hang of it. I have the suspicion that there must be a secret to throwing I just never discovered ;)

[GLC1968]

Could you maybe launch it like a shotput? I mean, put it on your shoulder with your arm bent and then just 'push' it up and out in front?

Maybe it's the 'thowing' motion...and not the strength?

[malkin]

In 5th grade, someone taught me how to throw and I could do it for a few weeks. I remember being surprised that it had something to do with your feet and we practiced the feet separately with our arms down.

Then I didn't throw for a while and after that I couldn't remember what to do anymore. I think it is possible to learn it.

How about this:
http://www.wikihow.com/Throw-Like-a-Boy-if-You're-a-Girl

[OakLeaf]

I can't throw either, but I wonder if you're not getting your back into it.

Do you have a friend who coaches kids' sports? Maybe they could coach you for a few sessions?

[Crankin]

I've never been able to throw. A gym teacher once told me I'd be great at shot put, since that's what my throw looked like.
No wonder I've gravitated toward endurance sports.

[PamNY]

I can't throw either. Recently a tennis player asked me to toss his stray ball over the (high) fence and it took several tries.

Good luck. I think the suggestion to find someone who coaches kids' sports is good -- they would be used to teaching basics.

[malkin]

Kid sport teacher is good--our University also has a special education PE dept, maybe someone with that background could help?

[Susan]

Thank you for your answers :)

If I don't pass, I can't do the education I'd like to do. What bugs me is that after training for a while I can do all of the other requirements, and some of them seemed so hard at first, and now I fail at the seemingly easiest thing: throwing a ball -.-

The trainer who trained me for a few sessions normally teaches kids. I think he tried his best but doesn't really know how to help me because I just don't get it. He also told me that what I do "naturally" looks more like a shotput - maybe there's a pattern here? I'm doing all sort of things wrong, and not always the same ones... sometimes I drop my elbow, sometimes I do strange things with my feet or look away or down or....

I am small and stocky, so my arms and fingers are short, which doesn't help, but I think the problem is more that I can't bring enough force into my throws. All applied force seems to just hurt my shoulder.

So I guess I will take Muirenn as an example and ask them for a live grenade to throw instead of the ball and see what happens :D :D

[gnat23]

Somewhat relevant to the discussion, but should help you feel better:


Men throwing rocks with their other hand (http://laughingsquid.com/men-throwing-rocks-with-the-other-hand/)

-- gnat! (hup!)

[FlyingScot]

Have you tried using the non-throwing arm as counter-leverage? Whe I throw I start with both hands kind of together (in the same spot I guess) then I throw my left arm out and back in a sweeping circle that starts just before I start to throw the ball with my right. It definitely increased my throwing power. I'm going to see if I can find a youtube video.

[Susan]

Somewhat relevant to the discussion, but should help you feel better:


Men throwing rocks with their other hand (http://laughingsquid.com/men-throwing-rocks-with-the-other-hand/)

-- gnat! (hup!)

Omg, I think they look just like me (when I throw with my "right" hand) :D


FlyingScot, I'm not sure what you mean. I put my left hand out in front of me towards the target while my right hand goes back to start the throw.

[Koronin]

Throwing a basketball sized ball seems a bit odd to me. Shooting sure, but throwing it with one hand? When I played basketball we typically threw it with two hands. Footballs and smaller balls with one hand. I can throw a football with a decent (but not great) spiral. Baseballs, on the other hand, I'm pretty good with. I have no clue how to teach someone to throw. For me the better grip I can get on the ball the better I can throw it.

[Susan]

It seems odd to me too, and it really hurts if you practice a lot, also the ball is even heavier than a basketball.
I' m not good at throwing small balls either, but they don't hurt as much and you can get a good grip an them with small hands.

[sarahkonamojo]

Try throwing with the wrong (left?) arm.
It might give your tired shoulder a rest.
Being your non-throwing arm, it will have no muscle memory. Worth a try.
Is it allowed to throw side arm? If it is legal, work on that one. Side arm will also save your shoulder, but hard on the elbow.
Good luck

[grey]

I never developed a throwing arm until we had a puppy that liked to chase tennis balls. At first I'd toss it about 15 feet. Now I not only have to make sure I don't hurl it over the 6 foot fence at the end of our half acre property, but I can hit what I am aiming for too.

I can loan you our little Zoe for a few days. :D

[Susan]

Your little Zoe would be a very very sad puppy considering my throwing skills ;)

Sarah, that is a good tip, I also remember that I read about how practising things with the "wrong" arm somehow affects the better side too.. I can't remember how it works exactly.

[malkin]

My wrong arm throw is even more comically awkward than the right one.

[Susan]

Time for a little update. Seven month later: I managed to throw my Ball far enough for the first time.

15977

I may not be talented, but I am persevering for sure ;)

The key was a combination of tips given here: finding the right movement pattern from the feet upwards, throwing with my whole body, using the other arm and last but not least finding the right angle. I threw Tennis balls, Baseballs, Handballs, Medicine Balls; I threw with my wrong arm. I threw from a standing position, out of a run, out of a douple-hop, I played passing games with my husband. I threw in the sun, in the rain and even in the snow. ;)

I think nothing in the athletic departement was ever so hard for me as being able to throw decently. I never knew but throwing can be a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. Retrospective I don't know how I could always overlook that I was lacking such a basic skill.

(I really don't know why this photo is the wrong side up... it's right on my computer ;))

[malkin]

Way to go!

As an aside, have you seen the tv ad where the dad is teaching his son a very awkward throw?

[Susan]

I haven't, but probably we don't have the ad in Europe? Maybe I can find it on youtube.