Can someone please teach me how to catch and throw a baseball?
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Ok, these will be hard to explain, but catching is much like batting, in that you keep your eye on the ball the whole time. You also want to try and keep your body in front of the ball if possible (obviously not possible when diving, stretching out, or trying to keep a foot on base while reaching for an errant throw), as this gives you the best point of view to see the ball.
You want to also figure out which hand you'll catch with, and which hand you'll throw with. Some people figure that being right hand dominant would mean that they want to catch the ball with their dominant right hand (and vice versa for a lefty), but this isn't the case. You actually want to THROW with your dominant hand, and catch with your off hand. This can present problems for beginners as they usually don't have good hand eye coordination with their off hand. Practice is obviously the best way to remedy this.
Now, as for HOW to catch the ball. First of all, catch with both hands. I know I said you catch with your off hand, but you keep the dominant hand up with the glove to aid in the stability of the catch; to wrap your fingers around the opening of the mitt as you make the catch to secure the ball; to have your hand ready to scoop out the ball to make a quick throw. For beginners, this also helps keep you in front of the ball, as you are trying to keep both hands together.
Now, with a good, worn in mitt, the ball and mitt do most of the hard part if you catch the ball right. You want to catch it in the web/pocket of your glove, which is the large area between the thumb and fore-finger of the mitt. When the ball hits this part of the mitt, it helps snap the glove closed and sits snug in the leather. If you catch the ball with your finger tips, the fingertips of the mitt, or your palm, as you would need to do if you didn't have a mitt, you won't make a secure catch, as the ball hits with enough impact to bounce off the leather if there's no give (the web has give). Remember in Mighty Ducks, when they were trying to teach Fulton to receive a pass with the eggs, and Emilio kept saying "Accept the puck, Fulton," and eventually he learns to let the stick "accept" the puck, rather than just stopping it dead in it's tracks? Well, same principle here. The web has give, and thus "accepts" the ball, but the rest of the mitt has no give and thus the ball bounces off. Also, if you catch the ball with your hand, it will hurt and possibly break a bone (if the ball is thrown hard).
Finally, don't try and "grab" or "stab" at the ball (at least when learning). Let the ball come to your mitt. Keep your mitt open as the ball approaches (this also gives a bigger target to the person throwing to you), and close it only after the ball hits your mitt. Some people try to quickly open and shut their mitt, and what often happens with beginners is that they miss.
So, keep your eye on the ball, use both hands, and let the mitt do the work.
THROWING:
First, you need to grip the ball. I won't bother trying to teach you pitching grips, but a 2 seam fastball grip is a good way to teach a good throwing grip, at least to start.
Pick up the ball, and place your first two fingers parallel along the seams where they are closest together. Then place your thumb on the opposite side of the ball. Your other two fingers just bend like you are making a light fist, so that they are out of the way. Grip the ball firmly, but not so firm that when you throw it wants to stay in your hand. When you release the ball, you want to to roll off your fingers, and by gripping the ball along the seams, you help the ball do that.
Next you need to learn how to actually thow the ball. First you need your stance and leg step to be right. If you watch a pitcher, you'll get the general idea. Basically, you can start facing your target, then slowly twist your torso back towards the side of your throwing arm, and then step towards your target as you deliver. You can also start facing perpendicular to your target, and then just lean a little weight back and step forward to throw, but the first method has you focusing on your target earlier and more clearly in the delivery, which is good for beginners.
Next is what to do with your arm. This I find to be the hardest part (next to coordinating it all together I suppose) for beginners. You basically want to reach back, extending your arm, then bring your arm forward over your shoulder. You want to release the ball as you are coming forward. Too early and the ball will sail high, too late and you'll throw too low. I don't know exactly how else to explain it, so I'll just say practice until it works. After releasing the ball, your throwing shoulder will have come square again with the batter, and you want to continue with your follow through, letting your arm sweep down across your body. Your rear leg (the one on your throwing side) will probably come back up as well, so that you are basically facing your target again.
A way to think of the path your arm should take is to think of it like a clock. From the pitcher's perspective, his arm is going to come over his shoulder at about 1 or 2 o clock (for a righty that is...10 or 11 o clock for a lefty), and then continue forward and across his body toward about 7 or 8 o clock (again, that's for a righty...it would be 4 or 5 o clock for a lefty). If that confuses you, just ignore what I said, as it will only help if it makes sense what I'm describing.
You know, oddly enough my girlfriend's uncle was just trying to teach his little boy how to throw, and he pointed something out that I know instinctively, but would have never thought to explain. His kid kept thinking about it too much, and he'd throw it off to the side. What he was doing wrong was not bringing his arm overhead, but also he wasn't bending his elbow at all. In order to reach back and bring your arm all the way forward then, your elbow will need to bend a little. If you don't bend your elbow at all, you'll tend to bring it around the side, and probably release too early, having your throw go off to your throwing side.
If after all this, you feel you are getting everything right, but still have accuracy problems, you can obviously continue practicing, but you can also make sure you aren't twising your wrist as you throw. You might notice, on a hard throw, that the ball starts out in the right direction, but then starts to sorta drift off to the side. I know I had this problem a lot as I was learning to make long throws from deep in the outfield, as I was relying more on pure force and forgetting about mechanics. Basically, it's because you are twisting or rolling your wrist a little as you throw. That movement is part of what makes a breaking ball break, and it's having a similar effect on your throw. When you release the ball, you want your fingers on top of the ball, and your thumb on the bottom, and your palm facing towards your target. If you roll your fingers off to the side instead of allowing the ball to roll forward off your fingers, you'll impart a little sideways spin on the ball, causing it to drift. Just don't throw as hard until you get your mechanics down, and then as you start throwing harder, muscle memory will take over and you'll keep your wrist from rolling.
Uh Oh, do I feel four teams going for the AL Central Division?
over the internet? sorry but this is one of those things that has to be done in person, find a friendWhere i can watch philidaelphia phillies games live online for free?
whatever you do... DO NOT get throwing lessons from the mayor of cincinnati.Where can i get my baseball glove fixed?
First you need a good glove that is broken in then practice by having someone soft toss the ball to you at a close distance then gradually increase the distance. For a high throw extend you arm keep your eye on the ball & let the glove do all the work see the ball into the glove. For a throw to the left or right you just have to extend your arm and backhand the glove. Depending on how fast the ball is coming depends on how good your reflexes are. Anyone with minimal skills can show you. Throwing and hitting a ball is more difficult but not real hard. It is all in the wrist and throwing motion and some people can never learn to throw or hit properly. If you do not have good hand to eye co-ordination it will be more difficult but anyone can do it on a low level of competion. The pros if you watch on TV make it look easy. Hitting a baseball is one of the hardest things to do.Yes, someone can.
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