How to throw a softball far

Softball is a sport similar to baseball, but compared to baseball, the technical difficulty and intensity of the sport are greatly reduced, so it has gradually been promoted in China. In order to play softball well, it is necessary to throw it far. Due to the lack of experience in China, we need to master certain techniques and improve our throwing level. So, how do you throw a softball far? Let’s take a closer look below.

1. Stand with both feet in equal positions. The way of standing with both feet is often overlooked. Physical education textbooks have different answers to this question: some require "legs slightly apart"; some require "feet shoulder-width apart." As for what posture to stand in, the textbooks do not have specific regulations, so most physical education teachers adopt the "figure eight" standing posture. In teaching practice, I feel that the scale of the former is difficult to grasp, while the latter, although clear, is larger. What I do is: first stand in an upright position with both feet, then use the toes as a support point, and then spread the feet to the sides until the legs are parallel. In this way, the toes are pointing forward, consistent with the direction of movement, and the two legs are basically in a vertical position, which neither creates an angle nor is conducive to the movement of the knee and ankle joints. And students dare to master it easily.

2. Coordination of arm swinging and breathing It is important to coordinate arm swinging and breathing reasonably. During teaching, during the pre-swing, the arms are relaxed and slowly swung upwards to the head, followed by a relaxed breath in, and then the arms are exhaled from the top to the back and sides. When you are about to jump, quickly swing your arms from bottom to top above your head. Now take a quick and deep breath as you swing your arms down to the back of your sides. The movements are just as fast, but this time you don't exhale, but hold your breath. This provides maximum energy for the muscles before they jump, and enhances the instantaneous explosive power of the muscles when they jump.

3. Move the body's center of gravity forward. During teaching, what I do is: before taking off, as the arms swing from top to bottom to the back and sides, the upper body leans forward, and then the arms are bent into a half-squat position, the heels are lifted, and the ground is gripped with the forefoot to control the body's balance, and the center of gravity moves forward. Although the forward shift in center of gravity is not large, it is important. In this way, you don't have to expend energy to move the center of gravity forward when jumping, creating conditions for the body to rise forward and upward.

4. Push-off and swing are the key. The effect of push-off and swing during take-off is an important factor in determining how far the body jumps. When teaching, I don't simply swing the arms from back to front and upward when jumping as in the textbooks. Because that kind of swing only affects the two arms and cannot drive the whole body. To do this I used the same method of swinging my arms as when taking off from a high jump, but the direction was not just upwards, but forward and upwards. When taking off, push the ground quickly with the front soles of both feet, and at the same time swing both arms forcefully from the back to the front and up, so that the body rises forward and upward.