Throwing a Baseball

Most people learn to throw a baseball at a very young age, and have to fine tune a few small things to get the most out of every throw. It seems like everyone who throws a baseball has a different throwing style, whether it is sidearm, three quarters or just a little hitch to their motion. Most of the time if someone has an awkward throwing style, their arm will get sore or injured easier than the people with better form. In order to achieve the best form possible, there are a few steps to follow.
The first step to throwing is to get your whole body stretched out and to loosen up your arm muscles as much as possible. Stretching before throwing will prevent injury and make throwing easier to start out. Along with stretching it is important to play catch from a short distance to loosen up your arm, then you can start backing up slowly and lengthening your throws. Before you can start playing catch you will have to understand how to hold the ball, position your body, and how to throw the ball. The first step is learning how to grip the ball, you should have your pointer and middle finger on the top part of the ball, and your thumb should kind of support the ball. It will help to grip the ball so that your fingers cross over the seams, to have control on the ball. Your grip can cause the ball to tail to the left or right if you don’t have the correct grip. The next step is your stance for throwing. Start out by planting your back foot, which is the same as your throwing arm, at an angle of about 45 degrees away from your target. Then with your front foot(non throwing side), step forward and point that foot at your target, leading with your non throwing shoulder. To check your form, both of your shoulders should have an imaginary line straight to your target. If your chest is facing your target before you are starting to release the ball you are dramatically reducing the potential velocity of your throw.
The next step is the actual throwing. With the grip we already went over, put your arm down to your side then extend it straight back as far as possible and at head height. After your arm is as far back as possible and feels comfortable your wrist should be cocked backwards, and relaxed. Making it look like the ball is facing the opposite way of the target and your knuckles facing the target. The next step is bringing the ball forward by pointing your glove at the target and bringing the ball forward at about ear level. Once the ball is near your head, start slowly releasing it, while also bringing your glove into your armpit. This will cause your arm to whip through the zone and get the maximum velocity, and control.
Follow through by having your arm go diagonally in front of your body. Your arm should be in motion across your body, causing your back leg to kick forward in front of your body. You should allow this to happen because it will help your accuracy and also the velocity of the throw. If you stop the follow through it will steal some of the power that generated from the throw.
If you follow these small but important steps, it will prevent injury and help you throw the ball with accuracy and velocity. As I said earlier many people have varying throwing techniques that work for them. It is all about personal preference and what feels right. If this throwing style feels right for you, that is a very good thing. This style is probably the best form in order to prevent injury and get the most out of every throw.