Willie M

Life Lesson #32: Thowing Through

Throwing Through vs. Throwing To

Throwing through a target is an effective phrase used by coaches to get an athlete to overcome any sort of hesitancy with regard to throwing the ball. This means that a thrown ball would move directly through the target, hitting the ground well behind it. Throwing to a target, conversely, refers to an athlete aiming the ball towards a target, hoping to land it in a catcheable area. A subtle difference when examined physically, the difference between these two mindsets is huge when talking about throwing accuracy.

Let’s use a ground ball to the shortstop as an example. With the bases empty, the target in this case is the 1st baseman. Under the mindset of throwing through the target, the shortstop should attempt to throw the ball “through” the 1st baseman’s chest. This takes the “aim” out of the throw, ensuring an aggressive delivery, and keeping the over-active mind away from thoughts of doubt. A mindset of throwing to the 1st baseman results in a shortstop “hoping” the ball makes it, guiding his release and inevitably throwing into the dirt.


The arm can not be decelerating when throwing a baseball. Whether the throw is from the mound to the plate, across the diamond or from the outfield to the infield, an athlete must accelerate through the baseball.

Talking about “throwing through” vs. “throwing to” the target may or may not have hit home at that age, but something an older brother of one of my teammate’s told me definitely did: “To fight bad throws,” he challenged me, “throw the baserunner out before he reaches half-way down the first base line.” Eager to rid myself of the “yips,” I bought into the mentality and decided to give it a try. The next game, every ground ball hit to me I gathered myself and fired a rocket to 1st base attempting to cut the runner down at the halfway point between home and first base. The end result: 5 ground balls, 5 great throws, 5 put-outs and one confident shortstop.

The mentality of cutting down runners at the half-way point was his way of getting me to throw through the first baseman. I no longer aimed the ball to 1st - no longer guided the baseball to the target. Instead, my throws were aggressive and without hesitation… the recipe for accuracy. In the end, throwing through the target can help a young player increase his accuracy from any position on the diamond.