When you’re coaching new players you know how critical it is to teach proper throwing skills. These softball throwing drills will start them out with the correct arm position and then work on accuracy.
Arm Position Drill
A drill that I use at every practice works with throwing. A lot of kids short arm their throw and this helps to teach them to get their arm all the way back with the back of the hand facing the player they are throwing to. Have the player stand to the side like they are getting ready to throw. Place a tee behind them with a ball sitting on tee far enough back from them so they have to reach for ball. Once they have the ball off the tee they should be in proper throwing position. Have them throw from this position.
Throwing Accuracy Drill
For kids learning to throw with accuracy I setup a 2-3 gallon bucket on its side at home plate and have the team line up 50 feet from home creating an arc / equidistant from home plate stretching from 1st base to third base so each player is the approx the same distance from home plate. With the bucket lying on its side facing the players, I then toss grounders to each player who takes turns fielding and then throwing the ball into the bucket.
The line continues to move 2 large steps closer to home plate until someone hits the bucket. The person that hits the bucket 1st gets to be captain for the next game and sits out while the rest of the team continues until 9 more players hit the bucket, moving in two steps closer to home after each miss. These 10 kids are the starters for the next game and the rest of the kids (non-starters) run a lap along the inside if the outfield fence of the ball field.
I call it the “bucket drill” and the kids love it. It teaches them to throw the ball accurately on line and to keep it down to an easy grounder that anyone can field rather than errant throws that go over their head or pull them off the bag in game situations.