throwing concern

Question
my son, 9, seems to have gotten into a bad habit and the ball has a curve to it when it is thrown.  how can i correct his throwing, he also lacks the acceleration at the end of his throw, so his distance is somewhat weak.

Answer
At nine, his throwing arm is only just beginning I would think you wouldn't want to expect too much.  Try not to emphasize power or distance.  Just try to keep his throwing mechanincally correct.  Many kids immitate the cool way some professional infielders throw (sidearm.)  The better way to learn is for a child to throw past his ear and straight over the top.  One thing that will increase distance is letting the ball release from a higher point overhead, with the elbow higher than the shoulder.  Explain to your son that if he learns to throw straight over, and if he follows through straight after the release, his throw can only be high or low--it really shouldn't be curving offline left or right.

Another important technique is to step forward pointing the left toe straight at the target (right toe for a left-handed thrower.)  This step is actually where the entire process begins...youngsters think that a strong throw comes out of thier arm, their hand, their shoulder maybe--but it is actually the result of the fluid motion which all began at that first toe step...

Think of a whip--the handle turns, then the body of the whip continues the motion...then the enegry flies quickly through the whip to the very end, which actually finishes faster than the speed of sound, creating the CRACK! sound.

Try to get that concept across to your son...he should hold the ball pretty lightly so it can WHIP as it rolls off of his fingers.  He should begin to get a feel for the whole energy and balance of the throw coming up from hsi toe...through his front leg...through his hip...then his stomach...chest...shoulder...(whipping faster through now...) and the arm is just the thin part of the whip, sending the ball off...WHOOSH!  After the release, he should make sure that his throwing hand keeps going all the way down to his left knee or even his toe (right knee if he is a lefty thrower.)  If you can find any photos of Tom Seaver--he is a great example of following through to near his left shoe.

Practice will make perfect, but be very very careful with young arms.  I can not stress this enough: don't let him overthrow.  Ten, maybe twenty throws a day is a lot for a boy that age.

Hopefully, with the idea that the throw has to come all the way through him, he'll get a feel for control and it will put less stress on his arm itself.  As his technique improves, his power will improve, particularly if he is tall or lanky, and if he stays loose and fluid.  Again--emphazise the proper technique.

If he is trying to become a stronger thrower without the proper technique, you could make the argument that over history, even as players use steroids and weight-training to improve their strenght, many Major Leaguers will tell you that the throwing arms were better years ago, when the players were thinner and less powerful--but they were loose and they threw with a fluid motion and the proper techniques.

Good luck.  Hope this helps.