Development of Ball Skills

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Introduction

Ball skills involve applying force to an object to propel it. The actions of throwing, kicking, and striking follow similar developmental patterns due to the shared mechanical principles of object projection. Among these, the overhand throw for distance has been the most extensively researched by scientists.

Overarm throwing

Throwing can be done in various ways. Young children often use the two-hand underhand throw and the one-hand underhand throw. Other types include the sidearm throw and the two-hand overarm throw. The choice of throw, especially in children, is often influenced by task constraints, such as the size of the ball.

Characteristics of early overarm throwing:

• Usually restricted to arm action alone.
• Children bring up their hand with their elbow up, and throw by extending the elbow without taking a step.
• Sometimes they wil use trunc flexion, instead of rotation.

Expert overarm throwing movement pattern:

• The weight shifts to the back foot, the torso rotates backward, and the arm performs a circular, downward backswing to prepare for the throw.
• The leg opposite the throwing arm steps forward to extend the distance over which force is applied to the ball and to enable full torso rotation.
• The trunk rotates forward to add force to the throw. For maximal force, the rotation is differentiated, meaning the lower torso moves ahead of the upper torso, creating a movement that resembles the body opening up.
• The trunk bends sideways, away from the side of the throwing arm.
• The upper arm forms a right angle with the torso and moves forward just as (or slightly after) the shoulders rotate to face the front. This means that, when viewed from the side, the upper arm is visible within the outline of the torso.
• The thrower keeps the elbow at a right angle during the forward swing, extending the arm when the shoulders face forward. Extending the arm just before release lengthens the radius of the throwing arc.
• During the forward swing, the forearm lags behind the trunk and upper arm. As the upper trunk rotates forward, the forearm and hand seem stationary or move slightly down or back. The forearm continues to lag until the upper trunk and shoulders fully rotate in the direction of the throw.
• The follow-through disperses the force of the throw over distance. Most of the wrist flexion occurs during the follow-through, after the thrower has released the ball.
• Dissipating force after release maximizes the speed of movement while the ball is in the hand.

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References

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