Underarm Throw
Stages of Development
A common throw used over short distances in team games. It helps children develop the skills to make perceptual judgements on distance, space and release strength. It can later develop into a softball pitch or underarm serve in volleyball or badminton. It is a similar skill to the underhand roll, except with the roll the child needs to bend their knees further and release closer to the ground.
Teaching cues
- Face your target
- Step, swing and throw
- Step - step forward with your opposite foot to throwing arm
- Swing - straight arm, starts behind and body and swings forward (like a swing)
- Throw - release the ball
- Point - throwing arm follows through in a straight line
Teaching strategies
- Start without balls and practice the swinging and stepping motion
- Use markers for children to step on to "squash the bug"
- Use beanbags to start with - they are easy for small hands to grasp
- Start by throwing as far as they can
- Play fun throwing games such as Catch the Magical Creatures and Collecting Rubbish
- Explore how to throw high, low, far and close
- Try releasing the ball at different angles - behind or in front of the body. How does that affect the throw?
- Use different sized balls
- Introduce accuracy games such as Hoop Elimination and Target Practice
- Incorporate the skill into games such as Corner Spry and Race the Ball
- Combine underarm throw with catching in Shrink and Grow
- Utilise in games involving strategy such as Diamond Cricket and Rounders
Skill criteria
- Stands face on to direction of throw
- Stable head and trunk, eyes focused on target area
- Ball held in front of body
- Steps forward with opposite foot to throwing arm
- Well timed release
- Follows through with straight arm
Common errors
- Stepping forward with the same foot as the throwing arm
- Not stepping at all
- No follow-through
- Releasing the ball too soon or too late
