Throwing a football...

[widmerpool]

Peyton Manning video about follow through:
http://www.weplay.com/youth-football...Follow-Through

[Power Player]

Perfect video..shows it exactly.

Also shows why I struggled with pronation so much for a while. I threw curveballs for years as I played shortstop in baseball and had to make a lot of sidearm throws. That curveball finish allowed me to gun the ball hard to first base and it would drop right into proper spot.

[spacediver]

thanks for the video, but it just shows what you're supposed to do. Is there any close up, slow motion footage of the pronation actually being implemented so that we can see how the ball leaves the fingers?

Also, am I correct in gathering that pronation will only work if you hold the ball towards its back? That way, the surface angle of the ball that is in contact with the index finger is less than 90 degrees (as the ball leaves the finger) (if it's 90 degrees or more your finger can't push against the surface).

[widmerpool]

This isn't great but you see the pronation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL7xmniYK6c

It is a little counterintuitive as some people try to do the "curve ball" motion mentioned above.

[LeeD]

Notice 1hbh says his bud throws 70 yards, but nobody bothers to doubt him.
I say I could throw just over 70, and all you guys say I"m nuts....or better..
Unfortunately, didn't have a chance to throw a tennis ball over to the adjoining court today, but did play with/against a former 5.5 player who says my serve is the best he's seen for a 4.0 ever. Well, it WAS warm out, maybe 65 degrees, warmer than usual for our courts.

[Power Player]

Leed, your friend needs to meet my friend BobFl. His serve is far better. No offense.

[LeeD]

Lots of guys have stronger/faster serves than me. Just not too many 4.0's. And none with a gimpy ankle and swelling knee, nor 63 years old.

[Power Player]

Well if you lower the bar that much you are probably closer to correct..lol.

[LeeD]

Some possible good news.
After taking cod liver oil for 3 days, my ankle doesn't hurt anymore (placebo or luck). Today, was hitting all my first flats really hard, the aces going waist high on the backboard, and some topspin first serves (got conservative on tighter games) bouncing higher on the backboard.
Had to switch to the unweighted 10 oz racket, because I hurt my shoulder during warmups.
It ain't logical, but then again, I'm all helter skelter all my life.

[LeeD]

It's amazing the tennis strokes I can have without the ankle's hobbling pain.
I can today push off my back foot on serves and forehands, step onto my left foot on topspin backhands, and make it to the service line on my first serves (as the return is arriving).
I'm still gimpy about coordination of course, since it's been 4 years since I've run more than a couple of steps.

[Fusker]

Originally Posted by Power Player

Perfect video..shows it exactly.

Also shows why I struggled with pronation so much for a while. I threw curveballs for years as I played shortstop in baseball and had to make a lot of sidearm throws. That curveball finish allowed me to gun the ball hard to first base and it would drop right into proper spot.

Funny - I played shortstop for years too and always had a natural curve from left to right on long throws. Sounds like we had opposite spins if yours was right to left (assuming you're a righty since you played SS). Mine certainly came from pronating and probably why I had a live arm in baseball and on my serves. Definitely not something I practiced, it just seemed to happen naturally. That infielder quick cocking of the arm also lent itself really well to a more abbreviated service motion. Had a coach teach that to me back in '95, and I remember seeing Roddick a few years later and thinking, "hey that's the first service motion (not results obviously) that resembles mine."