Can you improve your throw-in distance? How to do a perfect throw-in? These and more questions about throw-ins will be answered in this post. Let’s start.
History Of Throw-In’s
In 1896 all the rules of throws-in were already in place. These rules included
- throw in the ball from behind the head
- The player must face the field
- Both feet have to be behind the line
Some Interesting Facts About Throw-In
- An average professional soccer match has about 40 throw-ins per match. This is more than free kicks, corner kicks, and substitutions.
- The longest throw-in (football) was 51.33 m (168 ft 4.8 in) by Thomas Gronnemark
- Johan Cruyff said over throw-ins;
That the one who throws in the ball is the only player standing undefended
Johan Cruyff
How To Perform A Throw In
The throw-in must be taken in the neutral zone. The neutral zone is the place between the sidelines and the fences. You will have to throw in at the place where the ball went out. If you throw in the ball on any other position, you can receive a yellow card. The ball has to be thrown from behind the head and over the head with both feet on the ground. The feet have to be partial on the side-line or behind the side-line. You can’t score from a throw-in.
The flip throw-in is not a correct throw in as most of the time the times when a flip throw-in is done its never behind the head. See below.
Throwing Is More Than It’s Speed And Distance
Liverpool became one of the first clubs to enlist a professional throw-in coach. This makes sense as throw-in can be improved. The throw-in coach is Thomas Gronnemark. His opinion is that improving throw-ins is not just to increase speed and distance. Throw-ins should be seen with the same respect as throw-ins. Just as free kicks have gone through a revolution by shooting below the wall, having quick free kicks, throw-ins can do the same.
2 Popular Ways Of Throwing In
The 2 most popular throw-ins are seen below. The first one is the running method, while the second one is the standing throw-in.
The first one is to walk towards the side-line and throw-in. This method can provide some momentum towards the actual throw-in. Caution should be made that the hind leg should remain on the ground.
The second method is the classical method. While walking towards the side-line, you stop with both feet behind or partially on the side-line. You can create momentum by leaning back and quickly move forward while releasing.
A study from 2012 tried to see which of these 2 methods would be more beneficial. The study found that there was little to no difference between these 2 methods. The average distance was about 20 meters for both methods and the average speed about 12 meters per second. The study recommends strengthening the shoulders and trunk for the standing throw-in. While for the running throw-in practice the last part of the throw-in (bending forward) can greatly help. For the standing throw-in strengthening the shoulders and the trunk would likely increase your throw-in.
How Can You Increase Your Throw In
Overall, longer limbs and stature increase your ability to throw far. Furthermore, your fat-free mass can increase your throw even more. It was noted that
Body size had a strong positive influence on throwing performance and isometric strength
Although it is difficult to change your height, you can increase strength and perfect your body mechanics.
When To Let Go Of The Ball
Going against the laws of physics, letting the ball go later will help your throw. Releasing the ball at between 20 and 40 degrees will let you increase your speed and a more optimal range of motion. A study from 2006 found that;
Which Muscle To Train To increase Your Throw-Ins
As was noted in the previous chapter, there are certain muscles you can train to improve your throw-ins. These are the stabilizing muscles of the trunk and shoulder. Many studies show that training with a medicine ball is not very useful. One study found that compared to a normal soccer ball (450 gram), throwing with a 1 kg and 3 kg medicine ball saw reduced throw-ins distance and speed.
Throw In With A Backspin
Improve your throw-in by adding backspin to the ball. This might take some practice as to much backspin can decrease spin. In order to create backspin, you want to let your fingers slide from the ball. Increase the speed of the fingers compared to the speed of the ball. This increase in your fingers creates the backspin.
