Exercise

Underhand Throwing for Kids: Targets and Teaching Cues

By Dave Joisil (Mr. J) · Certified Health and Physical Education teacher

Updated

Teach an underhand arc with soft equipment, one-way target lanes and a copyable setup checklist, keeping throwing separate from catching practice.

An underhand throw sends an object forward with an arm swing from below the shoulder. For this lesson, teach a gentle arc toward a nearby target: face it, swing the throwing arm back, step with the opposite foot, and release below the waist as the arm swings forward.

Use a soft, age-appropriate object that fits comfortably in the hand and cannot easily break apart. Avoid small choking hazards, hard balls, or damaged beanbags. Check the space, individual plans, and school equipment rules. The aim is a repeatable sending action, not a distance record.

Set up lanes before handing out equipment

Arrange side-by-side lanes pointing the same way. Put a throwing line at one end and a broad, stable target at a comfortable middle height, with clear space behind it. No learner stands near or behind a target. Allow room between lanes for arm swings and mobility-device turns.

Demonstrate the retrieval rule without any throws: objects stay where they stop until the adult gives an ALL CLEAR cue. Everyone puts their equipment down before anyone enters the target area. Retrieve by walking, then return to the throwing line. Keep non-throwers behind that line, away from moving arms.

Teach a small arc, one cue at a time

Start without an object. For a right-hand throw, show a gentle backward arm swing and a left-foot step toward the target; reverse the sides for a left-hand throw. Keep the movement comfortable and unhurried. Let the hand continue toward the target rather than stopping abruptly at release.

Add the object only after the space rule is clear. Watch one feature, such as the opposite-foot step, instead of giving five corrections. A seated learner may use an agreed arm swing without a step; record that actual task and seek specialist advice when support or positioning is uncertain.

Game: Window delivery

Mark a broad target window on an approved backstop or stable target surface. Each learner sends one soft object toward their window, watches where it goes, and waits for the retrieval cue. There is no defender and no partner required to catch.

If objects keep rolling rather than arcing, check target height and demonstrate release again. If throws fly high, shorten the arm swing and bring the target nearer. Keep force low enough for this controlled setup; do not make the target smaller and farther away simultaneously.

Copy-and-print: Underhand window setup

  • Object: ______. Fits hand, intact, school-approved: ______.
  • Throwing line ______ → target window ______ → empty area behind ______.
  • Arm-swing clearance between lanes: ______.
  • Focus cue today: swing / opposite-foot step / low release / follow-through.
  • Everyone stops before retrieval. ALL CLEAR spoken cue ______; visible cue ______.
  • Observed arc ______; learner's comfort ______; change one thing ______.

Use this sheet to prepare the space, then add one descriptive observation. A missed target does not tell you which part of the action needs help; look at the movement as well as the outcome. Shorter distance and a bigger target are legitimate task changes.

After the lesson

If the group cannot wait safely for retrieval, return to a no-object demonstration or work with smaller supervised groups. Never send children into active throwing lanes to collect misses. Stop any task causing pain or distress and follow the school's response procedures.

Keep catching practice separate until learners are ready to combine the two skills. The overhand lesson teaches a different pattern, not simply a harder underhand throw. There is no dedicated throwing video in this collection.

Technique and target-height considerations draw on Human Kinetics: Critical Elements of Underhand Throwing. The window game and checklist are original suggestions; the source's grade expectations are not used as individual pass/fail milestones.