Basket Ball Throw

Mindy G

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5-Year Member
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Jun 30, 2008
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Any one have any pointers or a video on how to improve the BB Throw? I would hate to see this one event stand in the way of an appointment. Thanks. I do not think he is rotating enough, but I am only the Mom.
 
He has to get used to throwing it. If he's ever played baseball, it's just like that, only with a much larger ball. It's the same form. He just has to get used to it. Try playing catch with it. The better the form of the throw, the further the ball will go, and it's not completely about strength in some cases.

Michelle
 
It realy just comes down to practicing. My son did not do well on this event the first time he took the CFA. After much practice in our front yard, he did much better. I was the catcher/measurer and could not see what he was doing; it was a mystery to me when some of the tosses would duck flop. The one tip I found helpful was to make sure that he is applying the force through the center of the ball and not letting it spin off his finger tips to much. It's a balance between too much rotation, too much leaning back, timing, and balance. Get a tape measure, something for his knees, and do it every day for 10 min and he will get much better. I posted your question about three months ago. Good luck.
 
Mindy, a single event on the CFA will not stand in the way of an appointment. I threw a basketball only 55 feet (which is well below average), but my BGO and RD both regarded my physical ability as "excellent". They also take into account your height/weight when considering your CFA, so if you're 6'4" and threw the ball 68', it won't be counted the same as if you're 5'8".
 
Thank you, for the positive outlook. I wondered if an Academy took the candidates height into consideration. I also wondered about puberty and muscle mass development. I will have my candidate get in contact with his BGO and hopefully Thursdays results will show signaificant improvement. Thank you
 
a single event on the CFA will not stand in the way of an appointment

I can't entirely agree. Failing an event could result in a failing CFA, which would stand in the way of an appointment. In particular, a terrible run or inability to do any pullups (for males) could spell disaster.

Please note that there is a difference between failing an event and not doing as well as you would have liked. As the instructions for the CFA note, USNA realizes that doing all the events in order in a short timeframe will result in worse results than if you could do each one and rest as long as you wanted and that understanding is reflected in the way that USNA evaluates the scores.

Most candidates with one or two "weaker" events still get in. Also, a strong event may somewhat compensate for a weaker one (for example, if you can do 15 pullups but have a subpar BB throw, you're probably ok b/c the pullups demonstrate upper body strength). But, if it takes you 10:00 to run a mile, I would be very worried.
 
Failing shouldn't be an option. I can't imagine a person with decent athletic ability fail any one event on the CFA. C'mon, this isn't BUD/S.
If someone does manage to fail (and many do), then perhaps the academy is not right for them. If they get in, it will only be that much harder.
 
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I've gotten 89' on the throw...i really don't see what's so hard about it. dont be stiff about it. they tell you to throw an overhand throw- reach back like youre going to throw a dodgeball, and just give it the best overhand throw you can give it.
dont try to throw it too high so as to not lose distance, but also not directly forward. (the closer your throw is to a 45 degree angle, the greater your distance) simple physics.
 
He plans to redo the CFA every 3 weeks until he gets where he wants to be. At least the Academy will see improvement and perserverence. His focus will be on the throw since that is where he was the weakest.
 
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