User:Rori Aislen Ballinger/sandbox/Soccer and the Throw-In Technique

What Are Overhead Throw-In's Used For In Soccer?
There are a few different reasons as to why a Throw-In in soccer would occur. Throwing in the ball can be both a way to restart game play and can also be used as an offensive play to gain leverage on the other team. Once a ball has been kicked out of play, the players team who touched the ball last does not receive the throw in. When a ball is being thrown in, it has to enter the field at the same point in which it exited from, meaning the sideline referee will hold the flag down pointing at the spot the player needs to throw in from. Still staying true to the universal form, many players back up about 3 or 4 steps before running up to the line and executing the throw-in form. Both feet must remain on the ground as lifting the heel of the foot being dragged would result in a miss-throw. At this point things tend to differ from player to player on which form yields the farthest throw, the highest loft, and when each type of throw should be used. For more detailed information for how and when the ball should be thrown in can be found here.

Types of Overhead Throw-Ins
Most players are taught to throw in the ball at a young age, which allows room for improvement upon the technique as they gain a better understanding of the game with age. There are a few different throw-in techniques, with the most popular being the run-up throw. This is described in the above paragraph as it is most commonly taught and seen in youth soccer. As long as the player throwing in the ball does not touch the ball first once they have re-entered the field, and their feet stayed planted, and the ball came from an overhead position when throwing, the game can continue play. Research has shown that there are different ways to quantify which throw in is the most effective, but each player can determine the best fit for themselves.

Standing Throw-In
True to its namesake the standing throw in is done while standing still and both feet are planted firmly on the ground. The back is arched and the torso is used like a catapult to send the ball through the air. The power should come from the abdomen and torso while the torque and release angle comes from the shoulder and arms following through on the ball. In one study the ground reaction forces were measured between the Standing throw-in and the Run-Up throw, using force plates and motion capture to analyze the body during the throw. This helped them to determine that while a standing throw in may yield a higher vertical value in certain segments of the swing motion, the Run-up throw in will achieve farther distances on average due to the energy turning efficient from the swinging motion being sped up.

Run-Up Throw
In this throw-in the player finds the point at which the ball exited the field, backs-up a few steps and takes a running start the throw the ball over the head and down the field or to a players feet. In this throw the players dominant foot is the one being dragged forward with the momentum of the throw, and the plant foot is the non-dominant foot that is planted as close to the sideline as possible without stepping over it. This particular throw-in technique is recognized by a few different studies as the most effective because it generates higher velocities and a farther ball throw (in meters) than a standing throw in.

Handspring Throw
In this advanced throw the combination of gymnastics and soccer are evident as the player does a flip over the ball to send it over their heads and back into game play. Contrary to the other throw-ins, this move can take years of practice to perfect and should always be done with an instructor who knows how to correctly give help to avoid any injuries. This throw-in is particularly offensive because it can be used to help frame an attack on goal, similar to a corner kick, and while there is no limit to how many times it can be used in a game, the player who can do a handspring throw-in will become tired as the game wears on so it's important to take advantage of the handspring throw-ins when possible. When a player does a handspring throw-in all the same rules apply, they cannot step over the line, it must come from over head and they cannot be the first to touch it when they re-enter. To ensure this, many players who can handspring throw in get 10-15 yards from behind the sideline, and run to gain their momentum. With both hands touching the ball over their head, the player goes into a front handspring using the ball as their point of contact on the Earth, landing on one or both feet the ball is released into the air from the overhead position. A handspring throw in will have it's advantage in a greater velocity over that of the standing or run-up throw in, but have a considerably lower angle of projection which may mean it could be intercepted early on in its throw. If angled correctly the ball will loft over opposing players heads and make it to the feet of the team trying to attack on goal.

Fundamentally
The best technique to teach to children and other beginners of the sport is the run-up throw-in. This will allow for the best results as the player can get momentum behind them and the ball, and as long as they correctly align their feet, the motion should come fairly naturally. The shoulders and back act as the main muscle groups that help propel the ball as the back snaps forward releasing it. The momentum pushing the player forward also plays a part in transferring energy to the ball with the follow through.

Mechanically
The best technique that has been mechanically studied would be the handspring throw in. The higher end velocity is a result of the increased rotation from the body moving forwards and down, coupled with the shoulder and elbow extension of the arms throwing motion. The velocity of the handspring throw in was 23 m.s-1 compared to 18 m.s-1 of a run-up and throw, the only downfall is the lower projection angle. These throw-ins are good for sending long shots down the line or playing it into the middle of the field from the sideline to get away from defense and other players.

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