How to Do a Flip Throw-In - NASL Drills - Best source for soccer coaches in the world

What is a flip throw and how do you do one?

Level of difficulty: High

Everybody knows there is a limit to the distance and power you can put behind a normal throw-in. There is only so much you can bend your back and flex your arms. But what if there was a way to significantly increase the power and distance on your throw and still keep them legal?

That’s where the flip throw comes in.

First, the basic tenants of a legal throw are:

Keeping both feet on the ground

Keeping both hands on the ball

Throwing straight over your head and not from the side

The flip throw incorporates all these rules, except you do a front flip with the ball. The momentum of your body projects the ball much further than you could by throwing simply from a standing position. Steve Jolley of the MetroStars is one of the few players in Major League Soccer who can do it. Kim Pickup, formerly of the San Diego Spirit in the WUSA, was a master of the throw. Here are some of her tips on how to do the throw.

“Learn and perfect how to do the front flip without the ball; you must be able to do the flip before even attempting to use the ball.”

Take a step forward with your left leg and begin to bend at your waist

Kick your right leg backwards into the air and plant your hands on the ground palms down

Bring your left leg up in the same upward motion as the right

Tuck your head as your legs rotate over your body

Your left leg should land first but your right leg will land at almost the same time

“Once you've mastered the flip and are able to land it on your feet every time, start incorporating a nerf soccer ball; using a nerf ball when trying the flip throw is a lot easier than a real ball.”

That means practice doing the flip touching the ball to the ground instead of your hands

Keep your elbows slightly bent to cushion you as you flip

Release the ball when you plant your feet

“Once you've mastered the flip with the nerf ball then move onto a real ball; using a real ball isn't easy and it takes a lot of practice to finally master the flip-throw. It isn't easy so be patient and don't get frustrated.

It took a lot of time for me to actually master the flip-throw.”

Drills:

If you have never done a front flip, start by doing summersaults or basic tumbling. That will get you used to the rotation of the flip.

When practicing your front flips at first, make sure you do it on a soft area, preferably on a gymnastics mat. If your school has a gymnastics team, talk to the gymnastics coach for advice on how to do it.

The power from this throw comes from the abdomen muscles – make sure this area is stretched out before a game and strengthen it by doing crunches and sit-ups.

Other tips

You cannot throw the ball into the goal on a throw-in. For all intents and purposes, a throw-in is an indirect kick meaning another player, no matter which team, has to touch it before it goes in the goal.

Make sure you have room to do this on the sidelines where you will be able to take a few steps and be able to land safely. Some field may have a slope on the sideline or like Spartan Stadium in San Jose, there may not be enough room between the sideboards and the end-line to do this safely.

Also, be careful if the ground is wet when you do this. Touching the ball to the wet grass as you flip may cause an injury.

© RMG3 2003
http://www.ussoccerplayers.com/news_you_can_use/389992.html