From a developmental perspective, there is limited literature on the emergence of throwing patterns in young children as a result of instruction. The component approach to throwing allows detailed evaluation of developmental sequences within body parts, and the use of developmental profiles enables the researcher to describe the relationship between body components giving a picture of the whole skill. The purpose of this study was to describe the developmental profiles of the forceful overarm throw in preschool children (N=91) and the developmental pathways exhibited as a result of throwing instruction. All children were videotaped and evaluated on the performance of the overarm throw using 3 (trunk, humerus,forearm) of the 5 throwing components developed by Roberton & Halverson (1984) prior to and following the throwing intervention. Each body component had a possible 3 levels. The Throwing group (n=45) received 120 mins of throwing instruction as part of a larger motor skill intervention, the Comparison group (n=46) received no throwing instruction. A pre-and post-intervention throwing profile was developed for each child consisting of the developmental level for each of the 3 components, Trunk (T), Humerus (H), and Forearm (F). Using the method developed by Langendorfer & Roberton (2002), a line was drawn between the throwing profile prior to the intervention and that at the end showing the developmental pathway taken by an individual child. Of the possible 27 profiles in throwing, only 6 (T1-H1-F1, T2-H1-F1, T1-H2-F1, T2-H2-F2, T2-H3-F2, T2-H2-F1) were shown by the preschool children. Prior to the intervention, 69% of the Throwing group and 85% of the Comparison group demonstrated the most primitive throwing profile T1-H1-F1. Following instruction, 77% of Throwing group children demonstrated a more developmentally mature throwing profile than at the pretest. In contrast, only 1 participant (2%) of the Comparison group improved their throwing performance. In examining the developmental pathways for the Throwing group, two developmental pathways emerged (from T1-H1-F1 to T2-H2-F1; and from T1-H1-F1 to T2-H2-F2). These findings suggest that throwing performance may be improved by providing instruction with changes occurring in the trunk, humerus and forearm components. These findings also suggest that common pathways of throwing development seem to be present in preschool children indicating that some kinds of individual, task, or environmental constraints may be acting. Further research needs to explore this issue.