Pitchers Position (Pitching)

There are few positions in team sports that can control a game like a . That’s why a big part of youth pitching instruction has to include patience and confidence. As the coach or dad of a young pitcher always remember the pressure placed upon that position. A pitcher stands on the mound all alone and engages the batter one on one. The game is tied in the bottom of the seventh and the bases are loaded. The coach goes out and offers some encouragement to the pitcher. “Just get the over the plate and let your fielders help you out.” “Just throw strikes!” Let me tell you, much easier said than done. The first two pitches are close, but one was a little outside and the other one inside. Now the opposing dugout is going nuts. Big league have crumbled in situations like this, let alone a 9, 10 or 11 year old kid. He might come back and get the batter out, but there’s a good chance he won’t.

Pitchers Want to Win Too Nobody wants the pitcher to throw strikes more than he himself does. You must remember this as the coach or dad. After the games don’t tell him what he did wrong or that his pitching mechanics are messed up. This is the tough part of youth pitching instruction. After the age of 7 or 8 he knows the game turned on his performance. Tell him to keep his head up and better days are around the corner and that you enjoy watching him compete. The time to sort it out is during practice, aside from reminders or positive criticism if there is an easily correctible mechanic they already know that is missing from their delivery during the game.

Work on Pitching Mechanics for Better Outcomes The best thing to help young pitchers is for coaches and dads to know and teach good basic youth pitching mechanics. Wild pitches are usually brought on by a break down in pitching mechanics, or tiredness in the arm. At the end of it all the goal of pitching is to find the best delivery approach that is comfortable for the individual player, integrate known and proven mechanics and then duplicate it over and over again.

Pitching from the Stretch New pitchers should pitch from the stretch until they feel comfortable with the mechanics of pitching the baseball. Throwing strikes is a tough thing to do and even harder if thinking about windup motions. Give the new pitcher a break in the beginning and have them pitch from the stretch. In the beginning stage of pitching instruction there are several things to watch for, and they are easier to watch for and easier to correct when pitching from the stretch. Many major league relief pitchers pitch only from the stretch. Relief pitchers are often brought into games with runners on base, so they only practice pitching from the stretch. It is how they always pitch. If it works for major leaguers, it is good enough for us.

Youth Pitching Instruction – Basic Mechanics and ‘buzz’ terms that we’ll explore 1. Balance Point 2. Hand Separation 3. Lead with front hip 4. Equal Opposite Hands 5. Release Point (Chest forward of the plant leg knee) Throwing hand over the top Glove tucked 6. Follow through Holster the gun (throwing arm to ground below tucked glove)

Youth Pitching Instruction – Detailed Mechanics - The pitcher starts on the mound facing third for right handed pitchers and facing first for left handed pitchers. His back foot rests directly in front of and in contact with the pitching rubber and his arms are resting at his side. - He looks in like he is getting a signal from the catcher, which takes him to his finishing position prior to the pitch with his chest in line with his plant foot/lead leg, glove tucked, throwing arm hanging. - He returns to his beginning stretch position, standing tall with legs shoulder width apart. - He brings his arms up to his chest and gets a good four-seam grip (Or if hands are too small he may have to go with a three finger grip) on the baseball. - Now he lifts his front leg/lift leg shifting rearward to place his weight onto his back leg until he reaches a balance point, his toes on his lift leg should be pointed downward. Back leg is slightly bent. - As he begins the pitch he should begin to fall forward leading with his front hip his hands immediately and quickly begin to separate referred to as hand separation as his motion continues forward keeps his hips closed as long as possible. - His hands separate farther maintaining a position that keeps them equidistant from the core of the body and opposite from each-other referred to as Equal Opposites or Power T. Now he begins pushing against the rubber with his back leg. - As his plant foot nears the ground stretching as far as he can, his legs and arms are spread wide apart, his body still facing third or first, his throwing arm is stretched out almost fully outward behind him. - As his front/plant foot touches the ground his hips open fully towards the catcher, simultaneously his throwing arm moves into a throwing motion (elbow back and bent at nearly a 90 degree angle, hand high, and palm facing 3rd base for a right hander or 1st base for a left hander). - He simultaneously tucks his glove pulling his glove hand in towards hip, and forces the shoulder of his throwing arm trailing tightly with his throwing elbow towards the catcher now fully opening his chest towards the catcher his throwing hand still behind his head. - His chest and hips square with home plate, plant foot on the ground toes toward catcher, he releases the ball once his chest is forward of his knee on his plant leg. - After releasing the ball he follows through bringing his throwing arm across his body as if trying to touch the ground below his tucked glove. His back leg now becomes his trail leg. He should following through to the point that his chest begins to dip so that it is slightly above his hips, this causes his trail leg to rise extended with his foot about even with his hips. He must continue bringing his trail leg forward for two reasons: 1. So he doesn’t fall on his face 2. So that he can end in the ready fielders position since he immediately transitions into a fielder following the pitch. NOTE: He does not force the rise of his trail leg, rather the rise occurs naturally as a result of a proper follow through.

A beginning pitcher will not replicate every detail of an ideal delivery. Work with your pitchers to continue to develop these mechanics with emphasis on the 6 basic mechanics noted above. This detailed description lends to fine tuning your pitcher in the first few years they are learning. We have to meet each player where they are at developmentally.

Youth Pitching Instruction – Keys notes for all Pitchers:

Try to Relax Pitching can be very nerve racking for the pitcher, his coach, and his parents. Promote and encourage behaviors that will help the player try to stay relaxed on the mound. I know that is very hard to do. When they are having trouble throwing strikes, teammates and fans will be yelling trying to help them. Teach them to listen to only their catcher and coach during a game. Teach your pitchers to concentrate on the catcher and his mitt. As a parent, try to stay calm and quiet. It will be tough, but it will be the right thing to do. You can ask at an appropriate time that parents support you in this in order to help reduce the stress your player feels on the mound. We want to encourage confidence and be intentional about sticking to the same approach and specific steps of his delivery.

Pitch with Your Legs First, be sure they are striding out and getting their legs (lower body) into the pitch. Like most of baseball, good pitching begins from the ground up. Pitching with the legs will help them eventually increase their velocity to the max (they will find that motivating). They should be able to feel themselves pushing off of the rubber with their back leg.

Do Not Short Arm Pitch The other important thing to watch for in the beginning is to be sure they are not short arming the pitch. By that I mean make sure the throwing arm is going back far enough behind their head and back. Infielders and catchers are taught to release the ball as quickly as possible. They soon develop a throwing motion where the hand does not go very far behind their head. This is ok for infielders and catchers who want to get rid of the baseball quickly. But it is not the best motion for pitchers. Practice in slow motion cocking the ball far behind the back. The first couple of years work on throwing strikes and getting their delivery down pat.

Pitch Over the Top Be sure and teach him to come over the top with his pitches. Avoid sidearm pitching or throws.

Have a Good Follow Through And the last step in youth pitching instruction is the follow through. A nice smooth follow through helps pitches reach their fastest speed, but even more important it helps prevent arm injuries. Abruptly stopping your arm after a pitch is very harmful to the shoulder and elbow areas. Teach young pitchers to lean over and try to touch the ground on their follow through.

Pitching Drills

Pitcher Line Drill The line drill is a release point drill designed to work on a pitcher's release point. Have players pair off, with one partner getting down like a catcher on flat ground. 12U about 35’ apart 13U about 40’ apart 14U about 45’ apart

The pitcher throws all of his pitches (, curve ball, , change-up) 15 pitches at a time from the windup and the stretch. (12U will likely only throw a fast ball from the stretch unless the pitcher has specifically received additional pitching instruction. Regardless they throw what they know in this drill) It is particularly good neuromuscular work to throw all pitches at less distance, alternating 15-pitch intervals. It helps pitchers groove the feel of their release points. Using a hat, towel or glove, or rubber practice plate for home plate gives a perspective on location.

Distance magnifies mistakes, and the mound worsens both mistakes and mechanical inefficiencies. Timing and feeling the delivery on short ground, at a shorter distance, builds physical and mental confidence.

Pitcher Control Drill To help pitchers develop awareness of the strike zone. Pitchers and catchers stand at regulation distance from each other. The catcher stands behind home plate, and a batter stands in the batter's box. The batter should alternate between a left-and right- handed batting stance after five pitches, but does not take any swings. The catcher calls balls and strikes. Have the batter wear a helmet in this practice session.

This game-like drill will help your pitchers develop a consistent pitching motion, get a good feel for the strike zone, and get used to pitching with a player in the batter's box.

Balance Point Drill Develop good balance while pitching. The pitcher goes through his wind up and delivery but stops himself at the balance point, and holds it for at least two seconds before continuing. The coach checks the position to make sure that the front leg is at the waist or higher. This allows the pitcher to prevent rushing once he takes the mound in a game.

If the pitcher opens up to soon, their arm will never get to the proper height and the ball will tend to sail. Require that before games, your pitchers performed the balance drill at least 20 times as the beginning of their warm-up in the bullpen. This will help them get into the proper tempo.

Snap Wrist Drill Develop snap of wrist, delivery of ball out front of body. This drill is for pitchers to help develop snap of wrist, delivery of ball out front of body, follow through and defensive position once the pitch is delivered.

Cut an old bed sheet (or similar material) into pieces 18" by 5". Fold the long side a few times until the cloth is 1" by 18". Form 2 lines, with one line of pitchers down on one knee, resting "glove side" elbow on other knee. Hold arm out (the one resting on knee) parallel to ground (with glove on) no higher than 18" above the ground. Players standing, hold out throwing hand (palm up), draping the folded cloth over their middle finger, and letting it hang down evenly on each side of their middle finger. Loosely holding the cloth in their fist, have pitchers go through normal windups, with the delivery being, slapping their partner's glove with cloth. Check for proper motion, balance and defensive position.

Sit & Hit the Bulls Eye Drill To develop good throwing techniques. Two pitchers sit, with legs crossed, about 20-30 feet from each other. The receiver puts his glove in front of his face as the target. The thrower must hit the target without the ball bouncing, and with minimal rocking motion. This will require the elbow to be above the shoulder, and a good rotation of the shoulders to just get it there, thus teaching good technique.

Shoulder Drill To develop better snap on the ball & reduce side-arming. Have the player stand the normal pitching distance from a catcher, with his non-throwing shoulder to the catcher. A person should stand behind the pitcher so that his shoulder brushes the back of the pitcher's shoulder.

The pitcher must kick straight up and stay there for a count of 2 and then he has to reach back, while in the middle of his kick, and take a ball out of the hand of the person behind him. This will keep the pitcher from 'slinging' the ball and hurting his elbow, improves his balance point during his windup, and it keeps his hand on top of the ball during his windup.

Parallel Feet Drill Works on upper body mechanics by isolating the upper body. The pitchers face each other chest to chest with the feet at shoulder width. The lower body remains stationary. The ball is held in the glove in the "check-your-pulse" position. The torso twists at a 90 degree angle as the ball is pulled down out of the glove, and in a sweeping arc brought to the power position with the hand always on top, and the elbow at least at shoulder level. The delivery is then made and the proper follow through is checked. The glove elbow finishes pointed toward the sky. The drill emphasizes that the pitcher throws with a "proud chest" that remains closed as long as possible.

Pitchers learn the concept of shoulder displacement and are reminded that the batter should be unable to read the letters on their shirt during the delivery.

No Rush Drill To alleviate rushing the lower body & develop good rhythm & pace. From the wind-up position have the pitcher rock, turn and raise his leg to the balance position. However, instead of either stopping, or going on to pitch, he now lowers that leg to the ground next to and immediately behind the pivot foot. He should now be standing facing either 3b (rh) or 1b (LH), in good balance before beginning. Now he simply re-raises the non-pivot foot and pitches.

This simple drill keeps the weight back while in the wind-up. Once the pitcher gets used to it, he can develop a nice natural flow, rock, turn, raise, drop, raise and pitch. Then alternate the drill every other pitch. Pitchers who are comfortable with it, can even do it between innings for a pitch or two just to reinforce their proper piece and keep from rushing.

Goalpost Drill Teaches pitching with the lower body. The pitcher stands in front of the mound, with his feet spread wider than his shoulders, and weight on the back foot. Before he throws, he raises both arms up, looking like a goalpost from the side. As he throws, he pushes off with the back leg. This teaches pitching with the lower body, and keeping the elbows up.

"Japanese" Pitching Drill Great for developing control. The drill is used to develop great pitcher control by having the pitcher throw strikes at varying distances. The drill has a catcher set at a stationary plate. The plate never moves. The pitcher should begin throwing at a distance 1/2 of his normal pitching distance. You should have 6-8 distance markers with the first being at his starting point and the longest being twice his normal pitching distance. The markers should be at 10 foot intervals and in a straight line with the plate. The object of the drill is to develop control by gradually moving toward and away from the targeted strike zone. The pitcher is required to throw 1-3 strikes from each marker before moving to the next. The catcher serves as the umpire. Variations of this drill may be to have 1-3 pitchers working and competing against each other. The drill teaches them to work fast, concentrate, and execute a perfect pitch. Make sure your pitchers are in condition for this drill. They will find that throwing strikes from longer distance requires great mechanics and builds arm strength. Make sure your players stretch and warm-up first.

The 20 & 4 Pitching Drill Teaches control & Concentration This drill is a pitching drill in which the young pitcher works at a smooth, rather fast pace, but only throw 50-60%. He should not be allowed to throw full speed. The objective of the drill is to teach concentration and develop great control. The pitcher has to throw 20 strikes before he throws 4 balls. He should be allowed to perform the drill at a shorter distance at first but he should be able to move to his regular pitching distance within a couple of weeks. If he throws 4 balls, he must start over. Be careful to not overwork him. However, keeping the distance short, emphasizing accuracy not speed, and making sure he proper stretches and warms up should prevent any chance of arm injury. With younger players you may want to make the drill a 10-3 drill. He must throw 10 strikes before he throw 3 balls or he must start over.

PITCHER ARM SAFETY (Derived from Little League Baseball regulation. At the time of this writing USSSA does not limit pitchers by pitch count during regular season league play, rather the number of innings a pitcher may pitch is regulated.) However, the manager should consider removing the pitcher when said pitcher reaches the recommended limit for his/her age group as noted below, naturally the pitcher may remain in the game at another position:

League Age 17-18 105 pitches per day 13-16 95 pitches per day 11-12 85 pitches per day 10 and under 75 pitches per day

Pitchers league age 16 and under should consider the following rest requirements: If a player pitches 61 or more pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest must be observed. If a player pitches 41 - 60 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest must be observed. If a player pitches 21 - 40 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar days of rest must be observed. If a player pitches 1-20 pitches in a day, no (0) calendar day of rest must be observed.