Pitchers Position (Pitching) There are few positions in team sports that can control a game like a baseball pitcher. 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 pitch 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 pitchers 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.