From USA Baseball's Coaching the Pitching

Bellaire Little League

https://www.littleleague.org/university/articles/usa-baseball-pitchers-need-to-pitch-not-throw/ 33 Second Video

From USA Baseball’s Coaching the Pitching Delivery Module, special to Little League University. by: LittleLeague.org

Velocity is a gift. Granted, a gift that can be developed and improved through hard work and dedication, but not one that most baseball pitchers at most levels of the game are blessed with. Many up and coming pitchers may get discouraged when the realization comes that they don’t have top-level velocity and haven’t been blessed with the ability to throw a ball as hard as the next guy. Scouts love velocity. College recruiters love velocity. Professional coaches love velocity. But plain and simple, not every player who toes the rubber will be able to throw 90 miles per hour. But the ability to throw the ball hard is just one aspect of a pitcher’s ability to retire batters. Allard Baird, currently a special assistant in the Boston Red Sox front office, and former General Manager of the Kansas City Royals, once said, “Tools are great. Everybody loves tools. But if you cannot translate those tools into useable baseball skills that can help you perform and your team succeed, then those tools are worthless.” Aside from being able to blow a ball by a hitter, there are three additional, usable pitching skills that every pitcher can learn, completely independent of whether or not they have been blessed with a strong arm.

CONTROL/COMMAND Control is the ability to throw the ball over the plate – obviously a very important skill to have as a pitcher, and in our view, the first skill every pitcher should focus on mastering. The next step beyond control is command: The ability to throw a pitch to a certain spot of the strike zone, in addition to areas off the plate, specifically for balls. Learn how to throw into the strike zone first, and then work on pinpointing smaller areas within (and out of) the strike zone to truly take control and command on the mound. (Add links to related USA Baseball pitching modules)

CHANGING SPEEDS To fully understand pitching, it makes sense to try to understand hitting. In its most basic ideal, hitting is timing. A hitter has to figure out when to start their swing, by learning when to get their legs, hips, and hands in sync with the delivery of a pitch. If a hitter is doing everything in his power to be on time, then a pitcher should be conscious about doing whatever it takes to disrupt that timing. The skill of throwing pitches at various speeds, can make hitters both early AND late. Not only does a good change- up get hitters out in front of a pitch, it also makes an average fastball seem that much harder, making a hitter late, often in the same way a good fastball does.

PLANE/ANGLE/MOVEMENT The pitcher’s plate stands 10 inches above the rest of a baseball diamond. It’s an artificial angle created by baseball’s founding fathers that gives the pitchers a distinct advantage over the hitter. By understanding the downward angle to home plate, effective pitchers can employ movement that comes in the form of a curveball, a slider, or a fastball, to retire even the most imposing hitters. Commanding the baseball enables a pitcher to exploit a hitter’s weak spots. Changing speeds gets hitters off- balance, while disrupting their timing. And, using the plane of the mound to throw downhill forces a hitter to adjust his sights, up and down, while movement on a pitch can will help keep the ball off the barrel of hitter’s bat. Not every pitcher will be able to blow the ball by the hitter, but every pitcher is able to find many other ways to get the hitter out.

Baseball – Pitching Mechanics by: LittleLeague.org https://www.littleleague.org/university/articles/baseball-pitching-mechanics/ Steve Bernhardt of the Baseball Factory talks about pitching, particularly the mechanics of pitching.

SKLZ Pitching Drill Steve Bernhardt by: SKLZ

https://youtu.be/9_RNMu-0HCg

Coaching Young Pitchers in Baseball – Keep It Simple https://www.littleleague.org/university/articles/coaching-young-pitchers-in-baseball-keep-it-simple/

Properly coaching a pitcher is hard, but that task is far less difficult than actually pitching. Imagine what it is like to be a young pitcher trying to learn the most challenging position on the field. In all likelihood, pitchers receive instruction from a variety of sources like parents, grandparents, family friends, their own pals, and multiple adults in the dugout. Coaches need to be careful not to over-instruct young pitchers. Too many voices and too many conflicting pieces of advice will lead to player confusion and frustration, which will ultimately produce fewer positive results on the hill. For coaches, it’s best to identify basic tips to revisit time and time again in order to produce a successful hurler. Here are some tried and true simple examples:

Balance If a pitcher is off balance, it will be hard to find the plate on a consistent basis. Without having a ball in hand, practice having your Little Leaguer® go into a leg kick from the stretch position with his base foot set to push off of the rubber. Have him hold the leg kick at the top for a second, and then return his foot to the starting spot on the ground. Repeat this ten times, and then do the same drill from the windup position. If your Little Leaguer is having difficulty in a game or at practice, pay close attention to his balance. Does the plant leg produce a strong foundation? If not, remind the pitcher about maintaining proper balance.

Push Off the Rubber It’s important for pitchers to push off the rubber on delivery. Pushing off the rubber not only produces extra velocity, but it also creates added balance, which produces better control. Remind pitchers to not just stand in front of the rubber, but push off it on every pitch. This will allow your hurler to feel like he’s pitching “downhill.”

Follow Through Across the Body Some Little League® pitchers have a tendency to stop their follow-through short. This often leads to high pitches. Instruct your pitcher to follow through across the body and end low. If your pitcher is walking batters with balls that are consistently high, check to see if the follow-through is too short. Also, be sure to instruct your pitchers to get their chest out over the front knee at the ball’s release.

Finish Toward the Plate One common mistake is for pitchers to finish their delivery and “fall off” the mound to one side. Instruct your pitchers to finish toward the plate. A solid practice tip is to make a mark on the mound where you feel your Little Leaguer’s landing foot should hit.

Make the Batter Invisible Every coach knows that a pitcher could be lights out without a hitter in the box, but once a player steps in, a pitcher’s control is often less effective. It’s easier said than done, but tell your pitcher to just concentrate on the catcher’s mitt, and pretend the hitter is invisible. Try to convince your Little Leaguer that it is just him and his teammate behind the plate playing a game of catch. It’s important to not overwhelm pitchers with too much detailed advice, especially early on the season. Over the course of the year, you can add in extra instruction like shoulder position, not opening up, and arm slots, but ONLY when the pitcher is ready for it. You are not instructing a professional whose craft it is to pitch. Keeping it simple will provide solid results, which makes the game more fun. Just as important, remember, you are the coach. Your responsibility is to teach, and have your Little Leaguer follow YOUR instruction. If a pitcher is getting too much advice from others, you need to speak to them to make sure what is being discussed is in line with what you are teaching. As always, stress arm safety, and don’t be afraid to allow more of your players to try some time on the mound.

Dicks Sporting Goods : How to Develop your Fastball & ChangeUP (2min22sec.) by: Dicks Sporting Goods https://youtu.be/KqKqF59j2h8

Basic Pitching Mechanics for Young Pitchers from YouTube (Dec 14, 2011)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X26cwcxfRU