Pitching the More You Know, the Better You Will Be
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Pitching The more you know, the better you will be. By Ray Brown Development Officer Baseball Confederation of Oceania 1 Pitching The more you know, the better you will be. The definition of a pitcher: Someone who has mastered the ability to throw a baseball to a designated location whenever called upon to do so. The definition of a thrower: Someone who has not mastered the ability to be a pitcher. To achieve the highest attainable level an individual has to have discipline, commitment, courage and the stick-to-it-iv-ness that it takes to develop the technical, physical and mental skills that are necessary to become a master of his trade. When we watch any highly successful pitcher, the first thing we notice is how fast he pitches the baseball. The next thing we notice is the accuracy of each pitch and how the catcher barely moves his glove. We watch in awe and we wonder, how can any individual consistently throw a baseball and hit the target. The answer is really not so mysterious, the successful pitcher has made a commitment to becoming the best he can be and has taken his ability to its highest attainable level. The question is when did this commitment begin? For most successful pitchers, regardless of what level they have attained, the answer is as soon as they decided they wanted to become a professional pitcher. The age of decision probably varied with each one of them, but the answer is still the same. Once the they decided to become a professional pitcher is when the work begin. What are the attributes that have assisted all successful pitchers in reaching their highest attainable level? 1. Successful pitchers have established a plan of where they want to go and how they are going to get there. They have disciplined themselves to stay focused and keep striving in the direction that will lead them to where they want to be. 2. Belief in themselves. All successful pitchers believe they have the ability to pitch at a high level and this belief stays with them regardless of what their team mates, friends, family or coaches think. 3. Discipline. All successful pitchers have made the commitment to do what has to be done to achieve their goal. Whether it is doing their conditioning, making sure that they get their bullpens in or taking care of their arm, all of them have the discipline to ensure that the work gets done. 4. Over coming adversity - Successful pitchers have the inner strength to persevere bad pitching performances, they know that by learning from the mistakes they made they will become the pitcher they want to be. This pitching manual is divided into six sections: 1. MECHANICS 2. CONDITIONING 3. MENTAL PREPARATION 4. STATEGIES 5. DRILLS 6. ARM CARE Each section will be presented using sequential steps to assist the pitcher in 2 developing a better understanding of the pitching process. Section 1 MECHANICS OF PITCHING Arm strength is a major component to becoming a successful player, especially if you are a pitcher. A good throwing program combined with a strength-training segment can assist the pitcher in maximising his throwing potential. Although arm strength is important, the secret to pitching longevity is being able to master the mechanics of pitching. Sound pitching mechanics will minimise injuries to the pitching arm, increase the ability to throw quality strikes and allow the pitcher to be his own coach, by utilising the knowledge he has learned to make the necessary adjustments in his delivery. 1. Rhythm The tempo at which a pitcher delivers the ball is known as rhythm. If a pitchers’ rhythm is too fast he will rush his body, which means the pitcher will have a pre-mature weight transfer, his body will be ahead of his pitching arm. When the body is ahead of the pitching arm it becomes difficult for the pitcher to maintain constant release points, velocity and increases the chance for arm injury. Rhythm begins as soon as the pitcher starts to deliver the ball, whether he is in the wind-up or set positions. A good rhythm is smooth and methodical. All movements are co-ordinated with no speeding up of the body or herky -jerky movements. When working on developing a consistent rhythm the pitcher should slow down his body so that he can feel exactly what he is doing. Learning to control his body is a skill that the successful pitcher learns and masters. 2. GATHER The gather is what happens as the pitcher reaches his balance point. The front shoulder and striding knee come back towards the pitching arm. This tucking of the shoulder and knee creates a coiling of the body, which assists in creating a strong backside so that as the pitching arm starts its upward direction the backside can assist with generating power towards the catcher. 3. Balance Position Body balance is what occurs after the gather as the pitcher reaches the top of his delivery, lifts his landing foot and controls the movement of his body by standing on his pivot foot. The pitcher must not leave this balance position until his pitching arm has reached its’ full downward extension, the arm extension and lowering of the landing foot will take place at the same time. The landing leg will extend down ward, not outward. An outward ext ension of the landing leg will cause the pitchers body to move forward which will cause a pre- mature forward movement. Forward movement should not happen until the pitching arm starts its upward direction. Step 1. Pivot foot must be in contact with the pitching rubber. Take a starter step either to the side or back of the rubber with non-pivot foot, pivot foot must turn parallel to the pitching rubber. Step 2. Hips close and non-pivot leg knee goes to waist or higher, the knee should bent and be in a relaxed position. Foot should hang in a relaxed downward position. Step 3. Shoulders should remain level and hands should be in the middle of the body. The head should stay level and eyes should be focused on the target. Step 4. Balance on the pivot leg should be maintained. Step 5. As the body leaves the balance position the non pivot leg and pitching arm travel to a full downward extension, There should be no forward movement until pitching arm starts upward direction } glove elbow will lead you towards your target, inside of glove will be facing the batter, back side hip will rotate and power forward, this back side rotation will open the front side, pivot foot will be on ball of foot, your landing foot will come down straight toward target or slightly closed to the target. Release of the ball will happen after the landing foot has made contact with the ground. Glove arm will finish with elbow against your body. Whether the pitcher uses a full over the head delivery or a half delivery will depend on which delivery he feels comfortable with. There are pluses to both types of deliveries and a pitcher should experiment and use the delivery that 3 allows him to get the most out of his ability. The important thing to remember is to maintain rhythm and timing, so that the body is under control. 4. Drop and Drive vs. Upper Body Techniques [A] Pitchers who use the drop and drive method rely more on their lower body to assist with generating the power to accelerate toward home plate. As they leave the balance position, they sit on their pivot leg. The pivot leg knee will bend as their hands separate and then the pivot knee will drive forward and inward, drop and drive does not mean that the pitcher pushes off of the rubber with his foot. In order to get maximum effort out of your lower body the back knee has to drive forward, this action will allow the back side hip to accelerate with the most possible power. This action allows the legs, hips and mid section to get more involved with the pitching action and will create less stress on the pitching arm. [B] Upper body pitchers use their upper body to generate the majority of their power. Their back knee stays straighter than the drop and drive pitcher, but it still bends and drives forward. This is a technique used mainly by tall pitchers and is refereed to as staying tall and fall. The power action with the back side leg is the same as with the drop and drive pitchers. Your body, what type of pitcher you are and your throwing slot will have a bearing on which technique is best for you. The suggestion here is to try both styles and find out which one maximises your ability. Usually three-quarter and over the top guys (over the top means the angle of the elbow in relation to the arm, over the top pitchers will have a 90 degree angle at the elbow) that have a curve ball will depend more on their lower body. Taller guys that have a slider will be tall and fall types. 4. Throwing Mechanics (Finding the proper arm slot) Knowing where the pitching arm is in relation to the body is essential in pitching. Control of the pitch is dependent on the action of the pitching arm and the releasing of the ball with the fingers out in front of the body. You hold the ball in your fingers and you throw it with your fingers.