PITCHING

Pitching at any level requires the ability to master the skills needed. Not everyone has the physical and mental make-up to do this. In selecting potential youth pitchers, the coach must keep the physical and mental maturity of the athletes in mind. While there are no guidelines to follow in selecting potential pitchers, the following tips are helpful:

• Look for players with the right attitude - team players.
• Look for players who will do the extra practice needed to develop the required skills.
• Select a physically mature player, someone able to handle the stress of pitching.
• Look for players who thrive on the pressure and competition, someone who wants the ball when the game is on the line.

Since it is so difficult to develop good, consistent pitchers, there is always the temptation to rely on the best pitcher for nearly all the pitching. At all levels of youth baseball, coaches need to avoid overusing a youth pitcher. The best way to do this is to start early and develop several pitchers. Developing a good pitching staff takes time, planning, and a thorough understanding of the basics. Treat all your pitchers fairly and strive to build the confidence of each one. Remember that losing is as constructive as winning and that the young athlete can often learn important lessons from failure. It is the pitching coach's responsibility to help guide the pitchers through such experiences and to get the most from them.

There are six keys to successful pitching called the "six C's":

1. Conditioning - good pitching begins with proper conditioning and skills development. Pitching requires strength and stamina, which are developed through proper conditioning and practice.
2. Control - this is the prime factor in successful pitching. For good control, the pitcher must develop good mechanics and be consistent in following them. The delivery must be smooth and balanced. Never rush the pitch. Work at a consistent comfortable pace regardless of the game situation.
3. Concentration - to have control, the pitcher must concentrate purely and solely on getting the batter. The pitcher should visualize the anticipated flight path of the ball before delivering the pitch. Throw to a small target within the catcher's glove. When delivering the ball, focus on the target.
4. Confidence - successful pitchers know their best pitch and are never afraid to use it no matter who is at bat. It is called power against power. Good pitchers pitch within themselves, they know their strengths and their limitations. A pitcher must be the kind of person who can learn from a bad incident, wipe it out, and go on to the next batter with the same intensity and focus as the first batter faced. The pitcher must feel he is better than the hitter is.
5. Consistency - the best pitchers have strong mechanics on every pitch and they are second nature. Pitching mechanics must become unconscious efforts; otherwise, the pitcher will tend to lose concentration. Consistency is developed through constant practice and drills.
6. Courage/Commitment - successful pitchers have good work ethics. They understand that they must work hard to develop strong skills and maintain them. This also takes courage - courage to give up a lot and to make tough decisions (pay the price). Good pitchers must be willing to face all hitters regardless of their history, willing to throw their best pitch in tough situations, and willing to pitch inside. Hitting a batter is a reasonable fear, but one that has no place in a good pitcher's mind.

PITCHING MECHANICS

LOWER BODY MECHANICS

Lower body mechanics are important for control and power. They begin with the feet - the pivot foot and stride foot - and progress up to the entire legs and finally the hips. To create good overall pitching mechanics, a pitcher must develop a good mechanical base. The better the lower body mechanics, the easier it is to have good upper body mechanics, because the lower body dictates what the upper body will do.

Lower body mechanics start with the proper footwork on the pitching rubber or mound. There are two distinct styles of footwork, both of which are considered proper when executed correctly.

The proper side of the rubber

In most cases, the pitcher should throw from his pitching-arm side of the rubber. A right-handed pitcher should be on the far right of the rubber, and a left-handed pitcher should pitch from the left side of the rubber.

There are two advantages to throwing from the proper side of the rubber:

The baseball is harder to hit because it is coming in at an angle from the side rather than on a straight line from the center of the pitcher's mound; from this angle, the batter also may have a tougher time picking up the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand, and the pitcher gets a mechanical advantage when starting from the proper side of the rubber.

When taking the stride, it is important to step directly toward the target. When a pitcher starts from the outer edge of the rubber and strides directly at the target, his hips open up automatically - which produces a more efficient delivery, less arm strain, and possibly more velocity.

On the other hand, if a pitcher throws from the inner edge of the rubber as he steps towards the target he will be throwing across his body. This can result in a mechanically less efficient delivery, and it places tremendous strain on the arm that could easily result in injury.

Footwork Initiating the Windup:

Two different techniques can be used in the beginning of the windup as weight is shifted from the back foot to the pivot foot: the rocker step and the step back. Both techniques are effective when executed correctly, and each athlete should choose the technique that works best for him.

In both cases the pitcher should keep his head over his pivot foot to ensure that there is not too much weight transfer backward away from the target. The purpose of the rocker step and the step back are to start momentum and develop rhythm for the windup.

The rocker step

The pivot foot (right foot for a right-handed pitcher and left foot for a left-handed pitcher) is placed on the appropriate side of the rubber, with the front section of the cleats (toes) hanging over the front of the rubber and the back section of the cleats (heel) on top of the rubber.

Place the stride foot behind the rubber, at shoulder-width distance from the pivot foot (Figure 1). When the pitcher takes the sign, his weight should be over the pivot foot. The stride foot should have very little weight on it, and the pitcher should be up on the toe of the stride foot.

Once the pitcher has the signal and begins the windup, he simply shifts his weight and rocks gently back. Keeping his head over his pivot foot, he shifts his weight from the pivot foot to the stride foot.

The stride foot starts up on the toe and, with the weight shift, goes back on the heel (Figure 2).

As the stride foot goes onto the heel, the pivot foot begins to pivot.

When the weight starts to shift back to the pivot foot, the stride foot goes back up on the toe before beginning to lift into the gathered position (Figure 3).

The step back

Many pitchers like to use the step back when starting the windup because it gives them a better rhythm. The step back is fine as long as the pitcher keeps his head over his pivot foot when stepping back - this will keep him from stepping too far (Figure 4). Also, the pitcher must try to step within the boundaries of the rubber and not off to the side, which would cause his momentum to go toward first or third base rather than second base before going toward the plate. Remember, when pitching or throwing, all momentum is toward the target!

The pitcher starts with both feet on the rubber while getting his sign.

After getting the signal, the pitcher starts the windup by stepping back with the stride foot. From this point, everything is the same as with the rocker step.

The Pivot:

When the pitcher begins to step or rock back, the pivot foot is lifted slightly (although the foot does not appear to lose contact with the rubber).

The foot is then rotated outward and placed in front of the rubber with only the outside of the foot making contact with the rubber.

Young pitchers commonly make the mistake of pitching with their foot half on and half off the rubber, thinking that this will give them a greater push. With this technique, it is impossible to gather; a pitcher cannot balance with his pivot foot in such a position. Without this pause for balance to gather momentum, the pitcher will rush, causing control problems and possible injury.

The Gathered Position - Lower Body:

The gathered position is the beginning point of the pitch. In this position all preliminary movements stop for a split second, then motion proceeds hard to the plate (Figure 5).

In the gathered position, the stride leg is off the ground, and the entire weight of the body is on the pivot leg. (All pitchers should be able to balance in this position.)

The pitcher needs to pause in the gathered position to gather momentum before going to the plate. The pitcher should take his time reaching the gathered position and follow with a power movement toward the plate. This should be very smooth.

In the gathered position, the stride foot should be held under the knee in a relaxed position; the toe will naturally point down, which will affect the stride foot's landing. From this position, the foot will more than likely land flat in the T-position. When the stride foot is flexed so that the toe is pointing up, the foot tends to land on the heel when going into the T-position.

Stride leg in the gathered position

Height of the Leg Kick. There is no set height for the stride leg in the gathered position, but the rule of thumb is that the leg should be at least as high as the belt. The thigh should be parallel to the ground. The pitcher may go higher if needed, but to ensure proper mechanics, he should go no lower than the belt.

The stride leg kick should be the same height in both the full windup and in the stretch.

Hip Rotation in the Gathered Position. The stride leg should start behind the rubber.

The first movement after toe-heel-toe is to start up with the stride leg, bringing it into the gathered position.

The leg should then go straight up and not swing back into the gathered position.

For proper hip rotation, the stride leg should come back to the vicinity of the pitching rubber.

There is no set distance the pitcher should rotate, but the batter should be able to see the pitcher's hip pocket if the pitcher has rotated back far enough (Figure 6).

The Stride:

The stride should be the same on every pitch.

1. In the gathered position, the stride leg should come up and back to the rubber. The foot must be below the knee.
2. Once the pitcher is in the coil position (where the hips are pre-stretched and ready to go), his next movement will be the heel of the stride foot exploding down and toward the plate, giving maximum power from the lower body.
3. The foot leads with the heel until the moment before it hits the ground.
4. At this moment, the pitcher attempts to land on the ball of his foot. Timing is critical. If the foot is not at least flat, have the pitcher push the heel down more and toward the plate less.
5. As the stride leg goes toward the plate, the foot of the stride leg should remain closed (with the foot pointing toward third base for a right-handed pitcher), until the moment before the foot lands, when it opens and points toward the plate.
6. When the foot turns to open the hips, it is important that the foot is pointing toward the plate and not opened too far. If the foot is too open upon landing, power is lost and the pitcher tends to fall off the mound.

There are several excellent advantages to this type of stride-leg action:

• The pitcher stays taller through the delivery.
• Power develops from the hips rather than from the drive.
• Due to the heel-ball foot sequence, the hips stay closed longer and open up closer to the plate, which makes the release point closer to the plate.
• Because the pitcher is driving down toward the plate, he is less likely to overstride, rush, and leave his arm behind (Figure 7).

The landing

How a pitcher lands on his stride foot and leg are very important to his control and power. A proper landing ensures that the momentum at the landing can move upward through the hips, abdominals, and finally the arm.

Foot Action in the Landing.

The landing should be flat on the entire foot although the ball of the foot should take most of the shock. (If the pitcher cannot land flat without the heel hitting first, then his stride length must be shortened.)

The toes of the stride foot should be aiming straight toward the target, and the foot should land in the same spot with each pitch.

The foot should also land softly to avoid any jarring in the delivery.

Leg Action in the Landing.

The stride leg should be bent but firm upon landing. It should straighten slightly.

The stride foot should land on or close to the imaginary line running from the instep of the pivot foot to the plate.

Stride length

There is no magic formula determining how long a pitcher's stride should be for ultimate control, velocity, or injury-free pitching. The key is to watch each individual pitcher. On the pitches when the pitcher's head is even with or in front of his stride foot, the stride length is perfect. When the pitcher's head is behind the stride foot, the pitcher is overstriding and can't get on top of the pitch.

Overstriding is caused by the pitcher pushing too hard to the plate with his back leg. Many times a tiring pitcher starts to push harder with his back leg. A simple solution to overstriding is to tell the pitcher to concentrate on sticking his nose out in front, the stride takes care of itself. So when a pitcher gets tired and starts to throw the ball high, have him try to put his nose in the catcher's mitt (Figure 8).

The Back Leg:

As the pitcher starts forward in the delivery, he rides the inside of his pivot-leg knee. His center of gravity should be over the inside of that knee. This will keep his hips closed and his momentum back until right before the landing, when the foot turns, the hips open, and the forward momentum is transferred. All these actions, of course, generate power to whip the arm (Figure 9).

After the ball is released, the back foot begins to rise.

The back foot rotates internally and the knee should remain close to the body.

It is very important that the back foot doesn't drag - it must leave the rubber immediately.

After the pivot foot rolls, the proper action is for the foot to go up in back as far as is natural.

The pivot-leg knee should stay in as close as possible to the stride leg (Figure 10).

After the foot is rolled, with the knee staying in close to the body, the foot should fall naturally to a spot approximately 18 to 24 inches from the stride foot as in a fielder's stance. From this position, it should be easy for the pitcher to field his position (Figure 11).

UPPER BODY MECHANICS

Upper body mechanics begin simultaneously with lower body mechanics. The hands actually initiate upper body movement when starting the windup. The most important aspects of upper body mechanics start when the pitcher gets to the gathered position. At this point, the shoulders and head play a big role in the delivery. The arms, working opposite each other, turn all the power generated from the legs into the final act of generating speed when the ball is pitched. Upper body mechanics don't end after the ball is released, however. The follow-through or finish is very important to performance and injury-free pitching.

Handwork for Taking the Signal:

There are two distinct styles a pitcher can use when he is taking the signal from the catcher. Pitchers may prefer one or the other, and neither style is superior.

Ball in the glove

Before taking the signal, the pitcher places the ball in the glove in such a way that, when he is ready to take the ball out of the glove to make the pitch, it can easily be gripped properly. The pitching arm then dangles down by the pitcher's side or stays with the ball in the glove.

Ball in hand

When using the ball-in-hand style, the pitcher should place his hand at his side or behind his back. The advantage of this style is that if he needs to make a throw to another base, the pitcher already has the ball in his hand.

Handwork Initiating the Windup:

Simultaneously with the footwork of the windup, the hands start a preliminary movement to gain momentum. Pitchers all have their own individual ways of getting into a gathered position; the type of preliminary action a pitcher takes in the windup is not important when discussing mechanics. Many pitchers prefer to go over the head with the hands, others like to start with the hands in the gathered position, and still others like to start with the hands lower than the gathered position and bring them up to the breaking point. Comfort and rhythm often determine hand placement in the preliminary phase of the windup. As long as the pitcher keeps his head over his pivot foot and gets into the gathered position with good balance, his windup style is acceptable.

The Hands in the Gathered Position:

When the pitcher is in the gathered position, his hands should be at rest next to his body at the center of gravity. (To find the center of gravity, hang the arms straight down at the sides and fold them at the elbows across the body. Where the hands meet is the approximate center of gravity. This is generally just above the navel.)

Breaking the hands

The desired position before the throw is the T-position, with the front shoulder closed and the fingers on top of the ball. To get to this position, the thumb of each hand must rotate down when the hands break. This ensures that the pitching arm takes the desired swing with the fingers on top of the baseball. At the same time, rotating the glove hand thumbs-down keeps the front-side shoulder closed until the proper time (Figure 12).

Lead Arm Action:

The lead arm reaches toward the plate.

At the same time, the stride leg starts forward (Figure 13).

At the conclusion of this segment, the lead arm is straight or almost straight toward the plate.

The throwing arm is also set up and ready to start acceleration. This is called the T-position. The shoulders should be slightly hyperextended for a good prestretch before throwing (Figure 14).

The lead arm comes back in to the hip in a tuck position. The athlete should try pulling the glove as low to the side as possible for a better follow-through (Figure 15).

Simultaneously with the tuck, the throwing arm is accelerating toward the plate.

When the lead arm and throwing arm are set up, the lead elbow pulling down by the side. This motion of the lead arm creates power.

Flying Open. Flying open occurs when the lead arm "flies" away from the pitcher toward first base (right-handed pitcher) or third base (left-handed pitcher). When the lead arm goes astray, the lead shoulder follows (Figure 16). The correct path of the lead arm is to pull down along the side, creating a vertical momentum.

Throwing-Arm Action:

When the throwing hands break from the gathered position, the throwing hand's first movement is down and back. The palm of the hand is facing down while the arm extends back toward second base.

The throwing arm should be fully extended toward second base at shoulder level, with the fingers on top of the ball (Figure 17).

As the stride foot lands, the arm starts forward in the throwing phase with the elbow automatically leading.

The elbow should be at least as high as the shoulder when it comes by the pitcher's head.

The hand follows the elbow forward, on an inside-out path that starts at the point where the hand goes from on top to behind the ball.

When the hand is behind the body, it should be inside the elbow and moving outward.

As the hand gets closer to the release point, it moves farther away from the head toward full extension.

By the time the arm is fully extended, the ball has been released and the hand is out in front of the body.

The hand now pronates and starts to come back inside the elbow during the follow-through.

The ball is released at a point even with the bill of the cap when the arm is still bent but on the way to full extension. It is important to maintain a consistent release point.

Short-arming. Short-arming occurs when a player throws a baseball without getting the arm fully extended behind the body before the elbow starts forward to deliver the ball. Full extension constitutes a straight arm (180 degrees). A slight bend of the elbow is probably acceptable. When a pitcher short-arms, he is cheating himself of velocity as well as adding more stress on the rotator muscles.

Hooking. Hooking occurs when the pitcher's wrist is flexed (cocked) when the arm is extended down behind the pitcher (Figure 18). Hooking causes too much action in the wrist and creates control problems. Consistency can not be developed.

The T-Position:

The T-position, like the gathered position, is a check point in the delivery. The arms should be extended and level with the plane of the mound so that the upper body resembles the letter T.

The T-position is the last position the body takes before the throwing arm starts forward. As the stride leg approaches landing, the throwing arm is getting set up and prepared to start forward with acceleration (Figure 19). Simultaneously, the lead arm is prepared to come back into the center of gravity. As the stride leg lands, the lead arm comes back toward the center of gravity, and the throwing arm starts forward. Timing is the key to a good delivery.

Shoulder Action:

The shoulders should remain horizontal to the mound throughout the delivery, until the throwing arm has been set up and is coming forward. When the throwing arm is coming through with the pitch, the shoulders will tilt depending on how much pull the lead arm is contributing. A common problem among pitchers is aiming the front shoulder up in the air. The front shoulder should be pointed toward the target.

The shoulders also have a proper sequence. The lead shoulder must begin to roll under before the back shoulder starts through the pitch. These are two separate movements that when done in proper sequence will develop more whip in the throwing arm. The lead shoulder, by rolling first in the sequence, pre-stretches the back shoulder. As a result, the back shoulder comes through faster, obviously increasing velocity.

Follow-Through or Finish:

A pitcher's follow-through is very important for injury-free pitching. It can gently slow down the tremendous arm speed built up during the throw and reinforce good pitching mechanics. A follow-through should not be forced; the arm should follow its natural path (Figure 20).

COMBINING UPPER AND LOWER BODY MECHANICS

Perfect pitching mechanics require not only perfect upper and lower body mechanics but also a perfect synchronization of the two. When his two body halves aren't working together, the pitcher loses control and velocity and improves the odds of being injured.

In the perfect delivery, the pitcher has balance before and after he releases the ball. Balance before the pitch refers to the gathered position in which the pitcher momentarily balances on one leg before he pitches the ball. Balance after the pitch refers to when a pitcher is again balanced on one leg in the finished position. When balance is off, something is wrong in the pitcher's mechanics.

Keep erect, weight over the balls of the feet, and maintain control of momentum at all times.

Alignment During Delivery:

Imagine a line drawn from second base through the rubber to home plate. In the ideal pitching delivery, all of the pitcher's movements, weight shifts, and momentum should stay on or close to this imaginary line. Any movement, weight shift, or momentum that takes the pitcher toward first or third base is not only wasted but forces the pitcher to constantly correct this misalignment - creating extra movement, weight shifts, and momentum. The end result is too much side-to-side action and not enough action to the plate. The ultimate result is less control and more injury.

PITCHES

There are several kinds of pitches; however, only three are appropriate for young pitchers (below high school level). The four-seam and two seam fastballs and the change-up are generally regarded as suitable for younger players. Curveballs, knuckleballs, and other gimmick pitches are not good for young pitchers because they require a level of arm development and control which most young pitchers have not attained. These more advanced pitches may cause injury or hinder arm development and should not be attempted until the pitcher has been able to demonstrate appropriate control and understanding of proper mechanics.

THE FASTBALL

The fastball is the basic pitch of baseball. It is the first pitch learned and should be used more than any other pitch in a pitcher's repertoire. The fastball is generally thrown anywhere from 50 to 100% of the time. The young pitcher must master the fastball before experimenting with any others.

When a pitcher is learning to throw the fastball, control and movement should be learned first, and velocity added later. Location is the most important aspect of the fastball.

There are several variations of the fastball: four-seam, two-seam, cut, sinker, etc. Only two fastball grips will be discussed here: the four-seam and two-seam fastballs.

Four-seam Fastball:

The four-seam fastball should be the first pitch learned, because it is the easiest pitch to control. The pitcher should prove that he has good control of this pitch before he attempts to throw any of the others. The four-seam fastball usually doesn't have much movement (unless thrown at 80 to 90 miles per hour), so it is an ideal pitch for young pitchers to use to master the strike zone.

Four-seam fastball grip

The four-seam fastball is held with the index and middle finger across the horseshoe of the baseball. The end joints of the fingers should be over the seam to ensure good grip. The thumb should be on the bottom of the ball on an imaginary line between the two fingers on top (Figure 21).

The ball should be held loosely in the hand, and there should be at least a finger-width space between the ball and the palm of the hand. With young pitchers, this may be difficult since their hands may be small. In any case, they should at least attempt to avoid strangling the ball.

Two-seam Fastball:

The two-seam fastball has more movement due to the grip and therefore is harder to control. The two-seam fastball tends to move to the pitching-arm side of the plate. Often it will also sink, producing a pitch that tails away and down.

Two-seam fastball grip

The two-seam fastball can be gripped in two ways. The fingers can go either with the seams or across them. When the fingers go across the seams, the pitcher can hook the end joints of the index and middle finger on a seam and get a good feel for the pitch. However, many pitchers prefer to lay their entire fingers lengthwise on a seam. Both grips are effective (Figure 22).

The two-seam and four-seam fastballs are thrown the same except for the differences in grip. For either pitch, the pitcher should keep his fingers behind the baseball for ultimate velocity. Putting the fingers off-center loses velocity and control but gains movement.

Changing Speeds With the Fastball:

A pitcher should usually throw his fastball at or around 95% of his ultimate velocity. There are four reasons why:

1. Provides better control.
2. Produces more movement
3. Requires less exertion
4. More speed can be added when necessary to help upset the batter's timing.

THE CHANGE-UP

A good change-up can do a number of things, but, primarily, it makes the fastball appear to be faster than it really is. This helps to throw off the timing of the batter and get him off balance. There are several grips for the change-up, no one of them any better than the others. The key to any change-up is for the pitcher to use the same motion as the fastball. The grip is what makes the baseball go slower, so the pitcher must concentrate on throwing the pitch and not pushing or babying it.

The Choke Change-Up

This change-up grip is probably the easiest for young pitchers to acquire because it is so close to their natural fastball grip. In this grip, the ball is moved back in the hand, closer to the palm. How close depends on the size of the individual's hand and the speed of the change. Generally, the farther back in the hand, the slower the speed and the more difficult to control.

The pressure points on the ball change from the fastball. Instead of being out on the fingertips, the pressure points now are on the first joints of the fingers and thumb. The wrist action also changes. Instead of having the loose, floppy wrist of the fastball, the wrist must now be kept straight. (Imagine trying to touch the wrist to the ground instead of the fingers.)

The advantages of this grip are:

1. feels more comfortable than most because the pitcher is using the fastball grip
2. it is fairly easy to use.

SOURCES

Cluck, Bob. 1994. Play Better Baseball, Contemporary Press, Chicago, Ill., pp. 15-64.

Cluck, Bob. 1995. How To Hit/How To Pitch, Contemporary Books, Chicago, Ill.,

pp. 71-124.

McFarland, Joe. 1990. Coaching Pitchers, 2^nd ed. Leisure Press, Champaign, Ill.,

pp. 37-72.

Section 400. "Pitching and Youth Baseball." Scoreboard-canada.com/400.htm. A Baseball Website. Address: http://www.scoreboard-canada.com/400.htm.

"The Pitching Bible." Competitive Baseball Web. Address: http://cbweb.com/spo/articles/pbible.htm.