Pitching : Pitching Here at the Teaching Coaches we believe in providing a coach a 360 degree program in which they receive:
Fundamental Breakdown of a Skill
Coaching Tip
Observation Tip
A Drill
Pitching: Lower Body Mechanics : Pitching: Lower Body Mechanics Today we are going to talking about pitching
Like hitting, we are going to start with the lower body and work progressively upward into a player’s upper body mechanics
Which Side of the Rubber? : Which Side of the Rubber? R-RH side,
L-LH side
Advantage
Angle of the pitch (Deceptive angle)
Rocker Step : Rocker Step Taking the sign from the catcher a pitcher wants to start with their pivot foot cleats toes over the rubber
And their front lead leg foot in back of the rubber on their toe
Tip use very little weight on stride foot
Shift weight onto stride foot heal down
Weight of the pivot foot starts to come up in order for proper rotation
Coaching Tip : Coaching Tip When performing the rocker step, it is important to not to take weight past heal
On a bad mound may balk and in addition may create a balance problem
No side step creates improper initial movement forward and weight shift
Observation Tip : Observation Tip When a coach is watching make sure that the pitcher’s chin stays down if the chin comes up then the pitcher’s weight went back too far
Drill : Drill Place a brick in back of the heal of the stride foot so that player doesn’t rush back
Rocker continued : Rocker continued Pivot foot rotates to the front of the rubber
Mistake pitchers make- foot placed on top of the rubber, balance problem, side of foot needs to contact the pitching rubber
Rocker Tip #2 : Rocker Tip #2 Heal should be higher than the toes
Heal lower causes pitcher too lean towards first base
Heal lower causes poor balance and in proper lean forward
Toes down and heal up can cause greater push off and lean forward for proper balance
Drill : Drill Plane a piece of wood or use a door stop next to the rubber to get pitchers a feel for proper lean and balance points
Gather Position / Balance Position : Gather Position / Balance Position Knee should be picked straight up to a players front hip/ belt buckle
Gather position is a balance position and should be deliberate
The leg shall act as a puppet, it shall go up and down and not swung back/ parallel to the ground
Back Leg During Gather Position : Back Leg During Gather Position Weight on pivot leg should be able to balance by bending knee slightly-enables player to hold their weight- better athletic position and leaning slightly forward
Front Leg /Shoulders during Balance Position : Front Leg /Shoulders during Balance Position Knee shall draw up the leg, not foot
Show back pocket
Upper leg/thigh shall be parallel to the ground
Keeps weight from jumping at the hitter and arm not catching up
Similar like a hitter, if weight goes past leg then pitcher will rush themselves towards the hitter and their arm will not catch up
Slight lean of the shoulders forward
Front Leg and Head : Front Leg and Head Leg kick up and not a swing back-causes rushing out and when foot goes away from body causes pitcher to lean back, head needs to stay over the pivot foot
Swing Leg instead of Picking Up leg : Swing Leg instead of Picking Up leg Swing causes lack of control and improper balance- can’t keep the weight inside the back leg and have a hard time staying closed.
Similar to stepping in the bucket as a hitter, causes arm to drag and can’t catch up, many shoulder problems
Swinging the leg will cause inconsistent stride placement causing player to struggle with accuracy, cause player to throw across body
Swing Leg Drill : Swing Leg Drill Cross leg drill- Start stride leg on opposite side of the rubber
Lower Leg / Toe : Lower Leg / Toe Lower leg shall be directly underneath the knee
Toes shall be pointed down
If lower leg gets outside of knee, will cause pitch to shift their weight to their heals, causing them to rush out and open too fast
Toe : Toe Toe up will cause leg to swing open and cause the pitcher to land on their heel and open too fast and arm will drag
Gather Position Coaching Tip : Gather Position Coaching Tip Coaching Tip, a coach shall be able to count a one thousand one during start to finish of balance position
Observation Tip : Observation Tip Lead foot shall not pass the back leg and front leg shall look as if it is at 90 degrees
Gather Position Drills : Gather Position Drills Balance Drill _Coach hands the ball to the player as the player balances in position
Chair Drill- Keeping the leg from swing back and improper position of the lower leg and toe staying down
Bat Drill- Knee of the stride leg starts to rotate toward the plate, hips open properly
Stride and Landing : Stride and Landing Pitcher shall stride deliberately towards home plate- Don’t over stride, if they do they are pushing too hard
When forward motion starts weight shall be inside the back knee- stand tall and fall
Foot shall land flat like an airplane not on heal or toe first, but flat
Foot shall be slightly closed and not open
Leg bent at 90 degrees
Observation Tip : Observation Tip Foot shall be at a 45 degrees not open, toes shall be pointed towards the on deck circles once it lands
Straight line from the in-step of the pivot foot
Stride Drill : Stride Drill Throw drill- Closed vs. Open foot on stride
Line from pivot foot instep
Back Leg : Back Leg Once the foot lands the back foot is released from the rubber up and over
It is important that the foot shall come with the arm for a whipping action
Should not drag the back foot-causes player to slow down their acceleration forward
Observation Tip : Observation Tip Watch for drag marks on the mound or the wearing out of their toes
Head behind the front leg
Coaching Tip : Coaching Tip Keys keep the knee close to your body, will help with control similar to a position player keeps body aligned with target
If player struggles have them stick nose in catcher’s mitt
Nose in front of toes
Drill for Back Leg : Drill for Back Leg Walk over / Hat Drill
Chair Drill
Upper Body : Upper Body When taking signs the Ball in glove- Coach and hitter can’t see the ball (fingers are up)
Arms against the body in V position
Hands resting comfortably together
Ball in Center of Gravity : Ball in Center of Gravity Couple of reasons rest against body
Constant breaking point
Hands away shall cause a pitcher too much arm swing causing a player to swing arm behind, if they are against body can not go behind pitcher given pitcher extension not waste motion
Observation Drill : Observation Drill Elbows shall rest next to the body
Arms extended then too far away causes are to swing too far towards 1st and 3rd base
Coaching Tip for Center of Gravity : Coaching Tip for Center of Gravity Rest hands just above waist, at the sternum level
Drill for Gathering Position : Drill for Gathering Position Elbows In- T-Formation, Elbows in and Hands together
Breaking of Hands : Breaking of Hands Thumbs shall break down –
Arms shall form a T
(Stride leg starts forward as the lead arm reaches for the plate)
Lead Arm : Lead Arm After extending the arm, it begins to accelerate and pulling toward the front hip
Over the fence drill - Imagine grabbing the top of the fence and pulling yourself over
The arm needs to go downward, more vertical, fingers pointing up
Lead arm is pulling down and the throwing arm is accelerating forward
Flying Open : Flying Open When the lead arm pulls horizontal towards first base or third base causes arm drag, shoulder strain
Observation Tip : Observation Tip Watch the fingers of the glove pointed towards first or third base
Coaching Tip : Coaching Tip Do Karate Drill- Dry throwing drill where player does movement with front arm- focusing on pulling down towards the waist
Throwing Arm : Throwing Arm After break of hands shall keep palm down and arm shall be extend straight back towards 2nd base at shoulder level
Elbows can only have slight bend, if too much will cause player to short arm it. Concentrate on extension
Hooking the Ball : Hooking the Ball Full flexion to hyperextension with the wrist causes a lot of movement and inconsistency getting behind the ball
Observation Tip : Observation Tip Watch the wrist action of the throwing arm to go fully flexed to being hyper-extended
Coaching Tip : Coaching Tip Tell players to keep fingers on top of the ball and wrist straight
One Knee Throwing Drill : One Knee Throwing Drill One knee
Over the knee follow through
Two knee for just proper arm action
Throwing : Throwing As stride foot lands the throwing arm starts forward
Ball shall turn over as the arm starts forward
Elbow shall be as high as the shoulder
Shoulder Action : Shoulder Action Horizontal Shoulder Action
The lead shoulder must roll under before the back shoulder starts through the pitch
By rolling shoulder first allows for more a whipping action from the back shoulder 1-2 punch – Karate
Follow Through : Follow Through The follow through is important for gently slowing down the tremendous arm speed
A pitcher’s arm shall take its natural course
Observation Tip : Observation Tip Overhand shall finish elbow outside the knee
¾ or side arm finishes higher up because of the horizontal movement of the arm
Recoil- Pitcher snaps hand back up, causes stress on shoulder or elbow
Coaching Tip for Follow Through : Coaching Tip for Follow Through Have player finish arm past front knee
Follow Through Drill : Follow Through Drill Chair Drill
Summary : Summary Step back and not to the side i.e. weight shift
Pick up knee instead of swing leg
Keep foot under knee, cause lean back
The hands when held away will cause the hands to go in the opposite direction, hands away the straight angle will be at 1st base and 3rd base, close to body can’t do it
Summary Continued 2 : Summary Continued 2 When pitcher steps either side will cause a hip problem, closes off hips or opens hips
The lead arm shall be pulled towards the center of gravity
The shoulder should follow the line from 2nd base to home plate if open too fast pitcher will be falling off the mound
Summary Continued 3 : Summary Continued 3 Head, where ever the head goes the body will follow, towards first, the body will follow
Head always goes directly at the plate