24
Oct 10
What’s The Best Pitching Tip You’ve Ever Received?
Comment down below on the best pitching advice you’ve ever received. Be as detailed as you can. Thanks and please feel free to pass this one so other can comment.
The Pitching Blog
Pitching advice for pitchers, coaches and dads!
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When you are facing batters, you are not trying to go after the opposing team, the opposing team is there to take your career away from you, and your on the mound to make sure they don’t succeed.
Concentrate only on the pitch your about to throw.
the best advice i have had is to load my hip facing the batter i practice that by hookin my front foot behind my back knee it helps my bhip go forward
Throw 1st pitch strime
Easy. Throw first pitch strikes by painting the black. Just look at Cliff Lee.
Glide low and long. Land soft. Glove pull hard.
My best bit of advice ever received was to make sure your pitches come from the same arm angle.
Trusting your catcher. A pitcher must have tremendous chemistry with their catcher in order to be successful on the field.
The best advice was to simplify the delivery:(1) Bring the shoulder back to perpendicular to the plate,(2) Keep the elbow up, (3) Step toward the plate,(4) follow through to put the impact on the legs and not the elbow. This sketchy advice has allowed me to pitch effectively into my 60s, but also has reduced pitching injuries over the years to a very few of my players, allowing them to go on to better things.
the power of your pitches does not come from your
Arm but from your core and lower half. Power pitchers like clemens is his prime… came from the bottom up.
Stay in the present. Forget about the padt
The most beautiful sound to hear after you throw your first pitch to each batter is….”Strike One”
Throw strikes Babe Ruth’s dead
Use what you are blessed with and naturally given, have fun! Perfect practice makes perfect!
Location plus velocity will always beat just velocity
The best pitching advice I have gotten is “if you’re not trying to hit the mitt with every pitch, you might as well go play softball because I don’t want you”. Truth be told, there are days where my stuff isn’t at its best and when i miss a spot it gets hit hard. Reverting back to the strategy of just hitting the mitt continually gets me out of jams and tough situations.
Just go out there and have fun! Best advice I ever got about pitching!
Some less experienced coaches will try to change your arm slot. My pitching coach told me that my slot is my slot and DON’T change my slot
To stay emotionally even. Never too high or too low no matter the circumstances.
To just throw the ball and stop aiming pitches and the rest will follow
Throw the ball hard and fast do not worry about the strikes and balls
Coach Ron W.
VELOCITY IS IN THE MECHANICS NOT THE GYM. I WAS TOLD THIS BECAUSE I COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHY I WAS LIFTING WEIGHTS AND NOT INCREASING VELOCITY.
“To gain control you need to let go of control.'”
Comments… atheletic motions need to be reactionary. Practice, practice, practice the mechanics. Establish a defined routing and stick with it pitch after pitch after pitch.
Add to the routine. visualiziation of the pitch,.visiualize the grip, the motion, the flight of the ball all to the way to the catchers glove. Aim at the smallest target possible. A spot on the inside of the catchers glove. Take a deep cleansing breath. Then with out hestiation make the pitch, without thinking about mechanics or results. Just let go of control (Relax) trust you instincts and throw the pitch.and react to hitting the target.
Author, Bob Rotella, (sports physcologist).
The best pitching advice I ever received was to focus on the next pitch and put the last one behind me, whether it was a bad pitch or not. Always work on each pitch being just a little better than the last. Baseball is a game of failures and if you focus on those rather than moving forward even the best players at any position will be eaten alive by the game. How many pitchers at any level go undefeated in a full season let alone a month. How long has it been since a hitter finished the year over .400 in the majors. Focus on what’s next and enjoy the game!!!!!
The best advice I ever got was to be intense on the mound.
If you are intense, the batter can sense it. If he sense that you are confident, he’ll take you more seriously.
If you are not intense, he will also sense it and become more confident.
Intensity and confidence go a long way toward being a good pitcher, including being able to get your pitches over, and the feeling of being able to get out every batter that stands in the box.
Cool topic!
Jedd
FIRST!!!!!!
Dont do the same thing over and over and expect DIFERENT results…………You must make changes or take a different approach to have sucsess
and the best advice i have ever given was from everyone every piece of advice is golden
Every drill every day. From Tom House
throw strikes
and the best advice i was ever given was from everyone every piece of advice is golden
-was ever-
Pitch to contact.
I was always trying to strike out players. When I finally got it in my head, I was no longer a thrower but a pitcher.
Coach held up four fingers to walk a young Raul Ibanez playing for Miami Dade South, after he had virtually knocked the right field fence down with a liner in his previous at bat…
The best pitching advise that my pitchers have told me helped them the most has to do with when to apply the explosion of force.
When the the front foot lands, that is when we explode with our body rotation, after we have determined our alignment to the plate, we release the ball with all of the force we have built to that point.
Power is nothing without control!!
Relax your grip on the 2 seam fastball to increase the movement and alternate finger pressure to change the amount of movement.
“Work straight downhill and pound the strike zone.” This was a reminder to stay in line with the target, be an athlete, and strive to get ahead at all times. 70% of the time good hitters make an out…think about what average to below average hitters do.
” NO emotion. Good or bad ever !!!!!!!!!! ”
need to learn this at early age
Baseball is the only game that the defence has the ball. Make them do what you want.
The best pitching advice I have ever received is that, there are certain things you can control and if your defense falls apart behind you, just focus on what you can control with the baseball in your hands every pitch. Stay within yourself and work through it.
Always be yourself,do not try to copy anyone,because players
have there own form as long as you are comfortable and not hurting yourself keep on pitching
The umpire’s a jerk, your defense is lousy, but if you let it all
affect you, you get the blame. Pitchers can not have excuses
for failure. a pitcher who tries to deal with anything except what is under his control is a fool. Stay within yourself and control only what you can control:
the next pitch!
stay within yourself,use your legs,balance and ,mechanics,mechanics,mechanics
I once asked mt coach what is the best pitch
expecting to hear a discourse on situational pitch selection.
He paused and said, “The best pitch is the one that gets the
batter out.”
“If your arm is soar, don’t be a hero! Tell your coach, even if it’s the last inning of a shut-out performance.”
I’ve been there, and it’s not worth the fame (possible fame) especially as a youth with a bright future. Many coaches and parents try to relive their youth through there kids and students and though it’s difficult not to do we must remember what’s best for our young kids and not us.
The best pitching advice I’ve ever found is to not focus on the things you can’t control in the game, but try to focus on the things you can do better on the mound and worry about that.
Now that I am old and just give advice. The best advice I received was concentration and focus. When you are looking in at the catchers mitt. You should pick out a small spot on the mitt to pitch too. This is the concentration part and the focus part is not to let anything come into your mind to distract you from making this happen. This took me years to learn. Now that I have been working with my grandson and trying to teach him to use these principals I can see them in action and how hard they are to put into action. It takes hard work and dedication to become just a good pitcher.
And then with the right coach you can put it all into action and possibly become great. Just my opinion. But, you have to find the right coach.
Every Pitch starts at the ground.
I have been given a ton of great advice over the years that I have also shared with my students. One bit of advice that not many think of these days is staying relaxed when they throw the baseball. Don’t flex or tense up (squeeze the baseball too hard) to try and throw harder. Get the explosive power from your legs and hips.
We have seen in this series how tension can get to pitchers in crucial situation. When they tense up they lose control of the baseball; typically throwing the ball too low.
Thanks Paul for all you do for the pitching community
You need to load your pelvis and lead with your hips.
I don’t have a tip, but am looking for advice and I hope this blog can help. When my 13yo son and my husband throw bullpen, a war always ensues. My husband doesn’t know how to give positive, constructive critism, it’s almost always just straight critism. He’s trying to be helpful, but expects every pitch to be perfect. My son ends up frustrated and angry. He has a wonderful coach he works with twice a week and I tell my husband to pick up some tips from him, but I never see things change. How can I forge a better relationship between these two?
Just set up a camera and video for ten minutes. I’m sure the boy thinks hes doing it right but is not. If the boys is right then the dad needs to step down and get tips from a coach and work on the boy with those
You have a situation on your hands that I’m sad to say I’ve seen far too many times when giving lessons. Your husband wants nothing but the best from/for your son, that I think is safe to say, but when a player/son doesn’t feel that support behind the effort to get better, you nailed it on the head..frustration and anger become all the player learns. This is a recipe for disaster.
Nobody is perfect, your son is trying to be because he wants to make his father proud and believe in him. He will end up hating the game if he feels like he is never good enough or cant meet his dad’s expectations. He’s also being led down a path where he wont be able to take constructive criticism from his coaches based on what he is learning at home is anything that is “help” is him doing it wrong.
“Wrong” is a word I’ve thrown out of my vocabulary when giving lessons. A kid isn’t coming to me to find out how bad they are or what they are doing wrong…they come to be to get better.
If your son is still working with a pitching coach, talk with your husband about trying to take one thing from each lesson and focus there to help improve that motion/mechanic/aspect. Get away from “you did this wrong” and work with “lets make an adjustment”.
I hope in some way this helps. I’d hate to see a kid give up on a game because his father is trying nothing more than to help him but struggles with how to get that across.
To instantly become a better coach or parent, take the words “no and “don’t” out of your vocabulary. Tell your players and kids what you want them to do, not what you want them not to do… make sense? Example: “Don’t pull your head”, versus “Keep your head in there”.
I agree with Jim. Instead of using “constructive criticism” you’re husband could use words like “advice”, or “try this.” When working with kids you need patience, a lot of patience, tone of voice is also something you need to be aware of. I’ve dealt with more than few parents who seem unable or unwilling to give their kids praise. I’m rarely able to keep those kids excited about baseball. Please ask your husband to keep in mind that baseball is a game, THE BEST GAME!!, and that your son is a kid. It takes time to play well. Just be supportive. Watch the World Series. Ask your son things like “why does the pitcher always throw the ball the same way every time? Or “Hey look, the pitcher always has his chin and front knee pointed a home plate when he throws.” “Son, does the pitcher throw so fast because he uses his legs so much, he seems to be pushing off that white thing on the mound. Is that right?” Listen to the color commentators. Most give very good advise. Best of luck!
I had the same situation with my son atr about the same age. I am the same type of guy,unfortunately. I had to learn to back down. I let my son take control of our pitching sessions, tell me what he wanted to work on and when. He knew a lot more than I gave him credit for. He knew when he was or wasn’t pitching well. At times, I had to get him to quit throwing. I was proud of his work ethic.
I just tried my best to provide positive support.
A real word of warning, if I had not done this it would have seriously damaged my relationship with my son.
Dad needs to back down. Its not worth it.
OH, now my son is 19 and pitches College D1 baseball. I am a complete spectator and couldn’t be happier.
I am sad to say that I was once one of those dads. The best advice I can give you is to have dad pay for the lessons and let the son fail. Great baseball players are made from failure. Your son needs to learn to improve from his mistakes. I used to make the same mistakes your husband is making in trying to make a mechanical robot. The result will be that your son will over think every pitch or every swing of the bat and not be able to play loose. Loose is a very important ingredient in baseball. Another thing that helped me was viewing myself on video tape a hearing what a jackass I was while I was taping my son’s workout. I intended to watch my son’s workout to help him but instead saw and heard myself. My guess is your husband is below 32 years old and this is his first or eldest son. He will do a little better as he gets older, but he needs to pass the lessons off to an instructor and for god’s sake, dont say anything loud or negative during a game. Help him to stay positive. The yelling or argueing may make him feel better momentairly, but will have negative effects on your son’s ability. Just some advice from a recovering jackass. Hope it helps.
MAYBE YOUR SON SHOULD CATCH FOR YOUR HUSBAND AND BE AS CRITICAL AS YOUR HUSBAND HAS BEEN. My 10 YO son expects that he will throw perfect every time and always forgets during warm up he will throw poorly between the 15th and 25th pitches every time. it takes a few good combinations to get him to calm back down, but the more frustrated he gets the worse he does. He doesn’t usually walk more than one per game, but you can tell he gets angry when he does. Last spring after 25 games of pitching and over 800 pitches thrown he averaged 62% strikes, and that is nothing to be angry about, unless your the batter.
The best pitching advice I ever heard is “that speed isn’t everything.” I totally agreed because you don’t NEED to be a power pitcher to get the K’s going. Look at Tom Glavine he’s the perfect example.
Pink Elephants- a great pitching coach once told me that when you get in trouble on the mound, think of pink elephants. Try saying/thinking of them without a grin. Clears the mind.
You can only throw as hard as your arm can deccelerate. Decceleration is essential for velocity and arm care.
1. Stay directional with your body and head. Use your hips to pitch, not just your arm.
2. Walks ALWAYS score. First pitch strike is extremely important.
3. Stay on top of the ball, tilt.
4. Don’t try to do to much when you have 2 strikes on someone, over throwing won’t get you the strikeout, location and pitch selection will.
Pitchers will be more successful if they learn that there are 7 guys behind them. The more you use your defense the less pitches you throw. The less pitches you throw the longer you last on the mound. The longer you last on the mound the more you build your stamina and take care of your arm. it is not all about the strikeouts!
As a little league coach I was told that I should see how my player(pitcher) throws the ball by just playing catch.Then I could see where his release was coming from and develope his throwin motion from there .Then continue by starting with long toss and then start him out in the streach position(on the mound) after that he can develope his full movement.
Tim Lincecum father’s advice that describes and justifies his emphasis on using the full body and his de-emphasis on the use of the arm for pitching.
for pitchers like Tim that emphasis the full body “the arm just goes for a ride”
and the justification that totally sold me was Tim’s dad’s comment that “ice is for injuries and for drinks”
My son is a liitle league pitcher who was taught to pitch this way. He is doing very well and never gets a sore arm.
On top of that his placement and control when he takes the arm out of the mix is way better than when he tries too hard and adds in the arm.
Best advice would probably relate to the mental side of pitching. All the mechanics and speed in the world is worthless if I can’t maintain my poise. The best advice would be “don’t let the last pitch have a negative effect on my next one” and “think about what I am doing not HOW I am doing”. Those are the things I find myself saying right along with the minor adjustments I make during the inning.
pickup your target sooner. When you find that you are not hitting your spots,most often than not you are not picking up your target soon enough.wether you are in your wind-up or in your stretch,the sooner and longer you can focus on your target,the more accurate and better your pitch will be. It really works
Best advice was on pitching coaches and “gurus” Listen to all but study and learn from the best. In time you will know who is which”
Sometimes you just have to go out on the mound and be ignorant.
Be explosive and long on the stride, legs do most of the work, the arm is just in for the ride.
Balance,mechanics, & hitting locations for strikes is the best advice for young pitchers. Velocity is second and is sure to follow.
Our pitching coach came out in the 7th with the bases loaded and offered one simple word of advice to our pitcher”BREATHE”. In his southern twang he further pointed out that if you don’t breathe you will pass out and then you will die cause your so ugly I don’t think anyone here is going to give you mouth to mouth. He further pointed out that “it is hard to throw strikes when your dead”. Made our pitcher laugh and relax and think a little at the same time. Two pitchers later we had the classic 4-6-3 (pitchers best fireind ) and were in the dugout.
I received the best advice when I was in High School, and I was told that I can pitch a strike, I can pitch a ball, I can even have a great or horrible game, but in the end what is most important is the way I carry myself on and off the field. True character is determined by how you handle yourself in the game as well as off, and that is a true pitcher. Enjoy
My Grandfather once told me after being frustrated and frustrated with not being able to be as good as my ace pitcher on my team he said do your best and everyday make your best a little bit better with this in mind i am now a sophomore and am the ace on the mound and i understand what he meant work hard and then work harder!
grampa ‘s is telling the trueth,i’ll take a hard working “teammate”anytime.
Dont think!!! A pitcher should not think just do!
Location, location, location; movement, location, location.
Dont think just carve
allways practice practice practice practice if you make enough deposits in the bank they will pay dividends BE PREPARED
the best pitch in baseball is a strike.
“The Towel Drill”! It was taught to me, by former 20 Game Winner and pitcher of (2) No-Hitters, Steve “Buzz” Busby. And, it is, by far, the best drill that I have EVER seen, ANYWHERE. Furthermore, it will help pitchers (and fielders, for that matter) of any age.
“Buzz” teaches it to all of his students, from 10 yrs old to College age. And, he told me that if he had known about this drill when he was younger, he wouldn’t have the scars that he has and his career would have lasted a LOT longer. Thanks again, “Buzz”!
Work fast, throw strikes, and change speeds.
Slow the game down
The 5 most important pieces of advice I recevied was;
1) Throw first pitch strikes
I forget the other 4
The best pitching advice I have ever received is summed up in one word- composure.
It all comes from your perspective.
The game of baseball is a marathon.
Each inning (and each pitch) is simply a small stage in the journey. Physical mistakes will be made; however, those mistakes should not bog us down. If a pitcher (or hitter or position player) dwells on mistakes, he will continue to under-perform. Mistakes should be used as lessons.
dont be afraid to let them hit it, you have a team behind you.
The best pitching advice I ever received was:
Never stop learning.
The best advice I ever received was to learn to distinguish between when I was pitching and when I was just throwing. If I’m just throwing I’m not pitching; if I’m not pitching I don’t belong on the mound.
P.S. I’m still pitching at age 67!
Ice or run after you are done pitching
STAY BACK
The most important pitch is the next one…remember there are eight guys behind you, let them do their job too…
http://www.90mphClub.com
Trainer: What is your best pitch, son?
Pitcher: My fastball.
Trainer: No, your best pitch is your next pitch. It doesn’t matter how good or bad your last pitch was…it is time to focus on the next one.
The most successful advice i have been given as well as given :
” Be who you are as a pitcher , side arm 3/4 , over the top , big kick , little kick , slight twist , no twist etc… Just make sure you stay over your front shoulder , line that shoulder up with your target and push it to the plate with your pivot foot. “
Balance,,,,Balance…Balance
A catcher many, many years ago told me I was thinking too much. He said don’t think, that’s my job you just throw where and what I say. He said this after watching a car two streets over stopping a long ball.
The best pitching advise I received was to let someone who knows what they are doing, coach the pitchers.
When you throw your warm up pitches before each inning, call balls and strikes on yourself. That way if you walk the imaginary leadoff hitter, you can make the necessary adjutments before the real leadoff hitter steps into the batter’s box.
Zone in and hit your spots.
HAVE FUN !!!!
It’s a game.
Try to throw 12 pitches or less an inning. You are not trying to miss their bats just keep them off balance. Also remember to separate the results of the game and your pitching performance. Take care of what you have control over and stay on plan!
Don’t over think it!!
Throw the ball!!
Pitching Coach says not to beat up on myself, that is his job
Believe in the pitch you are throwing right now! If you don’t, step off and don’t throw it unless you believe in it.
dont spend your time trying to aim the ball. just throw with the right mechanics and you’ll improve no matter what.
Location, Location, Location.
Best piece of advice I’ve received:
“Throw Strikes”
A pitchers ability to control the zone gives him the ability to control the batter. It seems like simple advice and in fact…..it is. A pitcher that can throw all of his pitches for strikes will be set up for success every time on the mound. Don’t over complicate the game, your job is to throw strikes. (I actually wrote this advice on the bill of my cap to help remind me when I would get frustrated. Helped bring me back to making the game simple again.)
All you can control is what pitch you are throwing and where you are throwing it. So don’t worry about what you can’t control and focus on what you can
Just go one pitch at a time and don’t think about the next pitch or the previous one
the most important pitch, strike 1
When in doubt or under pressure, throw knee-high strikes.
just throw strikes, get ahead of the batter, keep it down, and hit your spots
Don’t just throw strikes and keep a good attitude, don’t get down on yourself.
Best advice- write 1 or 2 key thoughts on the inside of the bill of your cap to remind you of what you need to do, like “Breathe,” “Slow down,” “Don’t give in,” “Battle,” etc. Anything that will calm you down during stressful times or inspire you when things aren’t necessarily going your way.
You are not gonna go anywhere as a athlete if you do not work twice as hard as anyone else. Basically never do less then 100% of your workout routine always do at least 120%. Then and only then will you have a chance to make it as far as you want to make it.
“hitting is all about timing…pitching is disrupting it.”
Concentrate on pitching and filter out all of the surrounding noises like cars and fans.
Lead with your hips and keep your back pocket showing to the batter as long as you can.
Practice what you pitch, even when you’re just warming up make sure your mechanics are correct, have your catcher assume the catching position, muscle memory is one of the most important aspect of any sport, especially skill positions
When you decide to throw your pitch with runner on,forget about him and just concentrate on normal mechanics. If you rush you’ll probably miss location and he’ll get to the next base because you put it to the backstop.
A pitcher is only as good as his legs. Therefore, he must do a great deal of running.
good balance produces good pitching, stay quiet through your motion and keep your head between the plate.
4 simple rules of pitching:
Most important pitch is the first pitch strike.
If you miss, miss low.
Best pitch is the one that gets the hitter out.
Poker face, always.
The best advice ever given: “The ball is in your hands, The batter is wondering what pitch your going to throw and where you are going to throw it. With your communication with your catcher, look where the batter is in the box and always do what other pitchers do to you when your in the box. Go against his weaknesses. If he is close to the plate stick it inside, if he’s away from the plate then go outside and before he’s done give him the opposite where he less expects it. Think as if you were batting. Then also stikes are always first.”
If your not sweating your not warm! Don’t pitch unless you are warm.
There’s a difference between throwing outs and getting outs; a pitcher’s job is the former and his team’s job is the latter.
I was once asked by my college coach what the best pitch in baseball was . I said a fastball he said maybe . It was very confusing to me . His answer was , the best pitch in baseball is a strike and where you locate the strikes in that sequence. He also said that Iwas not going to throw every pitch for a strike nor did he or I want to. In my coaching experience I am not afraid to call any pitch in that pitchers arsenol.
Speed is the third most important tool in your game so do not overthrow! Change of speeds and location will earn you more success.
This is the thing I say to myself before every game I pitch and what I say to my pitchers before every game. “Don’t Suck, and Don’t be a Pussy”
The best advice – ever – was: all you can do as a pitcher is to make this next pitch. So just focus on that pitch – breathe, focus, visualize the result you want to happen, keep your eye on the catcher’s mitt, and execute that one pitch with total conviction. Then repeat it all for the enext pitch. Let nothing else enter your mind.
This advice made everything simpler for me.
Strikeouts are nice,but not everything. Trust your fielders.
Don’t believe everything you hear,even from so called experts. Figure out what advice is best for you and your players,but keep an open mind. Coaches- if you don’t have “any pitching” then it is your fault.
1.)allways stretch out before throwing,
2.)when pitching view it as a 1 on 9 compotition a personal battle between pitcher and batter,with the defence as your edge! keeping your composure at all times.
3.)allways be a sponge soaking up as much as possible you will never know it all and can allways learn from others,(coaches as well as players)
you can’t anything about the last pitch.
Your only as good as your next pitch..You can only control what your about to throw not what you already have thrown..
Be mature enough to take bits and pieces from knowledgeable people and use it to help yourself. Don’t try be a clone of someone else. Don’t think that one person knows everything there is to know about pitching. Train yourself to be mentally strong so you don’t fear throwing 3-0 sliders (or any 2nd or 3rd pitch) for strikes. And last but not least, don,t fear failure! Get over the errors, strikeouts, walks and move on because very few prople are going to feel sorry for you.
Try to throw a first pitch strike
Never try harder than 80%. If you try to throw 100%, you will lose 20% of your efficiency, and only throw 80% of your potential. Try 80% and the other 20% will be made up by smooth, proper, and unforced mechanics.
a strong sound athlete from their feet to their fingers with strong sound mechanics makes a strong successful pithcher.
My biggest thing I’ve ever gotten is to stay within yourself and be accurate. If you stay within yourself, you won’t be tempted to do it all (u will rely on your team) and if accurate then you will be able to hit where the glove is and keep hitters off balance.
Work the corners, and trust the guys behind you
when my son pitched his first game at the age of 10, he got hit so much that he lasted only 2 innings. As I was waiting for him at the end of the game to blame him for the lost, his coach approached me and congratulated me for the way he pitched. (Was he being a jurk? I thought). He said: “your son pitched great for his first game. He threw stikes and unfortunately they hit him. He showed no fear, threw strikes after stikes, and that’s all we can ask him for now. He’s going to be a good one. Here I was, ready to scream and blame my son for the team lost and somebody made me realize to always look at things on the positive way. What a difference a piece of advice can make in your life…
You can’t win games by falling behind batters…throw 1st pitch strikes and make it easy on yourself…
Trust your stuff and do not let doubt creep in your mind. Only positive thoughts”Good hard strike low and away” on the mound.
Especially with a young training hurler or when tired or in late innings, I remind them during the wind up to keep a high glove hand and ‘drop it in the bucket’ behind them when it comes to the pitching arm. This ensures a good shoulder/body turn and good mechanics to maintain control down the stretch. When tired in most sports, form and discipline in the mechanics are the first thing to go.
I noticed the long-haired young pitching sensation for the Giants returned to this part of his routine after trying to change this year.
Hope it helps
Bobby (youth coach for 14+ years, athlete 40 yrs)
My coach once said and it has always stuck in my head. “Stay a head of the hitter and never be predictable.”
Throwing strike one appears to be the consensus, and I would definitely agree. That’s the best advice I heard from Little League on up. So the second best advice would be to not get ahead of yourself. Focus on one batter at a time so that you make every pitch count.
You will do more for your speed and location by strenghtening your legs and core.
I was working with a HS kids several months ago at my academy. His mechanics aren’t bad, but all of a sudden he was missing low with everything. After video and a tweak didn’t help, a friend/pro scout walks in and says “aim higher”. I chuckled. The kid started throwing strikes again. I chuckled even harder and sent the kid on his way. We are all guilty of overANALyzing it sometimes.
See the pitch before you throw it. Visualize where it is going and what it is going to do before you begin your motion.
Case in point: I was working with a group of 14 year old pitchers on their mechanics. After 4 weeks of drills, I gave them a final examination: They had to knock a ball off of a batting tee with their fastball. Blindfolded.
Of course they said it was impossible, but when each one took the mound, they were able to see their target before I slipped the blind over their eyes. I told them they had pitched thousands of balls at the same target. They knew where it was. Just trust your mechanics and “see” the target, imagine it.
Of the 6 players who tried this, one knocked the ball off and the other 5 were within the strike zone, just missing the ball. True story.
See the pitch before you throw it, really *see* it. Then trust your mechanics and ablity to do what you just imagined yourself doing
the best advice i had was dont think about it just do it.
One of the best bits of advice I’ve gotten is to relax, throw strikes, and trust my defense to make plays.
“Your son needs at least 2 months rest after his season”
Coach Rudy Abbot
correction ……..Coach Rudy Abbott
This past season, I used 9/9 players on my 12 year old team. The boys that had never pitched before and was looking very nervous.
I would ask them if they were nervous and of course they’d say yes.
I would respond with this….
“Don’t worry about it, no matter how it goes today good or bad, this is not your last trip to the mound”
It worked….. Not one pitcher lost one of those games.
“Don’t throw your fastball for strikes.” Best advice, ever. Helped me to understand strengths and weaknesses. Seriously, though, keeping front side closed , chin inside front shoulder, allowing arm to sync with front side as back side replaces.
Throw strikes, let the hitters get themselves out.
have a good mental approah before anything, and release the ball out front
As a coach I tell my 11 and 12 year old pitchers to make the batter swing. Takes the umpires strike zone out of the picture.
Get STRIKE ONE.
There is no “cookie cutter” form for a great pitcher. True: Certain things are always needed and should never be compromised (balance, mental toughness, a well controled fastball ect.). But mechanics can be altered to to best fit the athletes physical attributes and personality. Do any great major league pitchers look exactly the same? Be yourself, and be COMFORTABLE being yourself
You can’t hit what you don’t see. Keep your eye on the catchers mitt throughout you motion and delivery.
You need good balance and rhythm along with solid mechanics
Be cocky on the mound and have a little giggle in the back of your head.
Keep the hitter off balance and be smart on the mound.
never dwell on the last pitch you threw . You can’t get it back
“Make the balls look like strikes and the strikes look like balls”
Greg Maddox
Coaches, Don’t just yell at a kid to “throw strikes!”. Unless he is really, severely DDD he is trying to do that. You are making him press now with your obvious threatening instruction. Never say “throw strikes”, instead be constructive. Help him relax and give him a simple correction like keeping his head still or step to the mitt. A game is no place for mechanical fine tuning either.
The best pitch in baseball is a well located FIRST pitch strike, you need to get ahead of the batter to keep him off balance.
The best advise I know is don’t try to do to much. Give batters a chance to get themselves out and most of the time they will. If you don’t hurt yourself with walks and hit batters while trying to be to perfect you increase your chances to be effective. Look no further than a pitcher like Jamie Moyer. Trust your stuff.
There’s no defense for a walk
Best advice for pitching, follow these rules in order and you will be successful.
1.control
2. movement
3.velocity
maintain good energy and work quickly
mechanics,mechanics,and mechanics everything works off that!
and give nothing for free[walks wild pitches etc.] learn all you can because your mind is your biggest weapon!!!!!!!!
Relax, stay within yourself.when college or pro scouts look at a pitcher, they want to see potential. If you are throwing at max effort and hitting 85, they won’t see the potential for increased velocity. Thye will think that you have maxed out. If you are smooth and efficient, you show them that you have the potential to increase that velocity as you develop.
While learning to fish from an older, more seasoned fisherman, I was told “son, I will fish with a doorknow on the line if it will catch fish.” The best pitch in baseball? The one that gets the out. Like fishing, it will change from day-to-day or batter-to-batter.
While learning to fish from an older, more seasoned fisherman, I was told “son, I will fish with a doorknob on the line if it will catch fish.” The best pitch in baseball? The one that gets the out. Like fishing, it will change from day-to-day or batter-to-batter.
I was once asked how many players are on the field by my pitching coach after walking two batters and I told him nine. He said don’t you think you need to let the other seven play and not just you and the catcher play catch? I learned it was ok to let a hitter hit and trust your other team mates.
Throw balls that are almost strikes and Strikes that are almost balls< (hit your spots)
Throw every pitch a different speed.
When you are in the windup make sure you get your elbow above your shoulder that will also prevent possible arm damage
Dont let your emotions get the best of you
TRUE DAT
it’s not how hard you throw or what you throw, but where you throw it.
Every Pitcher is Only as Good as His Last Pitch
everything that you can possibly achieve in pitching will only come from a strong core of your body.
WHEN MY COACH TOUGHT ME HOW TO THROW A
4- SEAM FASTBALL.
When you lose control take a few miles off your fastball and try to get yourself into the strike zone again
off field training – pitchers need to get stronger while remaining flexible. Do not follow the HS football coaches training regiment, but work w/ lighter weights and more reps. Maintain flexibility at all times. Get training direction from someone who knows this concept.
1) it’s all about arm angle, not arm height.
2) …and for confidence – even good batters hit .350, so as a pitcher, YOU have the advantage. Make batters respond to what you do, not “how to get a batter out.”
As all people have mentioned, good pitchers throw strikes 70% of the time. Keep in the strike zone, and the “junk” to a minimum… it’s easier to vary speed than location…
my son..16yr old pitcher junior at spanish river high school in boca raton fla…who is 6-2 161# has the same head tilt as tim lincicum and similar results to the plate…go figure…and he doesnt do it on purpose…seems a natural thing..plus he has the gift..thank you God
The umpires a Jerk. Your 3rd baseman just made a error that would have had you out of the inning. You just gave up a double and then walked the next two…… Control what you can control….THE NEXT PITCH….!!!
PITCHERS OF EQUAL PHYSICAL PITCHING TALENT ?…. THE GUY WHO UNDERSTANDS AND CAN EXECUTE CONTROLLING HIS EMOTIONS WILL BE SUCCESSFUL AND ADVANCE.
The best pitch is the one that gets the batterout
In the context of dealing w/tight situations late in games, Sam McDowell (Pirates Organization) told me that mentally I have to be in control of the situation, and not allow the situation to control me.
BREATHE, mostly for the younger pitchers, but they tend to have so much going on in their heads they forget to breathe deeply. when they are struggling tell them to take a BEEP BREATH.
There is no doubt in my mind that when it comes to seeking efficient results an off-speed toss in pitching is mighty important, and if it is timely delivered it would most definitively yield peak success to the hurler. Indeed, a good change-up does take the biscuit as far as hitters are concerned since it is not an easy pitch to content with. I believe it is fair to say that hurlers like Johan Santana -Mets- and young Lincecum -Giants- owe their success, partly, to this pitch as it has given them a major boost to their performances on he mount. Certainly, having a 90 plus m/h fastball, undoubted, help them a great deal but it is my view that their off-speed tosses have been primarily the force which has driven them to success on the mount in MLB.
There is no doubt in my mind that when it comes to seeking efficient results an off-speed toss in pitching is mighty important, and if it is timely delivered it would most definitively yield peak success to the hurler. Indeed, a good change-up does take the biscuit as far as hitters are concerned since it is not an easy pitch to content with. I believe it is fair to say that hurlers like Johan Santana -Mets- and young Lincecum -Giants- owe their success, partly, to this pitch as it has given them a major boost to their performances on he mount. Certainly, having a 90 plus m/h fastball, undoubtedly, has helped them a great deal but it is my view that their off-speed tosses have been primarily the force which has driven them to success on the mount in MLB.
when your on the mound its a marathon not a sprint