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This website will teach you simple yet proven techniques to refine your pitching mechanics, increase velocity, improve control, and promote the overall good health of your arm. Every level of pitcher can use this information in a variety of ways.
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Building a strong foundation
Whether I'm talking to a young kid just starting out in Little League, or coaching elite high school, college, or pro-level pitchers, I've learned that you don't want to work against what comes naturally.
You want to build and enhance it.
You want to educate every pitcher on how to use the tools they already have.
When Nolan Ryan was pitching back in the day, everybody wanted to pitch like him. The thing is, nobody taught Nolan how to pitch like that. It was just the way his body worked, and he built on it over time.
As we try to train our bodies to throw harder and pitch deeper into games, the most effective way is to refine and build upon our foundation.
Reaching your full potential
Enjoying a long, healthy career depends as much on education as it does physical training.
And it starts with understanding good mechanics so that pitchers of all levels can improve their capabilities.
Most mechanical problems are not unique; when I do evaluations for pitchers, I see the same issues:
- Poor balance; body gets ahead of arm
- Poor arm action too short or too long
- Hips and trunk open up too early
- Lands too far left or right of midline
- Stride is too short
- Doesn't develop good rotational forces
- Landing leg does not brace up
- Opens hips and trunk too early
- Poor finish
Getting hitters out
Every pitch should must have a purpose...
A high fastball can be used to set up a low breaking pitch. A hard slider away can be used to set up a heavy sinker inside.
Now, I'm not talking about wasting pitches here. I'm talking about throwing strikes and pitching smart.
Remember, one of the main points of pitching is to disrupt the hitter's timing. Changing speeds. Changing locations. Getting a hitter out in front of pitch and inducing a weak groundball...
That's the true art of pitching. And you don't even need a 95-mph fastball to have success with that kind of strategy.
Throwing different pitches
After the fastball, the changeup is the most important pitch for pitchers to learn. The changeup is meant to disrupt a hitter's timing once he's grown accustomed to seeing power pitches.
Yet the changeup isn't the only way to give hitters a different look. Here are a few other pitching grips you can try:
Adding functional strength
Many of the problems that youth and high school pitchers have are related to lack of core strength and flexibility. The core is the center of all movement. And when a pitcher throws, the first thing that gets activated is his core. If this area is weak, then forces are not efficiently transferred from the legs, to the hips to the trunk and finally the shoulder, the elbow and eventually to the ball.
Remember, the body works as a kinetic chain. Forces and energy begin as the pitcher strides out and are then transferred back up the chain when he lands. If his balance is poor or if he lands off-center or doesn't set up a strong base upon landing, then this will effect his velocity, his control and will add stress to his arm.
It starts with a plan
Having a plan is what separates serious high school pitchers from those who are looking for an easier way. There are only so many spots on a high school team for pitchers. And there are even fewer college scholarships. Those who prepare and put in the time are the ones who get rewarded. And when you are prepared, success is more easily achieved.
A plan can also work for Little League players who have the desire on their own to spend even one-half hour, 3 times a week getting stronger while working on their throwing mechanics and pitching fundamentals.
Here's the deal: If you don't have a plan you are like a ship without a rudder. And that's not a recipe for success in the game of baseball, or in the game of life.
Used by pitchers and coaches at every level of the game
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