Pitch Perfect
Pitching is half of baseball. Why else would it be said that it’s the pitcher that either wins or loses the game? Or that almost half the roster is stacked with players for this single position? No one can argue the pitcher’s importance, and it’s no wonder the amount effort and attention that the baseball community has put into this one aspect of the game, thus transforming it into more of an art form than a pastime. Here are some pointers to prepare you for the mound.
First off, if you are teaching young pitchers the trade, it is important to start off slow because it can be very frustrating in the beginning. But with a good steady practice regimen, improvement is assured and there’s no better encouragement.
Warm Up
Warming up cannot be over-stressed. Any seasoned pitcher will preach that a good warm up not only improves your performance, but also staves off injury. Start with a light jog to get the blood moving. After that, stretch the lower half of the body. Pitching isn’t just in the torso; most of your power and torque come from the legs and hips. When stretching the upper body, concentrate on the elbows, forearms, shoulders, and obliques. After a bit of stretching and some warm up throws, your ready for action!
Ball Grip
Before you can throw the ball, you must know how to hold the ball. Gripping the ball with the fingertips will allow a new pitcher to acquire a good feel for the leather and seams. It will allow for more velocity and wrist snap upon release, whereas jamming the ball into the palm will dampen the throw’s power and restrict the ability to control the ball’s movement.
Windup
Balance is key here. If a pitcher is not balanced from the start, it will be impossible to acquire balance throughout the motion. Start with both feet on the rubber with a slight bend in the knees, and not too wide of a stance.
Pivot
Balanced with eyes on the target, the pitcher pivots on the ball of the foot, same side as the throwing arm. All the weight is transferred to the pivot foot and the other leg begins the upward motion of the kick.
Stride
At the top of the kick, the thigh should be parallel with the ground or a little higher. The pitcher should have a slight lean toward home plate but should not have so much momentum that they are falling forward, which will cause a loss of velocity. At the top of the kick, the throwing arm will drop and reach down toward second base for the beginning of the largest circle possible for maximum velocity. During the arm’s arc, the kicking leg is coming down. It is important for a pitcher to learn how to consistently hit the same comfortable length of stride every time, as deviation will throw off the pitch. Too long of a stride and ball will go high; too short will send the ball low. As the arm is arcing and the kicking leg is dropping, the rear leg is pushing off the rubber adding some force to the chain reaction through the body’s muscles that end at the fingertips at the moment of release.
Follow Through
The throwing arm will naturally follow through across the body and the rear foot will come up close to the kicking foot. The eyes should remain on target ready to field the ball, because that ball might just be coming right back at you!
