The Pitching "See"-quence (Part 3 of 3)

This is our third article in our three-article series on what a pitcher can do with his eyes to a) focus better, 2) be more effective, and 3) throw harder...

Today, we're going to focus on the third: throwing harder.

Don’t Watch Your Pitch

Want to throw harder? Don't watch your pitch all the way to the plate.

When I see pitchers do that, it tells me that the pitcher is not bending his back and getting his backside involved in the throw because if he was, there's simply no way a pitcher could watch his pitch from the time he releases it to the time it crosses the plate. It also tells me that the pitcher could really be throwing harder.

You see, all the really hard throwers will keep their eyes on their target right up until they release the pitch. Then, because they’re twisting at their trunk and bending at their waist, they look away as their arm decelerates outside of the opposite knee (right when the baseball is released).

They then pick up their target again either just before or right when the pitch crosses the plate so they know how to react to the ball.

You shouldn’t keep your eyes on the target (or baseball itself) when your pitch is made, but rather, look down (which should happen naturally when you get a good follow-through and really bend at the waist over a braced front leg).

Then, usually just before the ball crosses the plate, you should be picking your eyes up again.

That way, you can react and field your position if needed.

You'll be able to throw harder if you take your eyes off of the pitch because you'll allow your body to naturally decelerate -- which, in turn, will allow you to be more explosive.

That wraps up our three-article series!

Yours in baseball,

Steven Ellis
The Complete Pitcher™
www.thecompletepitcher.com