How To Eliminate High Pitch Counts By Throwing Four Pitches

Want to eliminate high pitch counts? Aim to get hitters out on just four pitches.

1, 2, 3, 4, and that's it.

• If you throw four pitches a batter, 12 pitches an inning for 7 innings, you’ll throw 84 total pitches in a game.
• If you throw four pitches a batter, 12 pitches an inning for 9 innings, you'll throw 98 total pitches.

By aiming for four pitches a batter, you'll help your cause out there on the bump. You'll be able to pitch deeper into a game, without running up your pitch count.

Making four pitches a batter will also give you the very best opportunity to pitch complete games and save your arm and velocity throughout the duration of a season.

Make it four!

Part 1: The Truth About Anabolic Steroids And Its Effects On Baseball Pitching Performance

Editor's note: This is the first of an eight-week series of articles examining the effects of anabolic steroids and other substances on baseball pitching performance and overall health. Source: MLB.

There are two distinct kinds of steroids you should be familiar with: 1) those designed to reduce inflammation, swelling or pain, and 2) steroids which are designed to increase strength or muscle mass.

The first category, known as anti-inflammatory steroids or glucocorticosteroids, are most commonly referred to as cortisone or prednisone. Often, professional baseball players are administered cortisone shots by a doctor to reduce inflammation and/or tendonitis.

The second category, known as anabolic androgenic steroids (AASs), is designed to increase muscle size and strength. ("Anabolic" indicates muscle building properties; "Androgenic" indicates "masculinizing" properties.)

Testosterone is essentially the prototypical anabolic androgenic steroid, but unlike the "designer testosterones" that appear on the black market under various pseudonyms -- like deca-durabolin, winstrol, stanzanol, etc. -- testosterone is actually produced naturally in the male testes (in the amount of about 4 to 10 milligrams per day in healthy individuals).

Testosterone, by its very classification as an AAS, has two distinct functions in the natural development of male human beings: 1) to build muscle size, increase lean-body mass, and increase body weight; and 2) to masculinize the body and develop normal male characteristics like facial hair, body hair, deep voice, and reproductive functions.

Naturally occurring testosterone is, of course, what makes males males. It's essential. And if your body does not produce adequate amounts of testosterone, numerous emotional and physical problems can occur, which may lead a physician to prescribe testosterone. However, such use in healthy athletes like yourself is extremely rare — and therefore, the use of additional testosterone is completely unnecessary.

(Series continues on Thursday...)

How To Stay In Great "Pitching Shape" During The Baseball Season

One of the big misconceptions in baseball is that playing the game keeps you in shape to pitch. I wish it were that easy. It's not.

Just playing the game does not keep you "in shape" for baseball. That has to happen in practice and in the weight room or you'll actually lose strength throughout the course of a long season.

In the Chicago Cubs organization, we strength-trained in season on a very regular basis. My former teammate Kyle Farnsworth, above right, used to religiously hit the weight room after games. (He's now with the Yankees.) Depending on our throwing schedule -- the throwing always comes first, of course -- we performed some sort of conditioning, usually following our throwing sessions.

We hit our core (abdominal and lower-back muscles). We trained our legs by running and performing various squats, lunges, step-ups, etc. We strengthened our shoulders performing tubing and light dumbbell exercises. We stretched.

Make it a point to get your throwing done first. Then, maintain your strength this season a few times a week by doing some pitcher-specific training. It'll help you remain strong and healthy.

Can't Find Your Fastball? Throw An Off-Speed Pitch!

It happens to all pitchers at all levels: You'll be on the mound, in a game ... without your fastball. Has it happened to you? Where you just can't find the strike zone?

The first thing most pitchers try to do in this situation is "muscle" through it by coming back with another fastball ... and another fastball ... and another.

Slow down here.

If you are having difficulty locating your fastball for strikes in a game, try throwing an off-speed pitch. It breaks the monotony. It'll force you to get your arm out in front of your body with your fingers on top of the baseball. (This, of course, being how you throw a good off-speed pitch.)  Then, when you go back to your fastball, you’ll likely find your arm path is back into perfect throwing position.

Sometimes all it takes to better locate your fastball is to throw an off-speed pitch.

What You Need To Know Before Going To A Major League Baseball Open Tryout Camp

Ready to try your hand at professional baseball? The Major League Scouting Bureau and most major league baseball teams conduct open tryout camps across the US annually. Here are some common questions about the camps. To find out more including tryout camp information, click here.

Q. "Who is in charge of your tryout camps?"
A. Territorial scouts from the Major League Scouting Bureau sponsor the tryouts. They work for Major League Baseball and all 30 major league organizations.

Q. "Are there any age requirements as to who can tryout?"
A. All players must be at least 16 years old to participate.

Q. "What should I bring to the camp?" A. Bring gear that you would practice or play a game in. (Hat, cleats, glove, baseball pants). Bats and balls are provided at the workout. Catchers may want to use their own catching gear.

Q. "Is there any cost involved to tryout?"
A. The tryouts are free of charge. Transportation costs are those of the participant.

Q. "I'm a center fielder and a pitcher. Can I tryout at both positions?"
A. No, a participant will be asked to choose their best position.

Q. "Can I go to other MLSB Open Tryout Camps?"
A. Yes, participants can attend as many of the tryouts as they wish.

Q. "Do I have to register for the camps?"
A. Registration cards will be passed out prior to the beginning of each camp to identify each participant.

Q. "Who watches the players at these camps?"
A. All thirty major league baseball organizations are invited to the tryouts.

Q. "If a team is interested in me after seeing the tryout, can they sign me to a professional contract on the spot?"
A. No, the tryout camp must be finished and the participant cannot sign until he leaves the facility.

How To Practice Baseball Pitching Like A Champion

Practice makes perfect.

You've probably heard that saying -- or some variation of it -- right? I'm not sure if the ole' "practice makes perfect" thing still rings true to most kids these days. They've heard it too many times. (I've heard it too many times.) And it's lost its meaning.

But the underlying message -- that attention to detail in practice translates to successful game performance -- is as important today as it ever was. For pitchers, this means that it has to happen in the bullpen, when you're working on your pitches, before it can happen on the mound.

Take practice time seriously. Don't just go through the motions. Focus on proper pitching mechanics, location, speed and/or spins -- and in that order of importance -- each time you take the mound. It shouldn't matter if you're pitching in front of 40,000 fans, 25 parents, or 1 coach. Pitching is pitching, whether it's in a game or practice. And quality bullpens between pitching performances do, in fact, equate to more success on the mound.

This afternoon when you're in practice at your various high schools or colleges make it count. Make each pitch your very best. That's the kind of practice that makes perfect. And you don't need some overused saying for that.

How To Do Your Own Pitching Video Analysis -- And What To Look For To Improve Your Mechanics

I am often asked about the use of pitching video analysis and its importance as a training tool for developing baseball pitchers. It's very important. One of the best ways to develop quality pitching mechanics is to video tape your performances.

In my youth baseball career, for example, my dad video taped games and practice sessions on a fairly frequent basis. (About a couple of times a month.)

My pro coaches in the Chicago Cubs organization video taped each pitching performance. Then, then the next day, we'd view the tape in the clubhouse and discuss mechanics and improvement areas.

I'm sure you can find somebody to video tape a practice session or a game performance. But if you don't have a good coach to sit down with you afterward to talk over your mechanics, you can do it on your own.

Video tape a Major League Baseball game on TV. If the "Big Unit" or Pedro are pitching, record an inning or two on a VHS tape. Matt Clement, above right, was a former Chicago Cub pitcher when I was in the organization. He's got great pitching mechanics and would be a good guy to record, too.

Once you've recorded their pitching delivery, slow down the tape and observe their motion. See what they're doing out there on the pitcher's mound. Then pop in your tape to the VCR, and see what you do. How do your mechanics compare to theirs? What can you do to get better?

You can do this on your own, and it's a great way to develop quality mechanics.

Major Leaguer Pedro Martinez Does This. It's How He's So Accurate With His Pitches. What About You?

As you may know, the very best pitchers in the major leagues -- and at any level, really -- are those who can spot a fastball on the corners of the plate for a strike.

They're guys like Pedro Martinez, at right, who'll nibble with their fastball to good hitters, and then bust one up and in when the pitching situation calls for it. (Not to hit the batter, of course, but just to let the batter know that you own both sides of the plate, not him. This is especially effective if you notice the hitter leaning or cheating to the outside part of the plate.)

Throwing strikes is one thing, but pitching to both sides of the plate is really what pitching savvy is all about. So how can you become a little more accurate throwing to both sides of the plate? Let's start on the outside.

My former coach Bill Thurston, a pitching consultant at American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI), in Birmingham, Ala., says that the outside fastball for a strike "is the most difficult baseball pitch to throw in baseball because more timing's involved with the trunk."

That's because in order to throw a good, hard fastball to the outside part of the plate (which is across your body and across the strike zone) you have to rotate your torso, trunk, and lower body a little quicker. You should still land in-line to the target -- and have the same throwing motion and follow-through, etc. --  but you'll want to focus on speeding up your trunk rotation just a bit. This will, in turn, speed up the horizontal rotation of your shoulders.

When throwing to the inside part of the plate, though, try to slow down your trunk rotation, while keeping you other body mechanics the same.

Should Pitchers Ice After A Game? What About Practice? Is Icing Bad?

The topic of icing comes up a lot. Many pitchers do it. It's not bad for you. And it's not dangerous or anything like that either. I didn't ice down after games, though. A lot of pro pitchers that I played with didn't actually ice.

I feel you should only ice after a pitching performance if your arm is painfully sore -- a point, of course, you should not reach. Think about this: Would you ice your legs after doing a bunch of squat thrusts in the weight room? Would you ice your legs after multiple sets of wind sprints across the outfield?

Probably not, right?

But that's just it. Pitching is ultimately no different than any of these kinds of workouts. The muscle fibers in the arm incur microscopic tears from the repeated throwing motion just like a your leg muscles incur tiny microscopic tears when doing squats or sprints. Your body then rushes nutrient rich blood to repair these tiny tears and to flush out any toxic lactic acid (the by-product of repeated anaerobic, namely, short bursts of energy).

This repairing of the muscle is what ultimately makes the muscle stronger. In your case, it's what enables a you to increase strength and velocity in your throwing arm. However, applying ice to your arm actually impedes your body's ability to ability to pump nutrient rich blood to the "stressed" area to flush out the lactic acid that has built up during your performance. That's because by nature, ice slows down a liquid's ability to flow freely. As a result, you're slowing down your recovery time, not speeding it up as you might have thought.

Ice after a pitching performance if your arm is really sore. In this case alone, the application of ice will lessen your immediate pain because ice numbs the nerve endings. But know that it will take longer for you to recover because the movement of nutrient rich blood to repair those tiny microscopic tears has been greatly reduced.

If you do ice, always place a towel or T-shirt over the area prior to placing the ice on location. Ice for no more than 20 minutes, and never ice before or during a game.

Should You Push Off The Pitcher's Rubber? What's A Proper Stride Length? How Should The Plant Foot Land?

I contacted Dr. Glenn Fleisig today at the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) in Alabama. Thought you'd appreciate his words on "pushing off the rubber," "proper stride length," and "proper foot landing."

Q: On pushing off the rubber? Is it a fall? Glide?
A: ASMI's pitching research is based on:

• principles of biomechanics
• data from many elite pitchers
• a focus on shoulder and elbow motions and loads

Because of this basis, the push or fall issue is not a big focus of ours since injuries do not occur during the stride phase. What's important in our analysis is that the arm and body are in the proper position and coordination at the time of front foot contact, when significant loading of the elbow and shoulder really start. We have quantified the position used by healthy, elite pitchers at the time of foot contact. We don't care too much how a pitcher gets to this position, and only worry about leg and arm motions in the stride if there is a problem at the time of foot contact or after.

Q:  Tell me about proper stride length.
A:  The proper position at foot contact is for the arm to be on the way up. For a righty, the ball should be showing to the shortstop at the time of pitcher's foot contact. For a lefty, the ball should be showing to the second baseman. The shoulders should still be closed, while the pelvis should be beginning to open up.

Q:  Tell me about proper foot landing.
A:  At foot contact, the stride length should be between 78% and 88% of the pitcher's height. Here, stride length is measured as the distance from the front of the rubber to the ankle of the front foot. Just as important, the front foot should land in front of the back foot or slightly to the closed side, with the front foot rotated slightly inward.

Dr. Fleisig is a moderator at ASMI.org's baseball injury forum.