Developing consistency with your pitching control

When I think back on the times when I wasn't effective as a pitcher, it wasn't because I didn't have good velocity. It was because I had poor control, and I had poor location of my pitches. Your ability to throw strikes, when and where you need to throw them, is paramount to your success. So how can you work on that?

Throw consistently underneath the bat. Always concentrate on throwing your pitches from the top of the knees to the dirt. If you're a low ball pitcher, your strike zone is the 2 inch area at the knees. Throw to the corners, six inches on either side of the plate.

Consistency comes from much practice. Pitchers like Tom Glavine have proven that being able to throw consistently to one area, on and off the plate, causes hitters to go after pitches out of the strike zone. When hitters chase, you look good. You get outs.

Stay away from the area from the top of the knees to the waistline and, of course, over the heart of the plate.

Learning from major league pitchers

Did you know that in major league baseball, 90% of first pitch strikes are taken for a strike or result in an out?

Ninety percent of the time, when a pitcher throws a strike on the first pitch of an at-bat, the hitter will either take it (and find himself down in the count) or put it in play for an out. Of the 10% of first pitch strikes that are successfully turned into hits, 75% are singles.

What can be learned from these numbers? Throw strikes!

Know when to take time off from pitching and training

It's important to take some time off from pitching and training at the end of the season. October and November are the best times to do it.

This is a time to limit all baseball-related activity. You can stay active by playing other sports or by doing some light cross-training, but put the glove away. This helps your body rest, recover and recuperate. And it gives your mind a break, too.

The baseball season is a grind. Many of you go right from school ball to summer league baseball. So by this time of year, your body's worn down a bit. Your arm may be tired. Your legs may be sore. Your running and workouts are probably feeling old and stale. This is natural. It's natural to take time off from pitching and training, too.

Most big league pitchers who don't play winter ball, take a few months off from throwing and most baseball-related activity once the season's over. They start preparing for the next baseball season again in December, which gives them three months (December, January and February) to gear up for Spring Training in March. But it gives them two months (October and November) off.

I of course followed this routine during the off-season in the Chicago Cubs organization. But I also took two months off at the end of fall baseball in college. This is the time to do it.