3 Youth Baseball Tips On Learning And Developing Proper Pitching Technique

By learning the proper pitching techniques, baseball pitchers can achieve their best velocity and accuracy while reducing the risk of injury to their arm and body. Here are three baseball pitching tips for learning and developing proper throwing technique:

1. Learning the proper throwing techniques early allows a pitcher's muscles and mind to develop the correct memory. Proper throwing can therefore become a good habit that will stay with players throughout their playing lives.

2. Proper throwing technique starts with conditioning activities well before the ball season begins.

3. Stretching and warming-up the entire body, as well as the shoulders and arms, is necessary before actually starting to throw. "Warm-up to throw; don't throw to warm-up", as stated by the American Sports Medicine Institute. Start throwing slowly, over a short distance. Gradually lengthen the distance and increase velocity. This warm-up period will vary with the individual, but will be typically 10-20 minutes.

Do You Know How Many Times A Fastball Spins?

Did you know? A 90-mph fastball takes four-tenths of a second to reach home plate, and it will spin or rotate end-over-end about 8-12 times, depending on the pitcher. Cool, huh?

How To Achieve Your Baseball Pitching Goals

Surround yourself with people who will help you succeed.

Guest Post: 6 Youth Baseball Pitching Tips

These articles were submitted by Coach Don Schwartz, a certified pitching instructor from the National Pitching Association. Each will pop up as a Word .doc. As always, I encourage you to submit your articles, details here.

Download Coach Dons Tip No 1

Download Coach Dons Tip No 2

Download Coach Dons Tip No 3

Download Coach Dons Tip No 4

Download Coach Dons Tip No 5

Download Coach Dons Tip No 6

Little League Pitching: Qualities Of A Good Pitcher

At the early stages of a baseball pitcher's development, there are a number of qualities that can really make a difference on the mound and for the success of the team. In this article, I'll share the three I feel are most important pertaining to youth pitching, little league pitching, and coaching youth pitchers.

1. The ability to pitch with control. - I don't care how fast you throw, but you must throw strikes. Walks will almost always come back to haunt you! On the Little League team that I help coach, the players that pitch are the players that can throw strikes consistently. Make the other team "earn" their way on base. Throw the ball over the plate and let your teammates help you on defense.

2. The ability to pitch with confidence and poise - I want you to know that you're going to get them out. I don't want you standing out there hoping you'll get them out.

3. The ability to throw hard - At the Little League level, throwing hard is not nearly as important as throwing strikes! It's nice to have a 98 - 100 MPH fastball like Tim Lincecum, but you gotta throw it for strike

You can learn more valuable Little League pitching tips in my latest baseball book series here.

Teaching And Incorporating Proper Pitching Technique

The most important aspect in pitching is throwing strikes consistently. In order to help young pitchers throw strikes, it's important to teach them how to play catch correctly. In other words, it's important to teach and incorporate proper pitching technique.

We have all admired how effortlessly Greg Maddux makes pitching appear. When in a groove, Maddux is so effortless with his mechanics that he merely seems to be playing catch. By aiding young pitchers in becoming simplified and effortless in mechanics, they will not only throw strikes more consistently, but also will develop confidence in their ability.

When evaluating a pitcher's mechanics, watch them warm up in a rather informal setting. While observing, look to see whether the following five principles of good throwing technique are being used:

1. Eyes are constantly on the target.
2. The athlete should be in a good goal post position, meaning both glove side elbow and throwing elbow should be as high as his shoulder.
3. The ball should be pointed back to allow for the rotation of the hips.
4. Glove side shoulder and foot should be pointed directly at the target.
5. Weight transfer and follow-through from post foot to glove side foot.

Pitchers seem to run into the most difficulty when applying the simple throwing technique in a pitching situation. Alleviate some of their anxiety by asking them to throw batting practice in the same way they play catch. Pitchers can experiment playing catch with the catcher in this batting practice setting.

When put into a live pitching situation, many problems occur in adding the windup. It is important, at this point, to stress that the windup does nothing to affect the eventual success of a pitch; however, it can be a reason for the failure of that same pitch. Try to simplify the delivery of any pitcher who has difficulty throwing strikes.

-Excerpts of this article contributed by pitching coach Terry Mularski of Westmoreland County Community College (PA).

Fundamentals Of Baseball Pitching: The Four Key Components To Success At The Youth Level

Not every youth can become a Roger Clemens or a Tim Lincecum, but everyone can become a more complete pitcher - more consistent, more successful. Here are the four fundamentals of pitching that I stress to the younger pitchers I work with. But of course, they also apply to every level of play.

1. First and most important, you should learn how to throw the baseball with your natural and proper motion. This includes both your arm motion and your pitching delivery (stance, leg kick, follow-through, and so forth). Your pitching motion is the foundation of everything else. It is what leads you to your best fastball, sharpest curve, and finest control. No matter how much you sweat and strain, you will never develop your best fastball unless you first develop a proper motion.

2. Second, younger pitchers should try to develop strength in your core, rotator cuff and lower body so that you can throw your best and most natural fastball. Strength training will help you reach the limits of your natural talent quicker. But it's got to be the right kind of pitching training (more info here). Additionally, the secret of pitching is to develop a good fastball first, and only later, for the times when the fastball will be insufficient, to develop other, less natural pitches, like the curveball or slider. I strongly recommend that you throw only fastballs until your teenage years. At that point, you can begin work on other pitches starting with a changeup, and then breaking stuff.

3. The third fundamental of pitching is control. While you are developing your motion and speed, you should simultaneously be developing your control -i.e., your ability to throw the ball over any part of the plate, at will. The first three pitching fundamentals are intertwined: the development of any one fundamental leads to the advancement of the others. The more naturally you throw the ball, the faster your pitch will be and the easier your ability to control it.

4. The fourth pitching fundamental is so intangible that it cannot really be taught. With time and pitching experience, you should develop what I call "pitchability," which is really your ability to pitch with a bit of savvy in all situations. Some say it is instinct. Others claim that pitchability can be learned, that all it requires is a modestly intelligent, willing, and attentive mind. The best you can do is to remain mentally alert and receptive to experience whenever you are on the mound. For example, when a batter takes such a hard swing at your pitch that he pulls your best fastball into foul territory, your intelligence should tell you that he will miss a slower pitch - so throw one.

Three Basic Guidelines For Beginning Pitchers

No one is able to walk out to a pitching mound and be an ace pitcher right off the bat. Pitching a baseball is a combination of mental and physical preparation and endurance. It takes hours and hours of practice to hone one's pitching skill and pitching mechanics to peak perfection. Before starting to pitch, there are some basic guidelines to follow.

1 – Never get on the pitching mound until you are completely warmed up. This means the upper and lower body. Do some light running and stretching to get the legs and lower back loosened up. Throwing on flat ground is good to start loosening up the arm. Eventually work on extending the distance into a long toss. Keep the ball on a line.

2 – Once on the mound, take your time going through your pitching mechanics. Do not get on the mound and expect your pitching mechanics to be smooth from the start. Do not worry about your velocity when you first get on the mound since it will improve once your pitching mechanics get in sync.

3 – Pitching isn't all about arm strength. Many of the hardest throwers generate a lot of their velocity from the lower half of their body. Having a strong arm helps, but it's an important cog in the "pitching machine," not the only piece. After many of my games, my arm never hurt, but my lower back was stiff for a day or so. This was significant since it meant I was using my entire body when pitching instead of throwing with just my arm. Work on getting your entire body involved in your pitching mechanics. I'll discuss some ways to do this later.

How pitchers can prevent tired or stale arms

Today's guest post is by Marty Schupak, a youth coach with a master's degree in physical education from Arizona State University.

At one time or another, a pitcher can have a tired or stale arm. This can happen on the youth level just as it happens on the professional level. In youth baseball, pitchers are even more susceptible, especially during All-Star time, if pitching rules are relaxed and pitchers are able to pitch more innings.

There are a number of things a manager and parents can do during the season as not to burn out or even possibly injure a pitcher's arm.

Loosening up is very important before a pitcher throws one pitch. The expression; "warm up to pitch, don't pitch to warm up" is very relevant. When the great relief pitcher for the New York Yankees, Mariano Rivera, is called on to pitch, he goes through a stretching and loosening up routine for 5 or 10 minutes before he even picks up a ball.

During the regular season, managers, coaches and even parents should pay more attention to a player's pitch count rather than the number of innings pitched. Every player is different, but the manager should use some sought of guideline to determine how many pitches are enough for a particular player.

A few years ago the American Sports Medicine Institute did a study sending surveys to orthopedic surgeons and coaches around the country. They recommended for 11 to 12 year old pitchers a maximum of 68 pitches with two days recovery. This might seem very conservative. The study also stated that conditioning of the arm and entire body can reduce injury.

Another issue facing the youth baseball pitcher is duel leagues or playing for his school and an outside league. It is always a good idea for the manager to make contact with the school coach. Let him know that you understand that the school team is the priority and that you want to be aware of how much the player is pitching. Responsible school coaches should be able to give you the amount of innings and pitch count for a player through out the season.

Baseball seasons are increasing in length at the youth league level. The combination of All-Star games and the ever-popular autumn baseball season increase potential harm to a pitcher's arms. Loosening up and stretching are a must. It is up to the manager, coaches and parents to look out for the long term interest in their player, rather than over pitching him to win one particular game.

Youth baseball pitcher warm-up and stretching

Today's guest post if by baseball coach Mike S. of 2PlayBall.

Pitching a baseball game begins long before you even step onto the pitching mound. It is important to prepare both physically and mentally for pitching in a game. Below are some mental and physical steps you can do to prepare for pitching on the day of the big baseball game.

When you wake up in the morning, begin mentally visualizing your pitching experience. Start imagining how your pitching will be that day. While taking your morning shower, think about how you want your pitching strategy to be. Do you want to throw many fastballs? Do you want to vary your pitching a lot in the game? Do you want to try and strike every batter out? Or would you want to pitch each batter in such a way as to try to get them to ground out to the infielders on the first pitch? All of this mental preparation can help visualize how you want to win.

During the day, conserve your energy and keep thinking about how you are going to pitch the best game ever. Your positive attitude will help you win. All of the positive thoughts will get you very excited about pitching in the game.

When you are getting dressed for the game, keep a clear head and positive attitude. If you pitching coach gave you advice on pitching strategy, repeat key concepts in your head. Consider the strategies for each batter. If you did research on the other team's players, remind yourself of which batters to pitch fastballs to, and which batters to throw curveballs to. You don't need to quiz yourself, but simply review the concepts in your head.

Before going into the pitching bullpen, gently jog around the field. Get the blood flowing. Gently stretch, and then jog a little more. It's important to loosen up your arms and your legs. Your entire body is needed for baseball pitching, so be sure to warm-up your entire body.

Once you've returned to the bullpen, go to a grassy spot away from other players and gently stretch your arms and arm joints. Focus on your shoulders, forearms, wrists, and elbow.

After stretching for about 5 or 10 minutes, find a teammate to have a simple catch with. Stand about 20 feet apart and simply throw the ball to each other. There's no need to throw any pitches at this point. Just throw the ball. Catching and throwing the ball will actually help you stretch some more before you even throw a single pitch. After a minute or two, extend the distance to about 50 feet apart. After a few more minutes of having a casual game of catch with your teammate, you should start casually going through the pitching motion. Use your legs in throwing the ball. Do a casual wind-up and lift your leg a little bit in the pitch.

Now that you've warmed up, you can start your pitching activities. Have a teammate, preferably a catcher; assume the catching position while you throw some practice pitches. Start with a very slow pitch and practice the pitching motions. Don't worry about speed. Pay attention to your pitching mechanics. The web site www.2PlayBall.com has books and videos that discuss the mechanics of baseball pitching. Besides reading and watching videos, you can also watch other pitchers and study how they pitch the ball.

Once you've thrown about 15 simple pitches while focusing on the delivery, start to warm-up your pitching aim. Focus on inside and outside pitching corners. Practice your aim with each of your pitches. Throw a fastball, curve, change-up, slider, and other pitches.

Ask your warm-up catcher and another teammate to go to home plate and practice with you while you stand on the pitcher's mound. Your practice catcher should assume the catching position, and your other teammate should stand in the batters box with a baseball bat in hand. The practice batter should not hit your practice pitches, but simply stand in the hitting stance and occasionally swing very lightly at the pitches. All of this will help you visually prepare for real game pitching.

If you have not already done so, go see your pitching coach and say hello. Ask any questions that you may have. If you don't have any questions, review with your pitching coach any pitching strategies for the game.

Before you enter the game, be sure to go to the bullpen and throw some more warm-up pitches. Also, throw just a few pitches at full speed. Don't throw too many, but throw maybe 3 or 4 full speed pitches.

If you are not the starting pitcher, be sure to keep your body warm and loose. And remember to keep warm and loose in-between innings even when you are the active pitcher.

And of course, enjoy your pitching experience! After all, that's why you play baseball ... to have fun!