Pitching Tips?

[fkw]

At 14 I threw about 75 MPH, at 17 I threw 95 MPH and had a 10/1 SO/BB ratio as a Senior in HS.

It was basically overnight for me... when I was a Sophomore I figured out one day in fall ball, I could throw as hard as I tried and the ball still went right where I was looking (target). I dont know how hard or easy it is for others but for me it was overnight and easy.

I was 5'10" 145# at 14, and 6'2" 185# at 17..... so grew quite a bit and that obviously has to do with it.

Like other said you can help the natural talent by practicing good mechanics, doing long toss, and stretching, etc..... but much of it is very natural and uncontrollable in how good you can get.

Things that might help...
*point foot down on the leg you lift in windup will untighten and relax your whole body. and when your foot lands try not to land on heal, try for the whole foot to land flat. Balance at top of leg lift and sit like that to practice balance. Dont get all ahead of yourself in delivery so that your arm drags behind. balance is a key.

*follow through completely, and dont recoil after pitch (ie Koufax) to save injuries

*practice pickoffs all day long. Lefties dont look home and throw to first everytime, its predictable

*take a ball in your hand a snap it like snapping your finger while flipping it about 2' up and catching it... to get incredible spin on your curve, takes alot of practice but I can still spin is so fast its a blur

*get on top of the curve and dont flatten out or side arm it. A college player will hit it 500' if all you throw is roundhouses and telegraph the pitch by bringing arm slot down

*my best pitches were cutters/slidders to Lefties hips (Im a Lefty), I learned it late in my career though.

*one I always like was to drill the coaches son in the back or ribs, if the coach was an ass! But this may not help your career.

*dont mess with knuckleballs or screwballs (in games) unless you dont plan on moving beyond HS ball. knucklers will NEVER hurt your arm, Screwgies will ALWAYS hurt your arm.

*warm up good before going all out, Ice arm after games (always), and wear your jacket after you get on base and in between innings. HS kids (myself included) will balk at this but it will save your arm!

*run run run, easiest of all conditioning. legs are the first thing to go then you start chucking balls to the backstop, or even worse a fat strike at chest level to their #4 hitter in a tie game.

*loose wrist and extend ball to ends of fingers for more snap and velocity.
4 seamer for more velocity (hop), 2 seamer for more movement (heavy fastball), choke it... for a good easy changup.

*Most important, change speeds. The hardest pitch to hit is a well thrown "circle change", and the ugliest swings will follow them too. To an aggressive power hitter, dont be afraid to throw it 2-3 times in a row too, but its not recommended to do this to a bad #8 or #9 hitter.

Good luck, practice your hitting too, you never know where you might play in future

 

[bigpapiMA32]

Landing spot. Find one that works and try to hit it every time.

 

[scotty21690]

Third, keep your shoulder in. If your front shoulder (left if you are a righty) flies open, this will cause the ball to miss your target. Your throwing shoulder will drag and create problems with your mechanics and to try and counter this, you will try to self-correct and ultimately, miss the target.

This is a great tip, when I pitched way back in LL this would be the cause for most of my pitches that were not in the strike zone. Once I worked on it I threw strikes all day long.

 

[Wes]

Stretch a lot before AND after. And definitely do a lot of core work, crunches, planks etc.

Back exercises are more valuable than arms when it comes to weights. At least for me the thing that is the most sore after I pitch is my back.

 

[tm decomposer]

Stretch a lot before AND after. And definitely do a lot of core work, crunches, planks etc.

Back exercises are more valuable than arms when it comes to weights. At least for me the thing that is the most sore after I pitch is my back.

As true as it gets.

 

[bdal23]

My Background
I was a 4'10" freshman weighed less than a 100 lbs. As a freshman I threw so slow I dont think a radar gun would read it and pitched sparingly only because I was a lefty. As a SR in HS I was 5'9" and weighed 160 lbs. I worked my way from closer to starter and earned all conference honors. I ended up getting a baseball scholarship and played 2 years of college ball until I decided to join the Navy. My last year of college I sat around 80-83 MPH and hit 87 a few times as a relief pitcher. I was able to pitch very well because I could pinpoint where the ball was going.

My Advice
I agree the best things to do are to run everyday, build up your core, practice balance, repetition and muscle memory. Long toss is excellent but be careful not to space yourself out too far or over do it.

Find drills for working on your command. As a freshman work on commanding your fastball. At the speed you are throwing you need to be able to paint the black and keep it low. The middle of the plate should be considered off limits. when I practiced I considered anything over the middle of the plate a homerun. The inside and outside corners were strikes. This was the game I played in my head all the time. Whether throwing of the mound or playing catch I was always keeping score. Once I could command the fastball then I started tinkering with a changeup. A curveball came later my sophomore year.

The one thing I did that really helped me is I never gave up. Plenty of people told me what I couldnt do. I made a list of those things or people and I set out to prove all of them wrong. Im sure people tell you the same. Just keep working hard. Strive to be the hardest worker on the team. This is the key, I found out that it isnt always the best who get to play but the ones who never quit.
Best of luck to you