The Pitching Edge

•Be Patient

•Separate Upper and Lower-Body Movements

•Work on Mechanics before Control

C-grip : ball will travel in a strait path

this should be the first grip used for starting pitchers to help with control.

Horse show grip : Ball will break or

veer off to side to side

Backfoot: toe at edge of rubberHeel of drive foot: front edge of rubber

Drive foot: middle of the rubberstride leg: separated hip leg apart

Power line: imaginary straight line running from the pitcher drive foot

to the center of home plate or the target.

Power line: all body movements need to follow this line to keep consistency and speed

Stride foot land flatat 45 degree angle with ball of the lead foot directly on power line. The allows the body to rotate and the drive leg to contribute to overall motion.

The drive leg follows power line and knee pointing to target

Stride and Drive: Use the total body, not just pitching armstride out with front side of the body, and drive into the pitch with backside foot

The back toe will drag in the dirt, leaving a banana impression in the dirt.

Ball drill: place ball between feet. Do not touch the ball while pitching. This teaches not to pivot off the back foot.

Balance beam Drillused to concentrated on power line step and balance.

8” wide, 8’ long, 3” – 5” off ground. Tape or paint to mark power line

Long Stride Length1. Keeps the pitcher aggressive

2. The closer the pitcher to home place, the closer the ball will seam to the batter

Stride DrillHave 2 other players hold a string or rope for pitcher to step over during the stride. Start by placing the rope close to the rubber. Then gradually move it further away.

Arm Circle Goal: Generate as much speed as possible. It’s important to get a smooth and consistent motion. Each girl is different on motion and release.

Glove arm should rise with throwing arm

Glove can go as low as the chest or near top of circle before peaking

Stand tall during the delivery when the circle beginsFinish the pitch without a forward or backward lean

Knee drill: pitcher positions herself at a 45 degree angle

pitcher is forced to improve balance

Noodle Drillcoach hold noodle chin high at point where pitchers

head should end up at end of pitch.

Controlling LocationPitchers first should focus on pitching down the power line

Draw 3 lines from the rubber to home plate. (gym or tennis courts are good)The middle line is the power line going from center of rubber to center of home

Have the pitcher step on the power line while pitching

Control Height of Pitches – Focus Points

* Pitcher uses the catch body parts as targets* Pitcher will use the mitt, knee or even the shoe of the catcher as spots to aim for.* If the pitches are high, the pitcher will look for a lower focus point such as the knee or shoe* If pitches are low, pitcher will focus on mitt or facemask of catcher.

Color ZonesRed – most likely hit by hitter. Yellow – harder to hit

Green – least likely to be hit with solid contact. Green zone should be used as a strike out pitch (when less than 3 balls). Zones also depend on each umpire, so get an idea

early in the game where the umpire is calling the pitches.

Pregame Warm-ups

•Start throwing ball at 3/4ths speed•Stand straight

•Follow power line•Have the catcher STAND UP during the first half of

warm-ups•Catcher stand at least 3 feet behind home plate

Triple and Doubles Circles Drill - used to help improve speedPitcher on 1 knee next to net of fence. The pitcher makes a circle 3

times in a row as fast as possible before release. Have a slight curve to the arm.

The pitcher does 10 triple circles. Then drops to 10 double circles for 10 pitches

She finishes with 10 single circles with effort on each throw