Pitching Skills

Pitching Mechanics

Windup Delivery

Typically, most pitchers will work from the windup delivery when there are no baserunners aboard or there is only a runner on third base.

Most right-handed pitchers throw from the right side of the pitcher’s rubber, and most left-handed pitchers throw from the left side of the pitcher’s rubber to create more deception with the pitch angle to the plate. However, a pitcher’s first concern is comfort over his placement on the rubber, and he should make an adjustment in his placement if it improves his ability to throw strikes.

Video: The Five Phases of Pitching (ABCA) (3 mins)

Video: Pitching Mechanics – Phase 1 (Drop Step and Pivot) to Phase 3 (Direction) (Winning Baseball) (7 min.)

Phase 1: Drop Step and Pivot

Pitcher must be relaxed before starting his pitch.
Feet are approximately shoulder width apart, with both feet in contact with the pitcher’s rubber.
Body should be squared to the plate or turned slightly to his throwing side. For example, a right-handed pitcher may slightly face third base.
Glove and throwing hand should be together and positioned somewhere between his belt and chest-high.
Receive pitch signal from the catcher.
Begin windup by taking a short drop step directly back or at a forty-five degree angle with the glove-side foot. This movement creates rhythm while allowing the pitcher’s weight to lightly transfer to his back, glove-side foot, just long enough to allow the pivot foot to lift. Secret: Some pitchers choose to modify their drop step by taking it directly to their side or even slightly in front of their pivot foot. This is acceptable as long as the player’s head stays still over his pivot foot, and he can create consistent low and high dynamic balance with his knee lift.
Simultaneously, he should turn his throwing-side foot parallel and against the front of the pitcher’s rubber. This position allows the player to create good balance and direction to the plate while keeping his head motionless over his pivot foot.

Phase 2: Dynamic Balance

Once the pitcher has planted his pivot foot firmly parallel to and on the front side of the rubber, he should raise his glove-side knee and thigh to a comfortable height, all the while keeping his head over his back foot.
As he raises his knee, he should slightly flex his back knee as he turns his front knee in towards the centerline of his body to load his hips.
It is critical that he maintains his balance through the lowest and highest levels of the thigh lift.
The pitcher should allow his front foot to relax so his toe is pointed slightly towards the ground. This helps him maintain his balance.
The pitcher’s hands and front knee should be in sync to help the player maintain rhythm and tempo in his delivery. For instance, if he chooses to start his hands high in his setup, they should remain there until the knee has reached its highest point. Once the knee drops to start the lateral direction to the plate, his hands should follow. The other scenario consists of a pitcher who starts his hands low in his setup. The player should raise his hands with his front knee as if they were attached with a string. Then the knee and hands will continue to mirror each other on the way down.

Phase 3: Direction

A pitcher’s goal is to create a controlled lateral movement to the plate by leading with his front side and driving with his back side.
As his hands follow his front knee down, they should separate near his navel.
As the thumb of the gloved hand works down, forward, and up, finishing where the glove-arm elbow is pointed at the catcher, the thumb of the throwing hand works down, back, and up, finishing with the back elbow shoulder-high, with the ball pointed away from the target.
Simultaneously, the lower body creates direction by striding directly to the plate and leading with the outside of the front heel in order to keep the pitcher’s hips closed and loaded as long as possible. The stride foot will eventually rotate so the toes are pointed at the plate just before the foot lands on the ground.
The player’s eyes should be focused on the catcher’s mitt..
When a pitcher keeps his upper body and hips closed as long as possible, it creates tremendous torque or hip rotation, which equates to greater arm speed, hand speed, and ball speed.

Video: Pitching Mechanics – Phase 4 (Power Position) to Phase 5 (Release and Finish) (Winning Baseball) (6 min.)

Phase 4: Power Position

The fourth and fifth phase of a pitcher’s delivery happen in a fraction of a second. However, it is important to be able to visualize what a power position looks like.

As soon as the player’s stride foot touches the mound to create a power position, the body quickly places a large workload on the throwing shoulder and elbow.
Stride foot should also be pointed at the plate (slightly closed).
Knees and hips are flexed.
Head is centred with his feet and the chin is resting near his front shoulder.
Eyes are peering in at the catcher’s target.
Throwing arm is bent at almost a 90 degree angle.
Ball is facing behind the pitcher.
Back elbow should be shoulder high and ball hand should be above the elbow.
A right-handed pitcher will hold the ball near a ten o’clock position with his throwing hand palm facing the shortstop.
A left-handed pitcher will hold the ball near a two o’clock position with his throwing palm facing the second baseman.
Player’s front elbow and shoulder should be pointed directly at the target.

Phase 5: Release, Extension and Follow-Through

When the pitcher’s stride foot lands (foot plant), his front knee should be in a firm position in order to give the body a firm foundation to work around.
The pitcher can then deliver the pitch to the plate by accelerating the baseball from behind his body to the release point out in front of his body.
The throwing elbow will naturally transition from a bent position to extension as the player’s chin moves forward directly towards the target.
During the throw, the pitcher’s glove-side elbow should naturally transition from pointing at the target to a position beside the hip.
The pitcher’s lower body will contribute energy into the pitch by pushing off the rubber with the back leg, which creates momentum and accelerates the hips to help complete their rotation.
The pitcher should release the ball by snapping his wrist hard to create backwards rotation (a fastball).
A pitcher should visualize that his is throwing through a narrow hallway to the catcher’s glove so neither his body parts nor the ball hit the imaginary walls.
Once the ball is released, the pitcher should finish his mechanics by allowing his throwing hand to pronate (a natural motion where the hand turns counterclockwise with thumb finishing at bottom) and come to rest just outside his stride-foot knee.
The glove turns from pointing down to pointing up and facing the pitcher and then folds in and then down.
The glove-arm elbow should naturally transition from beside his glove-side hip to somewhere behind the hip so the throwing shoulder can finish pointed at the target.
During the release of the ball, the player’s back foot will drag along the mound for a short distance and then release off the ground, swing with heel to the sky, and eventually finish in front of or beside the stride foot. This process allows the hips to finish rotating and to return to a position to field the ball.
On the follow-through, the pitcher’s back should flatten out or get close to parallel to the ground.
At the finish, the pitcher should be balanced and ready to field a ball.

Stretch Delivery

Video: Stretch Delivery (Winning Baseball) (3 min.)

At the Peewee division and above, pitchers will encounter base runners who will attempt to steal bases. Therefore, a pitcher should learn how to implement stretch mechanics. Because many players attempt to simplify the pitching process when they first begin pitching at younger ages, this is not usually a difficult adjustment. However, learning to effectively hold base runners is another problem that must be addressed successfully. Contrary to popular belief, base runners actually steal off the pitcher rather than the catcher. Therefore, a pitcher must learn to give his catcher a chance to throw out base stealing attempts by varying his looks and moves to a base and working quickly to the plate. Most pitchers choose to implement some type of low balance stretch delivery to still benefit from their hip load without sacrificing the time needed to use a high balance delivery.

Phase 1: Set Position

The pitcher initially creates a good athletic position by placing his back foot parallel to and against the pitcher’s rubber on his preferred side.
Front foot should be slightly farther than shoulder width from his back foot and his front shoulder.
Side of front knee and front foot should be aligned directly to the point of home plate.
From this initial position, the player’s hands can be relaxed at his side, with the ball preferably in his throwing hand, or the player can lean slightly forward, resting the glove against his front thigh.
He should alternately glance at the catcher giving signs and the base runner establishing his lead.
In order to transition to his “set position,” the pitcher simply adjusts his front foot closer to his back foot while simultaneously bringing both hands together somewhere between his chin and his waist.
He should pause in this position for a split second while continuing to look at the catcher’s target and the runner on base until deciding to start his delivery.

Phase 2: Low Balance Load

To create a balance point from his stretch position, the pitcher should raise his front knee to a comfortable position somewhere around the middle of his thigh.
As with his the windup delivery, the player’s front knee should turn slightly towards the centre of his body. This simple action closes and loads his hips, providing additional torque and power.
To sync the tempo between his lower body and upper body, the pitcher’s hands should mirror action of the front knee either during the knee lift and/or the descent. For example, if the pitcher’s hands start low in their set position, they should come up as the knee rises and go down when the knee descends. Conversely, if the pitcher prefers his hands high in his set position, he should keep them still on the knee lift and then drop them when the knee falls.
During the lift and descent of the front knee, the ankle should remain relaxed and close to the back knee.
Pitcher’s head should be aligned with his navel.
The pitcher is now in a loaded position, balanced over his back foot.

Pitching Types

Until the pitcher is at least fifteen years old, he should learn to command two types of pitches: a fastball and a changeup. They will be doing themselves a big favour if they can throw both of these pitches for a strike, in most any count to the batter, by the time they enter high school. This way they have a foundation of the two primary pitches needed to compete and win.

Once they are fifteen or older, they should work to implement a breaking pitch by learning to throw a curveball or slider.

It is critical that they also continue to polish their fastball and changeup by learning to command them in and out of the strike zone. When a high school pitcher attempts to throw more than three pitches, his primary pitches tend to lose effectiveness, and the pitches all start to look similar to the batter.

A curveball should not be thrown as a primary pitch until a pitcher is at least fifteen or sixteen years old, and it is recommended that a slider not be thrown as a primary pitch until a player is at least seventeen years of age. By this age, a player should be physically strong enough and possess the correct mechanics to throw fastballs (two-seam and four-seam), changeups, and some type of breaking pitch. The key is that players must be able to command their pitches for a strike in the game; otherwise, they are generally useless pitches.

Keep in mind that there is more than one way to grip a baseball when throwing a pitch. Therefore, players should first be introduced to the basic grips of each primary pitch. Once they have a good feel for the delivery and location of a particular pitch, they can be shown other possible grip options to create more movement on the ball. At that point, they can spend time tweaking their grips and finger placement to determine what works best for them.

Video: Fastball and Changeup (Winning Baseball) (4 mins.)

Four-Seam Fastball

The first pitch that must be mastered is the four-seam fastball.
This is usually the easiest pitch to throw for a strike.
If released properly, four laces of the ball rotate through the air, helping to keep the throw in line with the target.
Pitchers should hold the baseball with their pointer and middle finger on the top laces or seams of the baseball. The pads of the fingers rest across the seams.
The thumb should be underneath the ball, approximately splitting the distance of the top two fingers.
The ring finger and pinky finger rest on the side of the ball to give it balance.

Two-Seam Fastball

After a pitcher can command the four-seam fastball for a strike, it is time to introduce him to a two-seam fastball.
Will create some movement to help deceive the hitter.
The main variation from the four-seam fastball is how the laces or seams of the ball are positioned in the fingers.
When a two-seam fastball is properly released, the ball cuts through the air, moving naturally from right to left or left to right.
Some pitchers have trouble controlling this for a strike because the ball can start off in the strike zone and drift out by the time it reaches the plate.
Additional movement can be created with a two-seam fastball by holding the ball slightly off center, adjusting thumb placement, or holding the ball next to the seams instead of placing the pads of the fingers directly on the seams.

Circle or OK Changeup

A changeup is meant to deceive the hitter by appearing to be a fastball on release. However, it is just 8 to 12 miles per hour slower.
The fastball action of the pitcher’s delivery will convince the hitter he is seeing a fastball; however, by the time he realizes it is a changeup, he will either swing early and miss, or the batter will hit the ball softly to the defense.
For a circle changeup grip, the ball is held deeper in the hand or the palm than a fastball.
The index finger slides off to the thumb side of the ball, and the pinky raises up on the opposite side of the ball.
The changeup is a feel (touch) pitch, and it can be difficult for some players to throw a consistent strike using this grip.
Don’t try to over pronate the hand. Let the grip and the natural pronation of the hand (where thumb turns down) take care of the pitch.

“C” Changeup: Variation of a Circle Changeup

The “C” changeup can be a good option for players who have smaller hands or have trouble with their feel for the circle changeup.
To create the grip for a “C” changeup, a pitcher should attempt to hold the baseball like a football, where all four fingers line up opposite the thumb to make the letter “C.”
To add movement, the ball can be gripped off-centre (where a portion of the ball protrudes out of the side of the hand between the thumb and index finger).
This pitch is simply delivered with a four-seam or two-seam grip like the pitcher would throw his fastball.
As the player’s hands grow or he gains more comfort with the feel of the pitch, he can gradually slide his index finger off the ball to the thumb side, and lift the pinky to create his circle change.

Video: Curveball and Slider (Winning Baseball) (6 mins.)

Curveball (16+ Years Old)

If the curveball is thrown incorrectly, it can put a lot of stress on the elbow and shoulder. Therefore, this pitch should not be thrown until a player is sixteen years old.
The curveball is an off-speed pitch that breaks more from top to bottom (i.e., from 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock); thus, it changes visual planes (from high to low) to the batter.
The pitch is gripped by holding the ball off-centre with the index finger and middle finger side by side. The fingers rest beside the seam that creates the horseshoe, and the thumb rests on the opposite seam on the bottom of the ball.
The curveball is initially thrown like a fastball until the hand gripping the ball gets beside the pitcher’s head, where his fingers will move to the outside of the ball.
At that point, the pitcher will attempt to slice the batter in half with his pointer and middle fingers, and then continue down in front of his body and finish by simulating stabbing himself in the thigh of his landing leg (or pulling down the cord of a window shade).
This creates the top spin that will pull the ball down as it travels to the plate.

Slider (16+ Years Old)

The slider puts extra stress on the pitcher’s elbow and should not be thrown until a pitcher is sixteen years old.
The slider is thrown with fastball velocity but has late-breaking diagonal tilt (i.e., from 2 o’clock to 7 o’clock or 3 o’clock to 8 o’clock); thus, it fools the hitter by possessing fastball speed but also changing visual planes.
The slider is gripped similarly to the curveball but held against the seams where the horseshoe comes back close together, and is released in a manner that will create tight spin (many rotations in a short period of time).
The slider is thrown like a fastball until the ball gets close to the release point.
To create the tight spin of a slider, the pitcher will replace his thumb with the big knuckles of his index finger and middle finger. This wrist action maintains most of the pitch velocity and gives it the desired late-breaking tilting action to make hitters swing and miss.

Drills

Pitching Drills

Specific Ideas to Reinforce Pitching Grips

Throwing Drills

Encourage pitchers to alternate a four-seam grip, two-seam grip, and changeup grip when executing throwing drills or playing catch.

Pitching Drills

Suggest that pitchers implement a four-seam grip, two-seam grip, changeup grip, and curveball grip when executing specific pitching drills.

Throwing Long

Encourage pitchers to alternate using a changeup grip with fastball grips when throwing long. This helps players maintain good arm speed with the grip, which is essential to throwing a good changeup.

Guessing Game

Pitchers should vary their grips when throwing with a coach, teammate, or catcher. The receiver of the pitch should try to correctly identify the grip used for every throw. The goal of the pitcher is to make it difficult for the person to identify the grip based on the release of the ball. The difference in ball speed and/or movement should be how the partner determines the grip or type of pitch.

Kneeling Curveball Practice

Pitchers should get into a kneeling position with their front knee up and their back knee on the ground. The front foot should be pointed to their partner but slightly closed (ten degrees of less). The player’s front shoulder should be pointed at their partner with his hands together at the position they separate in his delivery (by the navel). The goal of the pitcher is to create consistent upper body positioning and arm action to allow for proper rotation of the ball. This includes fastball action of the throwing hand until the ball gets beside the pitcher’s head. The pitcher should then attempt to slice the batter in half with his pointer and middle fingers, continuing down to simulate stabbing himself in the thigh of his landing leg. However, since he is in a kneeling position, the hand will finish beside his glove-side ankle. This same drill can be done standing. However, it is best performed from a “post-stride” position. Therefore, the pitcher must take his stride prior to completing the action of the upper body, as he did from the kneeling position.