Pitching 101: Walking you Through the Art of Pitching
September 12, 2014
Dan Cevette
Director, New York
I get asked a lot of questions about baseball, mainly about Pitching. I was a Professional Baseball Pitcher for 11 years in three different MLB Organizations where I was able to fill my knowledge bank on pitching from some impressive instructors. John Farrell, Scott Radinsky, Charles Nagy, and Steve Belcher just to name a few, and I have also picked the brain of Giants Gold Glove Catcher Kurt Manwaring (1992) a time or two. It's the heart and soul of the game, let's get to it.
Pitching 101, Throwing Harder: Keys Every Pitcher Should Try
Want to throw the baseball harder? Tried all the gimmicks? Here's a few things I have done that have helped in the past. Give them a try.
* Increase Overall Body Strength - Adding total body strength will increase your fastball velocity normally 1-2 mph. (Remember to stretch before and after workouts) (Don't have weights or time for a gym? 150 push ups a day will help)
* Reverse Bench Press - This helps build your back up stronger, allowing your arm to work faster
*Reverse Throws - 1-2 lb palates ball (Look up reverse baseball throws on You Tube)
*Throwing Program - Try 1 set of 25 throws with a 6 oz ball. 25 throws with a 5 oz ball and 15 throws with a 3 oz ball. 4 times a week for a month
*Hip and Back Flexibility - Stretching your hips and back out daily can add up to 1-2 mph because of the increased torque from the added flexibility.
*Longer Stride - Try and maximize your stride length, not only will you release the ball closer to home plate, but the longer stride will generate some extra hip and shoulder torque needed for increased velocity.
* Crush your forearms - More Spin equates to more speed on your 4 seam, Forearm and Grip strength will take you to new levels you never knew you had
Hope some of these help, Until next time, keep working hard because there's always someone working harder!
Pitching 101, Controlling the Running Game
In game pitching responsibility should be broken down into three sections. Attacking hitter, covering and fielding your position, controlling the running game. If you do all three of those things well then you will find success more ofter then not during your outings. Some may argue that "Damage Control" or stopping the "Big Inning" should be mixed in, but in mind they already are. If you attack hitters with confidence you will most likely eliminate walks. If you cover bases and field your position well the small things that can really hurt will be minimized. (example: Bunt singles, not backing up 3rd and ball gets past the bag...) And if you control the running game you can keep runners in check, and out of scoring position.
How to Control the Running Game Effectively
- Hold the ball - Varying times will disrupt the runner and the batter.
- Change your looks - Switching up different head looks will keep the runner honest, no patterns.
- Throw over - Throwing over will show the runner your not afraid to come after him.
- Be aware of running counts - It's much easier to run on an off speed pitch vs. a fastball.
- The slide step - *Note* the slide step, in my opinion, is a more advanced move. If your mechanics are not sound the slide step can really mess with control and feel.
- Attack hitters - The more you go at the batter the better off you will be, less walks eliminating as much on base traffic.
- Know the guys that can run - Be aware of the type of player on the bases. We never want to lose focus on the batter, at the end of the day getting outs in your No. 1 priority.
Controlling Your Emotions
Pitching is an emotional roller coaster, plenty of ups and downs surface during each season, each game and even each batter you face. If you have pitched long enough, and at a high enough level you can certainly relate to the challenges this can create. Lets go over some helpful pointers that might be of some assistance when your emotions start getting the best of you.
Mind In the Moment
You have heard me say this before, and I will continue saying this, if you are serious about becoming the best all around pitcher possible you must find a way to keep your mind in the moment. This game is extremely hard to play, so if you let it speed up and become fast in your mind, the score will be 6-0 before you even have the chance to blink. That last pitch, 375 foot monster bomb doesn't matter anymore, as a pitcher we need to focus and execute the next pitch. That perfectly located fastball at the knees for strike three that was just called a ball, so what, get the ball back and execute another pitch.
I used to let the small things cloud up my careers big picture, my past outings would now effect current ones. Walks would lead to even more walks. Bad body Language would lead to mound visits, and hitters were licking their chops for a chance to square up against me. This was all part of the roller coaster free fall. I remember one day in the summer of 2004 it all just clicked, the only thing that mattered to me was the current task at hand. My training and preparation became razor sharp, my routines unvarying and my outings were more efficient. In 45 innings I had over 50 strike outs, an ERA of 1.45 and the best stat of them all only five walks. I pitched with my mind on the batter, on the current pitch, and I found success.
*Focus on executing the next pitch
*Slow your breathing down
*Try and ride a middle wave, not too high and not too low
*Step off the mound, regroup, attack with conviction
*It's just a game - Baseball is not life or death, relax and enjoy it
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