Pitching and Pitchers Discussion How do you teach pitchers to hit spots?

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I sit down on bucket in the yard. Hold my glove up for the target. If she misses target its a long walk to pick up the ball!

Good stuff. :lmao:

 

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Good stuff. :lmao:

LOL,that is good stuff.:lmao:

 

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Hi there, I?m new to the forum but old to softball and coaching pitchers. I really like the answers I hear. And it all revolves around mechanics even bad mechanics. Even with good mechanics however the pitchers inherent or age related coordination is a variable that has to be figured into the mix.

You can become really good at doing it wrong, however the correct mechanics will set you apart with all other attributes of two pitchers being equal. Certain bad mechanics will also limit your ability to throw other pitches.

Through repetition (practice) a pitcher develops coordination in the series of movements throughout the pitching motion, good or bad. When those movements become consistent in their pattern there will be a consistency in where the ball goes (not necessarily a strike). With that consistency you can then adjust for a given day, field, or conditions.

This is getting long so I will put some drills in another reply.

 

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Hi there, I?m new to the forum but old to softball and coaching pitchers. I really like the answers I hear. And it all revolves around mechanics even bad mechanics. Even with good mechanics however the pitchers inherent or age related coordination is a variable that has to be figured into the mix.

You can become really good at doing it wrong, however the correct mechanics will set you apart with all other attributes of two pitchers being equal. Certain bad mechanics will also limit your ability to throw other pitches.

Through repetition (practice) a pitcher develops coordination in the series of movements throughout the pitching motion, good or bad. When those movements become consistent in their pattern there will be a consistency in where the ball goes (not necessarily a strike). With that consistency you can then adjust for a given day, field, or conditions.

This is getting long so I will put some drills in another reply.

Nice post. We welcome your experience.

 

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We do some fun drills because like Canadas Dave Pierce says Practice develops accuracy. However you have to practice being accurate.

I give my beginners a lot of slack when they start because in trying to be accurate their form goes to pot when they aim. In the learning process the order of progression is
1. Form (form automatically produces speed)
2. Speed
3. Accuracy.

When they are pitching in a game the order of importance changes.
4. Accuracy
5. Ball movement
6. Speed.

You can find a string target on my web site that is made out of elastic band. Advanced pitchers try to hit the corners, beginners try to throw a strike.

Put a ball on a Tee. Have pitchers compete with each other. After they hit the ball off of the Tee progressively use smaller balls.

Play a game of PIG with the catcher calling the pitch and location. The pitch is good when the catcher doesn?t have to move their glove.

Try to get 4 out of 10 (for an average pitcher) to the catchers target where the catcher doesn?t have to move their glove.

Necessity is the mother of invention. Pitch to a wall and hit a spot on that wall. Pitch at a can, throw a rock to a stick floating on a lake or going down a river. Pitch a rock at a tree.

I have plans on my site to make an 8 X 12 pitch back. Put a target on in.

 

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John,

I have not seen one of your post in awhile but I am not on the web that much now. Too busy. Welcome to the forum. Lots of good people here that are willing to learn. John is very well known on the west coast and on several national forums for softball.

He is a very knowledgable pitching instructor.

Elliott.

 

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John, good to have you here, I remember reading your posts on the old fastpitch forum.
Thanks for stopping by, FR

 

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steer with your feet.


crosley

And what happens to the pitchers hips when you step to the target? You mess with the dynamics of the hip turn.

 

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And what happens to the pitchers hips when you step to the target? You mess with the dynamics of the hip turn.

Nah.....you just push off and stride to the target. The mechanics and dynamics remain constant. If you step in the exact same place regardless of target location, then you are messing with mechanics and dynamics.

Len

 

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Lots of good posts on here already. I totally agree with a striding right or left of the imaginary power line to throw inside and outside and release point for high and low. A drill I like to use is this. I've always told pitchers that their focus has to be on something as big as a quarter in the catcher's mitt. In order to help with this I bought some flourescent orange, round, quarter sized stickers to place in the catchers mitt. This is to help the pitcher increase focus on the target and seems to speed up the idea of the amount of concentration needed.

 

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make sure pitching mechanics are sound. Repetition is also a good way to help with consistency. Ask your catcher to practice with your pitcher and have her pitch to the different corners of the strike zone. Sometimes have players to stand as batters. Ask batters to watch pitched balls and call the pitches. This as well will help batters track the ball.

softball pitching

 

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practice, practice and practice and then more practice...

 

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Did he say practice!!!

 

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I'm a pitcher and what helps me the most is, when I do my spins, I go inside and outside and down the middle for all of the pitches that I have. When I am in a game situation, and I'm trying to hit spots, it usually helps when I visualize the spot in mid-air and look at other things that are behind the spot that I have spotted in mid-air.

 

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Ditto with johnnies comments. Once my DD got her pitches under control, then moved it inside/outside pitches and recently increased to hitting the 4 corners of the strike zone.

 

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We never just throw the ball, always trying to pitch to a spot, including drills. I don't like to give a glove target so that she is able to learn to see the spot without help.

 

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Wow, this thing took a life of its own. Been gone a while from here too.

I dont teach my pitchers to throw to the glove. I teach them to throw at spots on the catcher during lessons. The rise would be thrown at the top of the catchers face mask. The curve and screw just below the knee on the guards. Same with the fastball. The drops land on the toes as well as the change ups.

During practice I dont let the catcher move. For the most part if you look at where the catchers knees are positioned they are in line or close to the corners of the plate. So if you pitch to the knees and feet your close to the corners.

If you throw the ball down the middle of the plate its a mistake. Period. You do have to teach young pitchers to throw there early on but once they start developing some consistency in mechanics I teach them to throw at the catcher. Not the glove. Young catchers always position the glove right down the middle of the plate.

Dana

 

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Learning control is achieved by training your brain to remember correct release point and coordination of the body. The best way to do this is to do a movement repeatedly until it becomes a natural movement.

I know you said opinions but here's a drill you can do

Softball drill

 

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Lia,

You may be aware of this but I would check out the Perfect Circle training device for development of arm circle and release point for pitchers.

I use it often on my pitchers.

Dana

 

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Reps Reps Reps!!!