“I make my weaknesses my strengths and my stengths stronger.””
This week’s drill utilizes the downward angle of an indoor baseball mound to create momentum in the pitcher’s approach during the walk-through drill. We have also set an elastic extension guide to help the pitcher focus on the forward move and drive.
It’s incredibly important for young pitchers to learn to keep their glove hand within the frame of the body in order to maintain posture and balance throughout the pitching motion. A pitcher is most powerful when they can use both sides of the body in an aggressive forward move and continue that momentum through to the finish. This drill attaches a resistance band to the glove-side hand and foot to help pitchers feel if they are striding or reaching off line throughout their forward move and extension.
Underload and overload training increases leg drive and power through the windmill motion. There are multiple ways to achieve under load and overload depending on the pitcher’s age, strength, and mechanical efficiency. A pitcher should have an intermediate understanding of mechanics before attempting any underload or overload drills. The video shown below uses resistance bands on a training harness to add resistance through the forward move, extension, and finish.
One band - Center of back - Focus on forward move and extension.
Two Bands - one center of back (forward move & extension) - one on drive side hip (hip closure & finish).
Our pitchers are working on their spots and spins this week. Their specific focus is to expand or alter the break zone of each pitch depending on whether the batter is set up in the front of the box, middle of the box, or back of the box. The ability to break your pitches to be effective in all three of these zones is incredibly important in terms of your effectiveness on the mound against different types of batters.
This week our focus during lessons has been on conditioning within the pitching motion. As pitchers it is important that we work toward a high level of physical strength and conditioning in order to play our best and serve our team.
A pitcher should work daily to condition herself within her pitching motion in order to strengthen muscles specific to softball. Drills that we have practiced this week, such as working with the heavy ball, long throws, gassers, fielding intervals, push-up explosions, and double/triple arm circles, are a great way to condition in season and out.
Elite pitchers also condition themselves off the mound through cardio and weight training. Visit the "At the Gym" Section of this website under Drills and Skills by clicking the image below to learn more about customized gym routines. (Mix and match routines from day to day to help you stay focused and have fun during your workout).
A pitcher who has worked on her physical conditioning will not get tired as easily during competition. This will help her stay mentally focused and allow her to remain intense for the duration of the game.
Good luck with your workouts this week!
Coach Claire
During our lessons this week we have been focusing on cultivating powerful pitching motions. A pitcher is most powerful when she has solid mechanics and is able to stay on the power line throughout her motion.
As pitchers, when we think about power, we should try not to think about being super "strong" or pushing as "hard" as we can, tightening up our muscles and harboring tension, but we should think about keeping our muscles as loose and long as possible. A powerful pitching motion is quick and relaxed. By keeping all of our muscles long and loose we will be able to move much more quickly while retaining our mechanics; more speed and more spin will result.
As you practice this week remember: Tight is slow, loose is fast.
Good luck,
Coach Claire
This week we have been talking about staying mentally focused and keeping our minds active during each pitch cycle. As we practice it is important to stay present and aware of the situation at hand. We should only focus on one pitch at a time. When a pitcher can get into a consistent mental rhythm on the mound she will feel more relaxed and confident.
In our lesson we simplified our pitching routine into 3 main phases. Relaxation, before each pitch; delivery of the pitch itself, and assessment of performance between each pitch. Relaxing our muscles and our mind before we begin is incredibly important. The longer and looser our muscles are, the harder we can throw. If our minds are relaxed and confident we will be able to focus all our attention on the task at hand. As we deliver each pitch we are completely focused on that specific pitch and are attempting to throw that pitch with perfection. (As pitchers we want to be the good kind of perfectionists. Not frustrated, tight, and nervous about failure; but pitchers who are aware of themselves and pursue excellence with every pitch). Assessing what occurred during the delivery phase is extremely important. By paying attention to how our body felt, the location of the pitch, and its spin we are able to accurately asses our performance and adjust our mechanics as necessary.
Take these skills into your practice sessions as well as your games this week! Stay mentally present in each moment.
Work Hard!
Coach Claire
Being mentally tough as a pitcher is incredibly important. A pitcher who can control her mind and focus in any situation will be a successful pitcher. Mentally tough athletes are those that learn to focus all their attention on the task at hand and refuse to let anything come between them and their goal. They do not allow themselves to be distracted or get frustrated in a negative way. They use their desire to succeed to push themselves to their limits each time they practice. They are eager to practice and set themselves up for success by visualizing each pitch and mentally preparing for games and practice sessions. Their focus is always at 100% keeping their goals in mind on and off the field. Being mentally focused is not easy. It must be practiced relentlessly - just like the more mechanical pitching skills - if you want to become calm and confident on the mound.
Coach Claire
Hi Everyone,
This week our focus has been on visualization and mental focus throughout the pitching routine. Being mentally focused is one of the most important aspects of being a successful pitcher regardless of age or experience. Just like practicing physical skills, mental focus must be practiced and performed each time a pitcher steps on to the mound. Practice sessions are just as important as game situations. A pitcher who gets into the habit of having a calm and intense focus on the mound will be more confident in herself and can calmly lead her team by example.
Practice: Before Practice sessions or games take a moment to visualize your pre-game/warm-up routine. See yourself performing each drill or pitch with perfect mechanics throwing as hard as you can.
*Hint: This is not an easy thing to do. It takes many hours of practice. Don't give up! The benefits are enormous! Keep your mental focus sessions short and concentrated. You can do these almost anywhere as long as you are in a space where you can focus your entire mind on the task at hand.
Good Luck,
Coach Claire
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