4 Reasons Why Arm Injuries Have Increased in Youth Pitchers

ByNathan E Gotch

As some may or may not know, arm injuries in youth pitchers has become an epidemic in the last few years. Some of these arm injuries are so extreme that many of these young baseball pitchers may never get the opportunity to pitch at the high school or college level.

There are several reasons why these young pitchers are suffering arm injuries. I'm going to explain five different reasons why youth pitchers are most likely developing arm injuries.

1. Improper and Ineffective Warm-Ups

This is an issue at all the competitive levels of baseball, but especially prevalent at the youth level. You have probably seen it. A young pitcher will go out to the foul line, do a couple arm circles, and then immediately start throwing.
Baseball pitchers must focus on developing a complete warm-up routine that consists of dynamic, not static stretching. Static stretching does not properly prepare the muscles and joints for strenuous activity.

Throwing a baseball is one of the most strenuous activities in any sport, so it is important that pitcher utilize dynamic stretching before any type of throwing routine. Most importantly, focus on warming up the entire body including the legs, core, and then eventually the rotator cuff and forearm.
Properly throwing a baseball requires a full body kinetic chain of energy, and this is why your entire body must be prepared.

2. Way Too Much Throwing

How many times have you seen an entire baseball team "warming up" their arms on the foul line for what seems to be almost an eternity? This is only the first problem. The biggest issue is that youth pitchers are pitching on three to four days rest after throwing 80-100 pitches in their previous appearance.

This type of irresponsible coaching is largely responsible for the increase in future arm injures due to overuse.

3. No Post-Game or Recovery Routine

Along with ineffective warm-ups, youth pitchers also disregard any type of post-throwing recovery. A pitcher's recovery period usually consists of full body static stretching, especially in the rotator cuff. This is a necessary component of any pitchers routine because it increase the blood flow to the muscles, and allows for quicker recovery between throwing sessions.

Unfortunately, most youth pitchers will not take the time and coaches will not enforce this post-game stretching regime.

4. Inefficient Mechanics

Proper pitching mechanics are essential for prevent arm injury, and for increasing velocity. However, in most instances, youth pitchers have very inefficient mechanics that rely heavily on the throwing arm. These pitchers simply have not learned how to utilize their entire body to deliver a baseball.

For more reasons why these injuries occur to youth pitchers, I recommend you read how to prevent arm injuries in youth pitchers.
 

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Sports Psychology And Baseball: How To Be A Mentally Tough Pitcher

ByJay P. Granat, Ph.D.

This year's baseball playoffs and the World Series are approaching rapidly. As always, pitching will play a key role in determining which teams will do well in post season play.

Pitchers who can perform well at this crucial time of the year require a special kind of physical toughness and mental toughness.

Where physical toughness is concerned, pitchers who play well at the end of the year need to have energy and strength to continue to pitch well after spring training and after a one hundred and sixty two game regular season schedule.

Where mental toughness is concerned, the best pitchers know how to remain relaxed, confident and focused when the pitch in these tense, post season games. They benefit from having control over their range of pitches. They also benefit from being able to get ahead of hitters and from knowing hitters strengths and weaknesses. Previous playoff experience also seems to help pitchers to adjust to the special kind of pressure that is a part of championship baseball.

But, how do pitchers develop mental toughness?

Some pitchers use traditional sport psychology techniques like relaxation training, meditation, self-hypnosis, visualization, guided imagery and pre-pitch routines in order to perform to their fullest potential on the mound. I teach these kinds of techniques to pitchers all the time.

A recent study by my colleague, Anthony Cinelli at Boston University, sheds some interesting insight into how pitchers develop mental toughness.

Mr. Cinelli, who pitched in college and who has studied the psychology of pitching, approached me several months ago because he wanted to collaborate with me on some research about mental toughness, choking and staying in the zone.

We decided to interview pitchers about these issues.

Interestingly, ten of the nineteen college pitchers who were interviewed, stated that their father played an essential role in their development of mental toughness. That is,
fifty two percent of these pitchers attributed the early learning of mental toughness to contact with and coaching from their dads.

Many young baseball players are first introduced to this sport by their fathers. So, their dad t is often their first coach. Therefore, fathers often play a crucial role in how an a pitcher develops physically and mentally.

Some of the pitchers interviewed also attributed the learning of mental toughness was function of watching their fathers behavior in their careers and in their businesses.

Apparently, the young pitchers started to model some of the behaviors, attitudes and actions that were demonstrated by their fathers in the world of work. In short, they took what they observed their dad's doing in their lives and brought some of these attitudes and behaviors to the baseball field.
Others pitchers stated that fathers taught them valuable lessons about being accountable, taking responsibility and learning to accept good and bad performances.

While this study has a small sample, it does seem to reinforce the importance that early learning, relationships between parents and kids and early coaching can have on the development of mental toughness among pitchers.
 

Jay P. Granat, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist and the founder of http://www.stayinthezone.com. Dr. Granat has appeared in major media outlets including Good Morning America, The New York, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The BBC, The CBC, Sports Illustrated, Tennis View Magazine, ESPN and The Chicago Tribune, Golf Digest named him one of America's Top Mental Gurus. He has created many self help programs for athletes, parents of athletes and coaches including 101 Ways To Break A Hitting Slump, How To Get Mentally Tough, Avoid Choking And Stay In The Zone, How To Get Into The Zone With Sport Psychology And Self-Hypnois and Bedtime Stories For Young Athletes. He can be reached at 888 580-Zone or at info@stayinthezone.com
 

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What You Should Know About Pitching Grips

ByNathan E Gotch

Each and every pitcher has to understand pitching grips so one can enjoy unparalleled achievements. An extensive feel for pitch grips is the only path to be undeniably prosperous at the higher levels of competition. In a number of conditions, high school players will throw three separate pitches including a fastball, changeup, or curve ball.

Even the best highschool pitchers are only able to throw 1 or 2 pitches with regularity. College or university pitchers are more advanced than highschool pitchers because of their capacity to throw many pitches with reliability. The most effective strategy for highschool pitchers is to study the pitching grips of university players.

College baseball pitchers will normally throw three or more pitches routinely for strikes. Due to this, college or university pitchers are highly effective and substantially more hard to hit. As soon as baseball pitchers are capable to control their pitches, they will often start to see boosts in their strikeouts, ground balls, flyouts, and in addition complete confidence level against the opposing batters. It's vital that you understand while very young, that the fastball is the most effective pitching grip in baseball.

All developing pitcher ought to work on his fastball before moving onto some other pitch grip. Working on the fastball is crucial for acquiring arm strength. For developing players, place emphasis on your fastball, and then in time make an effort to approach a quality changeup. The two-seam, cutter, and 4 seam are different versions of the fastball. A cutter will move similar to a slider, there is however virtually no wrist action. A cutter cuts far away from a right-handed batter, and into a left-handed batter.

A two seam fastball is the exact opposite of a cutter. A two seam is gripped with your index and middle fingers on top of the seams. You are going to throw this pitching grip with whole arm acceleration and yet applying force with the index finger. This will likely force the ball to tail into a right-handed batter. Start focusing on the changeup when you have figured out your fastball. Pitch the changeup frequently and over and over again to improve reliability.

Another approach will be to throw long toss with the changeup because it will help you to acquire fastball arm velocity any time you throw it. You have got the choice of using a number of different changeup grips including the palmball, vulcan, or even circle change. As soon as you have built regularity with both of the fastball and changeup, then you can definitely begin working on some kind of breaking grip along the lines of a curveball or even slider.

Sliders and curveballs are excellent for striking batters out, but will help to make your various other pitches more efficient. The most effective baseball pitchers in the MLB can regularly throwing at least several various pitches. If deciding on a curveball or even slider, it is best to develop your choice based upon your arm slot. A curveball is probably more effective for a higher arm slot pitcher, although a slider can be more effective for a 3/4 pitcher.

I hope this was useful and keep up the good work.
 

Want more pitching grips advice? Be sure to visit this page: http://www.theulitmatepitcher.com/pitching-grips-complete-guide/
 

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How to Increase Your Pitching Velocity

ByNathan E Gotch

The techniques in this article are meant for athletes who are old enough to begin a weight training program.  Use caution please.

There is no doubt that every pitcher wants to increase their pitching velocity. Velocity is essential to your success, and it will give you the confidence you need to succeed at the higher levels of competition.

The thing is, if it were easy, then everyone would be doing it! Increasing your velo takes dedication and hard work. Day-in and day-out. But besides hard work, you must also be guided in the right direction.

So how do you actually increase your velocity? Increasing velocity is the result of many training techniques combined together. These are efficient pitching mechanics, a proper strength training regime, effective conditioning, and excellent arm health.

There is no single factor alone that is going to give you the velocity gains you're looking for. Let's start with pitching mechanics, since it is the most important.

The majority of your velocity potential is a direct result of your ability to produce effective mechanics. Effective mechanics can be defined as a pitchers ability to utilize their body as a single unit.

The keys to increasing your velocity through mechanics is through avoiding the traditional balance point, focusing on back leg drive, generating stride length, having adequate stride length, hip to shoulder separation, and external rotation. These are only a few of the factors, but are predominately the reasons why some pitchers are able to generate more velocity than others. Work on these aspects.
The second most important element is pitcher-specific strength training. A proper training regime is essential to velocity and preventing injury. Every pitcher must avoid exercises that are potentially dangerous for the rotator cuff including barbell bench press or military press.

Focus on developing the lower half of the body, but at the same time, you must continue to promote muscular balance. You should focus on compound exercises such as deadlifts, squats, and dumbbell bench press. These exercises target multiple muscles with a single movement, and most importantly, train your core.

After strength training, you must understand how to condition your body. It's simple. Pitching is EXPLOSIVE, and therefore you should train to be explosive. That means you should only utilize anaerobic exercises, as opposed aerobic. These include sprints, plyos, agilitys, and bodyweight exercises.

The last important element to increasing velocity is through proper arm health. You must train your rotator cuff muscles through lightweight exercises (2.5-5 pounds) about 2-3 times per week.
As you can see, increasing your velocity isn't an easy task. It's going to take hard work, and most importantly, it's going to take TIME. Don't give up!
 

Want more pitching instruction? Then I highly recommend you visit The Ultimate Pitcher: http://www.theulitmatepitcher.com/
 

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Great Throw for Young Pitchers

By Ian McIntyre

When cultivating your skills as a pitcher, it's great to build a repertoire of simple pitches that promote skills and can lead to more advanced throws. The following are three basic throws that will help you find rhythm as a pitcher and promote good technique for future instruction.

Pitching is considered one of the most difficult activities in sport. There is a reason that a strong, shut-out capable pitcher makes big dollars, and that's because the talent and dedication that goes into being a strong pitcher is only matched by how dominant those skills are on the mound. Think about it this way, if a pitcher is truly capable, and given the right circumstances, they could in fact defeat another team on their own, entirely.

Before no-hitter dreams, however, the basics must be grasped. While the raw talent and drive to practice cannot be taught, a young pitcher can learn the tools to succeed. Such as, the basic pitches that can be molded into a particular style and open the way for the more advanced pitches. Able to be practiced in a wide field or at your local batting cages, these are some of the grip mechanics for our favorite basic pitches.

Fastball

The fastball is the bread and butter of a young pitcher. Master the most basic of throws in order to upgrade to the more technical or uncomfortable grips. A basic, 4 seam fastball begins with crossing your index and middle fingers perpendicular across the seams of the ball that form a horseshoe. Place your thumb beneath the ball on the leather in the middle of the second "horseshoe." Make sure that there is space between your hand and the ball, and keep your grip on the ball slightly loose. Friction holds a pitch's speed back and makes the ball leave your hand slower, keep loose to make sure that ball flies as fast as possible.

3 Finger Changeup

The change up is the classic off-speed pitch for throwing a batter off their game. A seasoned batter could read the changeup as a time to swing for the fences, but a young batter will bite at just about anything and a changeup is a great way to get them frustrated and swinging. Lay three fingers perpendicular on the stitches as you did with the fastball above. Touch your thumb to your pinky underneath the ball and hold the ball deep into your hand. The more contact with the ball, the slower the pitch. Throw with all the same fastball mechanics, the differences in grip and pressure on the ball with crank down the speed and catch the batter off guard.

Basic Curveball

The basic curveball is a stellar throw for getting a young pitcher comfortable with more advanced techniques. Line your top two fingers on the seams, and your thumb on the top/back seam. Then, remove your index finger so that you're gripping with your thumb and middle finger. Use your index finger to guide as you finish the throw; otherwise, simply rotate your thumb upward and snap your middle finger downward as you throw. The curve should be basic, but effective. Wean yourself off this pitch as you get into college ball though, a batter worth his salt can see the lifted finger on delivery a mile away.

Practice!

Throw at least twenty of these pitches a day. If you need space or training partners, head to you local fun center and hang around the batting cages. There's going to be a batter training there who will be willing to square off against a real pitcher. Also you could rent out a batting cage for pitch training, as well as batting. The right setting or opposition will make your practice that much more fruitful.

If you are looking for a Fun center with a batting cage near you in the Bakersfield, CA area, stop by Camelot Park today. You can also visit their website at http://camelotparkbakersfield.com.
Come to Camelot Park in Bakersfield, CA & see all of the rides & attractions. they have go karts, mini golf, batting cages, arcade games & much more!
 

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3 Steps for Proper Pitching Mechanics

ByShingo Mitsumori

How many of you have heard pitching coaches yell out "find your balance point, just throw strikes, finish off square to the plate, rare back and fire, throw hard now", etc... ? I had coaches like that too growing up and guess what... They don't know what they are talking about.

Throwing, just like any other complex movement, requires many moving parts to flow in the correct sequence. When executed correctly, it should create a single effortless motion. Just throwing the ball is too general; we must be able to throw the ball on a downward plane with the most velocity as possible while putting the least amount of stress on the weaker links (UCL/Rotor-cuff) within the kinetic chain which is throwing.

First, let's split the human body up into 3 main components of power generation. Starting from the ground up, first we have the lower body composed of feet, ankle joints, lower legs (tibia, fibula), knee joint, and upper-leg (femur) all connecting at the pelvis (hip joint.) Second, is where the majority of power is generated and that is the core. The bone supporting the core is the lumbar spine, where the range of motion is the greatest giving the core the ability to create torque. Third, there is the upper torso and arms. This portion of the human machine is the most complex and the majority of throwing injuries occurs in the shoulder or elbow due to the immense stress these joints have to withstand with each throw. The Brain Controls everything! Now to see how we can use each component to the highest mechanical advantage our anatomy allows.

Lower Body

The lower body must be separated into two subdivision, legs and pelvis (hips). The sole purpose of the legs is to create as much speed (distance/time) going towards the target, then stopping as abruptly as possible, which will in turn, speed up the upper-body rotation, maximizing the power output at the point of release. Think of this reaction in terms of a car crash. If a car with a stack of books on the passenger seat drives at 100mph and hits an immobile wall, the cars velocity will drop to zero but the books will continue to fly through the windshield at the original 100mph. The Pelvis (hips) also has major part in the throwing process. Its job is to simply load up (rotate away from target) in the beginning of the motion and to unwind in sync with the landing foot as the legs propel the thrower towards the target.

The Core

The best way to visualize the core is as a very thick coil attaching the upper and lower components. Although the majority of the power generated in the proper throwing motion is produced by the core, it is the simplest process in this kinetic chain. To use the core to its maximum potential the thrower must simply load the upper and lower components simultaneously in the beginning of the delivery and keep the upper body loaded (closed) as much as possible till the front foot plants. At this point, the more separation there is between pelvic and upper torso lines, the more torque the core can produce. This is the true meaning of commonly misused term "staying closed". The separation of the Pelvic and Shoulder lines creates the most range of motion for the already stretched core to explosively rotate; this rotation will be the main source of velocity for the thrower.

Upper Torso

The last but not least of the three components is the upper torso. The main goal of the upper torso is to achieve maximum Scapula load, and to maintain the greatest amount of separation from the Pelvic line till the front foot plants. This will all lead to maximum external rotation of the throwing arm which will directly increase velocity. The most efficient way to load ones Scapula is to do so as naturally and effortlessly as possible. The arms actually have tracks, just like trains do. If the train falls off the track, it doesn't run. This track differs for each individual. To figure out where your track is, stand up with good posture and let your arms hang down to your sides and swing your arms forward and backwards. You will see your arms will naturally want to stay close to the body and swing on a Chest-Back plane. This Chest-Back plane does not ever change, no matter what. As the arms travel on the natural track, the elbows will fire towards each other squeezing the shoulder blades together while the chest expands. This is called scapula load. This Scapula load will occur right as the front foot strikes the ground and plants. This is when the loaded shoulders explosively rotate driving the throwing shoulder up and over towards the target line. The actual release of the baseball is done so by the extension, pronation, internal rotation and wrist flexion of the throwing arm. After the ball is released, the shoulder rotation will come to a stop to do structural limitations, but the now accelerated throwing arm will keep going until it hits the rib cage and comes to a stop. This method of deceleration is the most natural and puts the least amount of stress on the decelerator muscles. As a result of the fast upper torso rotation, the back leg will fly up off the ground and come to a soft landing.
 

Shingo Mitsumori Bio:

Shingo Mitsumori is owner of Torque Athletic Performance located in Deer Park, NY and the only instructor in the World that is teaching the Torque method of pitching. Shingo was an accomplished Minor League and Japanese professional pitcher. Feel free to Google Shingo's stat's from his professional career. Shingo currently throws over 90 MPH himself which more than qualifies him to teach the very same techniques used by many of the current MLB pitchers today. Shingo is a firm believer in video analysis and compares all videos of his students with current MLB pitchers. Please feel free to contact Shingo for additional information or for more detailed information.

Special Offer Worth $60

Anyone interested in receiving a complimentary video analysis of their current mechanics, I will personally review and critique your current pitching mechinics. Please upload your video clip to youtube and send me a file share link to: torqueap16@optonline.net Typically I charge $60.00 for video analysis and you can have access to this for the first time at NO COST TO YOU.

For more detailed information please visit me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/torque.ap or you can email any questions to Shingo Mitsumori at torqueap16@optonline.net or feel free to call me at 631-392-0944.
 

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Guide to Pitching Grips

By Nathan E Gotch

Every single pitcher must fully understand pitching grips if you wish to experience exceptional growth. Being successful at the high competitive levels calls for each and every pitcher to have a thorough feel for baseball pitching grips. A fastball, curve ball, as well as changeup are the most common baseball pitching grips among highschool pitchers.

Most of these high-school baseball pitchers will only be capable of proficiently throwing one to two pitches. Undoubtedly one of the major things that sets apart college or university from high-school pitchers, is the fact university players are able to locate several different pitches. A highly effective high-school pitch grips regime preferably should consist of learning methods college or university players use their grips.

College or university players can easily normally throw 3 pitches frequently for strikes. This ability will keep hitters thinking, and therefore leads to an exceedingly frustrating experience for the competitors. One can find typically a rise in strikeouts, flyouts, as well as groundballs because of this skill.

It's necessary to be aware of while very young, that the fastball is the most effective pitching grip in all of baseball. Concentration will have to be placed on improving the fastball before moving forward onto future pitches. Centering on the fastball is critical for increasing arm strength.

For youth pitchers, put emphasis on the fastball, and eventually learn to spend time practicing a good quality changeup.

The two-seam, cutter, and 4 seam are types of the fastball. The cutter is griped almost like a slider, except you would only put pressure with your fingers to help it to move. For a right-handed baseball pitcher, this grip is going to cut away from right-handed batters, and in addition cut into a left-handed batter.

Cutters and two seamers are near opposites. A two seam is gripped with the index as well as middle fingers over the seams. Throw the 2 seam by applying force with the middle finger, and fastball arm speed. This should compel the ball to tail into a right-handed batter.

Start concentrating on your changeup when you have perfected the fastball. The best way to approach this pitching grip is through throwing it on a frequent schedule. One additional method would be to throw long toss with the changeup as it will allow you to get fastball arm acceleration while you throw it.

There are various approaches to grip the changeup including the straight change, vulcan change, circle change, in addition to a palmball. Building efficiency with your fastball as well as changeup is crucial before progressing onto breaking pitches such as curveballs or perhaps sliders.

Each of these pitches can be used as an out pitch, but nevertheless should also be utilized to pitch strikes. The best pitchers in the major leagues can constantly throwing at the least three types of different pitching grips. Whenever deciding upon a curveball or even slider, you must make your choice dependent on your arm slot.

A curveball might be more suitable for a higher arm slot pitcher, while a slider might be more appropriate for a 3/4 pitcher.

Pitching grips aren't challenging when you finally fully understand every one.
 

Looking for more pitching grips tutorials? Visit: http://www.theulitmatepitcher.com/baseball-pitching-grips/

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How to Throw a Strike in Baseball

By Jim Bain

How difficult can it be to throw a strike in baseball? I mean, we're not talking painting the corner with a slider or bending an arching curve ball, we're simply throwing a simple fastball for a strike. Let's establish, then examine the facts involved in throwing strikes.

The regulation pitching distance for High School players and older, is 60' 6" and if the pitcher is 5' 11" or taller, after his stride he is @ 55' away from home plate. From that mere distance, he must throw the baseball inside a 17", width of home plate, by 3' to 4' high, depending on the batters size, box.

Those measurements appear to be a very large target to hit from a relatively close distance, not a particularly difficult task to accomplish. If we stopped our investigation at this point we'd most likely have to conclude, throwing a strike in baseball is easy.

However, there is one unanswered question which cast doubt on our conclusion. Why is it, at particular times, a major league baseball pitcher who is paid millions of dollars a year to throw strikes, absolutely can not throw two strikes in a row?

Obviously they have the ability and history of being quite capable of throwing consistent strikes, but if they fail, how can we expect our youngsters to succeed, and what happens when this inability to control their throws occurs.

In my opinion, the first thing a young pitcher needs to learn and continue to improve, is concentration or focus on what he's attempting to do. I believe sometimes, even though they are professionals, major league pitchers lose focus and that is what negatively effects their control.

So how do we retain or learn to focus while pitching? Let's examine the steps in which we can accomplish this.

We take a deep breath, exhaling we totally shut the activities, noise and actions going on around us, out of our mind. Don't mistake this for ignoring the circumstances of the situation you're in. You still must be aware if there are base runners on, strike and ball count, number of outs and who you're pitching to. I'm referring to the buzz of traffic, the voice of a particularly annoying fan or the crying of a baby, these are the distractions we shut out in order to remove clutter and chaos from our mind. Our main purpose at this point, is to regain a calming order in which to begin our refocusing.

As we stand on the pitching rubber, and after receiving the signals, we peer into the catcher's mitt and imagine a quarter being pasted to the pocket of the catcher's mitt. We don't want our thrown ball to hit the mitt, rather we want to hit that quarter.

After establishing our image of that quarter we want to hit, we visually, through imagery, change that quarter to a dime. We have regained focus by visualizing a quarter inside the catcher's mitt, then narrowed our focus to a laser beam by reducing the target to a dime. Visualize the baseball hitting that dime.

Once you begin your wind-up never remove your eyes from that dime. Continue this refocusing on every pitch until you regain your natural pitching motion and pattern, settling back into a normal pitching routine.

As an additional tip, if need be call time out and talk to your catcher and tell him what you want to do. Some catchers will offer a target, then bring it down as they shift weight, then re-establish it. That may be fine if you're not struggling, but until you regain your composure and focus you'll require a steady established target on which to concentrate.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player, who since retiring has dedicated his life to teaching baseball to youth, shares his advice on running baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com

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The Changeup - The Deadliest Pitch In Baseball

By Dan Gazaway

love it when a pitcher has a great changeup. The Circle Change just happens to be one of the deadliest changeups out there. The reason: It not only slows down it has wicked movement.

The Circle Change has a screwball type movement and it breaks down and away. It appears to look like a fastball and is very deceiving to a batters eyes.

To throw this pitch pronate your wrist and forearm slightly inwards. Your arm slot and arms speed is the same as your fastball. Place your fingers in the same position as you do with your fastball (thumb and middle finger split the baseball in half). Next, make a circle with your thumb and index finger. The tighter the circle the more drop you will have. However, your wrist and forearm angle is more important than the grip with this pitch. The most difficult part of this pitch is the forearm angle.

Gripping The Circle Change

The smaller the circle, the more downward movement you will have on the pitch. The slight wrist and forearm pronation is important when throwing the circle change. I recommend starting to throw this pitch making a C-shape instead of a circle when you first try this pitch. You will not find success with this pitch unless you throw the circle (or okay sign) toward home plate; that is what truly slows the pitch down. Most pitcher's think they are throwing a circle or a c-change just by gripping the pitch correctly. The C or Circle is thrown at the cather. Again, Keep your arm speed the same so that the pitch will be deceivingly slow to the hitter.

Arguably the most challenging pitch to learn is the circle change because of how the pitch is released. While the pitch can be tricky to learn, do not alter your body movement or motion in any way while attempting to throw it. Instead, work hard on the wrist and forearm angle.

I recommend just playing catch with it practicing the release.

Releasing The Pitch:

Throw the circle change early in the count and try to get a ground ball out of it. Remember, it is best to throw fewer pitches in an inning than to try and strike everyone out. The best change-up counts are the same as the split-finger fastball counts 3-1, 2-1, and 2-0. Also, whenever a fastball is in order a changeup can be thrown in its place. Becoming a successful pitcher simply means you mess with and throw off a hitter's timing. When you are successful at doing that you will get any hitter out.

Here is what Nate Barnett from The Pitching Academy has to say about this nasty pitch.

Besides the slider, a good change-up is terribly frustrating for most hitters. Because of its resemblance to a fastball initially, it can be particularly deceiving in fastball counts. I'm not sure why I don't see more good change-ups in youth baseball today, but it's a very much underutilized pitch.

Hitters hate facing pitchers who change speeds well, it's tough to get good timing on anything. For a great example of this, you have to look no further than Jamie Moyer, who at age 45, helped his Phillies win a World Series championship in 2008. His signature pitch throughout his entire career has been his outstanding change-up. With a fastball that rarely ever reached 85 mph, Moyer's ability to keep hitters off balance has paid off big time.

Circle change-ups with movement are deceiving and I would argue are nearly unhittable if thrown in the right location and in the right count. Being a pitcher also throughout my collegiate career, I relied on the change-up a lot to keep hitters off balance. Early in my pitching career I was leery of developing it because the thought of throwing a pitch slower to hitters seemed backwards. Wow, was I mistaken as it became my best pitch!

Dan Gazaway is owner of The Pitching Academy in Utah. He teaches pitchers how to throw different baseball pitches.

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How to Stop a Pitch in the Dirt

By Jim Bain

The role of being a good catcher can, at best, be physically and emotionally challenging. A catcher is expected to be a good hitter with power, base stealer, at younger ages, an Einstein when calling a game and all done with a smile on behind that hot mask.

There are many catchers who can adequately accomplish the tasks mentioned, but few catchers really ever reach the pinnacle of earning a pitcher's complete and unfaltering trust, when fielding a ball thrown in the dirt. Earn that and you'll become a permanent fixture behind the plate.

As players grow older the cat and mouse game between pitcher and hitter intensifies as both begin to master new skills. From a pitcher's perspective, he's taught, or should be, to attempt to make hitters swing at pitches outside the strike zone, a pitcher's pitch as it is known.

A perfect example of this type of pitching is throwing breaking balls low, mostly in the dirt, when the hitter has a 2 strike count on him. This perfect pitching strategy is totally dependent on One issue, Can the catcher block the ball and keep it from getting past him. That's what were going to learn.

A catcher, by nature of the position, usually has an infallible "Scrapper" mentality. He must draw on this mentality to make himself a virtual back stop, a brick wall which nothing penetrates or gets around. He uses his mitt to catch the baseball, he uses his mitt and entire body to block the baseball. We've established the mental and emotional qualifications of a good catcher, let's exam how we physically accomplish the task.

Drill One: Ball in the dirt in front of the plate.
The catcher Does Not wait to see if the ball takes a nice bounce in which he can catch it with the mitt. He immediately drops from the squat position to his knees. He places his mitt on the ground in front of his crotch blocking any ball from skirting between his knees and under the glove. He should lean slightly forward, creating a C-curve with his body, which in the event the ball bounces hitting him in the chest protector it will bounce straight back out in front of him where he can easily retrieve it and throw the runner out.

Drill 2: Ball in the dirt to the catcher's right.
Never swipe a back hand with the mitt at a ball to your right. This is not about luck, it's about the proper method to stop the ball. Number one you probably won't stop the ball with a swipe and if you did make contact you'd probably slap it out of your reach allowing runners to advance.

From the squat position, you must leap frog your entire body to the right side of the plate to where you're facing the ball. As you leap frog you land on your knees, glove on the ground in front of your crotch, slightly leaning forward.

This exact method is used in reverse for a ball to the left side of the plate.

Learn to automatically perform these actions for a ball in the dirt and you'll quickly become a super-hero to your pitching staff.

Jim Bain - Former Minor league baseball player, who since retiring has dedicated his life to teaching baseball to youth. Visit his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com/


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A Pitcher's Guide to the Top Pitches in Baseball

By Dustin Peek

There are a variety of pitches in the game of baseball. The number and types of pitches in a pitcher's arsenal can contribute significantly to the performance on the mound. Each pitch is unique and can be used in combination with other pitches to dominate opposing batters. Use the below guide to get a basic understanding of the most popular pitches in the game of baseball.

Fastballs

1. Four-seam fastball - The four-seam fastball is the most common fastball. The four-seam fastball typically has little side-to-side movement and it maximizes a pitcher's velocity. To throw a four-seam fastball, the pitcher grips the ball with his index and middle fingers with the seams perpendicular to his fingers.

2. Two-seam fastball - The two-seam fastball is slightly less popular than the four-seam fastball but is still a very common pitch. The two-seam fastball is slower than a four-seam fastball and it has a slight downward movement. To throw a two-seam fastball, the pitcher grips the ball with his index and middle fingers on the ball where the seams are closest together.

3. Cut fastball (cutter) - This pitch is used when a pitcher wishes to have slightly more movement than a two-seam fastball. The cutter has a small break just before reaching home plate which often can result in a ground ball if the hitter does make contact. To throw this pitch, the pitcher grips the ball similar to a two-seam fastball but applies slight pressure with his middle finger during release.

4. Split-finger fastball (splitter) - The splitter is a fastball that is thrown to maximize fastball movement. When thrown, this pitch appears to be a normal fastball to the batter. However, as this pitch approaches the plate, it has big and sudden downward movement. To throw this pitch, the pitcher grips the ball with his index and middle fingers on either side of the ball thereby "splitting" them. The ball is thrown with a lot of force, but because of the grip, the velocity is slower than a two or four-seam fastball.

Changeups

1. Circle-change - The circle change is the most common type of changeup. This pitch has movement from left to right with a right-handed pitcher. To throw this pitch, the pitcher grips the ball with his middle, ring, and pinky fingers, and makes a "circle" with his index finger and thumb on the side of the ball. This pitch is thrown with the same arm motion as a fastball, but by taking the index finger off the ball, the velocity is reduced significantly.

2. Knuckleball - The knuckleball is a pitch that is really in a category of its own, but I place it in the change-up category because it has relatively low velocity compared to fastballs. This pitch has very little or no spin and creates a "probing" effect for the hitter. To throw this pitch, grip the ball with the tips of your fingers and the use the tip of your thumb for balance. The idea is to throw a pitch with as little spin as possible to get a true knuckleball "flutter."

Breaking Pitches

1. Curveball - The curveball is one of the first breaking pitches learned by many pitchers. This pitch has a big downward movement and is typically one of the slowest breaking pitches. To throw a curve ball, a pitcher grips the ball with his middle finger on one of the long seams and his thumb on the opposite side of the ball creating a C-shape. The pitcher then releases the pitch in such a way to create significant forward rotation as the ball approaches the plate.

2. Slider - The slider is a breaking pitch that has more velocity than a curveball. The movement is both lateral and downward. It is similar to a cut fastball although the velocity is slower and it has a stronger break. To throw a slider, the pitcher grips the ball like a cut fastball. However, when throwing the ball, more pressure is exerted on the ball with the middle finger to create more spin and more movement.

3. Forkball - The forkball is a breaking pitch very similar to a split-finger fastball. It is gripped like a splitter, but the ball is jammed even deeper between the index and middle fingers. This results in a slower pitch with much more downward "tumbling" movement. To throw this pitch, the pitcher must snap his wrist downward upon release.

There are many varieties of pitches that are not listed here, but the ones listed above are the most common. Using a combination of these pitches can interrupt a batter's balance and rhythm and increase the effectiveness of any pitcher.

Dustin Peek is a former player with a life-long love for the game of baseball. He enjoys helping players of all ages learn the skills necessary to be succesful on the diamond. Do you want to learn more about the top pitches in baseball? Find this and much, much more at: http://www.baseballskillscenter.com


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Gain Velocity on Your Fastball

By Dan Ramos Dominko

One of the most asked questions when it comes to pitching or baseball in general is how to get more velocity. There are countless number of ways to get that velo up but one of the quickest ways to see a jump is by getting more extension.

Throwing harder is all about generating torque, the more you have the harder you will throw. To increase your torque you need to create separation between your arms and your legs. It's very similar to hitting when the batter steps forward and loads his hands back to create more power.

There are two parts to getting extension, with your lower and upper body. When you get more extension with your legs you increase your stride with your front leg while keeping your weight on your back leg as long as possible. By extending your stride you automatically create more torque and separation between your upper and lower halves. Once you land on your front foot you need to extend with your throwing arm as far as possible. Every extra inch you can extend you are generating more force and backspin into the ball, not to mention movement as well.

Towel Drill

To work on your increasing your stride you can use the good ol' towel drill. For those of you not familiar with this drill all you need to do is grab a hand towel and wrap it around your middle finger. Start from the stretch and go through your motion as if you are throwing a ball. Once your front foot lands walk five steps (heal to toe) from that spot. You can place a chair here or even better grab a teammate and have him hold his glove thigh high. Go back to where you started in the stretch and go through your motion trying to hit the glove with your towel. I would recommend doing this drill 3-5 times a week roughly 20-40 repetitions.

Towel Drill Tips

* IMPORTANT, when doing this drill you should have a ball in your hand. Just using the towel is too light and can injure you by hyper-extending your shoulder or elbow.

* If you find that 5 feet is too long or too short for you then move your target accordingly. Your goal is to have the target as far away from you as possible, but still close enough to where you can hit it a majority of the time.

* Don't cheat! A lot of pitchers want to place the target much further than they can reach. When you do this most of the time you will end up jumping and not striding. You want to extend to your target, not jump.

More great pitching and baseball articles can be viewed at http://www.betterpitches.com


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5 Reasons to Become a Knuckleball Pitcher

By Robert D Reese

The Knuckleball

Everyone that follows baseball knows this pitch as the erratic "dancing" pitch. It is thrown with the least amount of spin possible so that air can interact with the laces on the ball and push, pull and manipulate the flight of the ball to home plate. This is why major league hitters look absolutely foolish while trying to swing at a knuckler.

What not that many people know is that practically anyone can learn to throw a knuckleball, it just takes patience, dedication and a little bit of a wild side.

5 reasons why YOU should learn to throw a Knuckleball

1. Don't need a Power Arm
Probably the main reason knuckleballers strive to perfect the most difficult pitch to throw. A knuckleball pitcher doesn't try and throw 90+MPH, they rely on the inconsistency of the knuckleballs flight path. They want the pitch to be thrown from anywhere in the 70-80 MPH range. This lets the knuckleball "dance" in the air, so a batter will have to guess what the ball will do, causing plenty of awkward swings, and plenty of laughs.

2. Can have a Long Career
Knuckleballers can have a longer than average career in the Major Leagues. The reason is that they do not have to put as much strain on the ball throwing hard, so the arm does not wear down as easily. Most knuckleballers can pitch well into their 40′s and still be effective. Take Tim Wakefield for example. He is currently 44 years old and still pitching for the Boston Red Sox. He was also named to the American League All Star team in 2009. Not bad for someone over 40 years old.

3. Very Difficult to Hit
A knuckleball is called many things, the dancer, the butterfly, the floater and many more. The reason is because no one knows where the knuckleball will end up, not even the pitcher. Now think about it, you are trying to hit a pitch that is floating and dancing in front of you with a stick that is about 4 inches in width. Not an easy thing to do. That is why pitchers are able to use it as their feature pitch, but it is also a curse because they do not know where the ball will land.

4. Not Everyone Throws One
As a knuckleball pitcher, you are apart of a fraternity of knuckleball pitchers as not many people are able to throw and less are able to master it. Even being able to throw a knuckleball makes you special. Now many people can throw a ball 60-70mph with no spin. Tom Candiotti, one of the great knuckleball pitchers was taken under the great Phil Nekro's wings and taught how to master the pitch. After Candiotti retired, he counseled Tim Wakefield early in his career. R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets is the newest knuckleball pitcher in the majors, and Wakefield help him out so as you can see, you are in a small brotherhood of knuckleballers.

5. Anyone can throw a knuckleball!
The best part of dedicating yourself as a knuckleball pitcher is that ANYONE CAN THROW ONE. Just ask Eri Yoshida, the first female pitcher to play professional baseball.

Take a look at her video here:
http://www.mlbtraining.org/mlb-perspective/5-reasons-to-become-a-knuckleball-pitcher/


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Pitching: Throwing Correct in Bullpens

By Nate Barnett

I'd like to write briefly the importance of making your bullpens a valuable use of your time. So many pitchers don't understand how valuable each pitch is when they are throwing in the bullpen. Some merely throw the ball thinking about throwing hard strikes anywhere in the zone. When it crosses the plate for a strike they are content with that. That may work for now if you are in Little League but things change when you're a bit older. You can't get away with just throwing strikes, you have to work the corners and ensure the ball has movement.

When you are throwing between starts it is imperative that you work on a few things like pitch location, getting a feel for each pitch and keeping track of how many strikes you are throwing compared to balls.

Don't just throw strikes and think that is sufficient. Talk and think about different game scenarios with your catcher. Who's up at the plate? How are you going to approach this batter? What are the hitters weaknesses? What pitches would you throw this batter and in what sequence will you throw them?

Practice perfect strikes on the corners with each pitch; make a real game out of it. Whatever you pitch, throw with a purpose! I can't say enough about that.

Also, get in the habit of taking a journal to the bullpen with you. Some of the best pitchers I work with have this habit and it works! Not only should your goals be in this journal so you can look at them daily, but you should keep track of each pitch you throw; much like a weight lifter knows how much they are lifting and how many repetitions they do for each exercise.

Take the time to monitor your progress in the bullpen and really do some worthwhile throwing. Make sure you write down any thoughts that come to mind when or after each bullpen session. This will help you approach each bullpen with a better attitude and work ethic.

Nate Barnett is co-owner of The Pitching Academy.

After finishing a professional career in the Seattle Mariners Organization, Nate pursued his coaching and motivational training career. You can find The Pitching Academy's videos, blog, and more articles when you visit the website.

The Pitching Academy's pitching mechanics DVD.

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Teaching Mechanics in Youth Baseball - Is It Important?

By Mickey B

Next to having fun, teaching mechanics is the most important thing a coach can do for his youth baseball players. Some of you dads who are coaching only because nobody else volunteered, might be wondering just what in the world does mechanics have to do with baseball. The answer is...Everything! Mechanics simply means the correct form and movements required to properly hit, throw, or field a baseball. It also applies to running the bases. Watching Major League ballplayers can give you the impression that there is no one way that is considered proper. Every batter seems to set up differently and go through all kinds of unusual gyrations, each pitcher has his own style of wind up, and infielders throw from every conceivable angle. Remember, they are professionals who are perfectly grounded in the fundamentals, and at the point of attack their bodies are in the proper position. The only exception to this is when an infielder has to perform some miraculous feat of athleticism in order to make a play. Also, bear in mind that they get paid a lot of money to do this. That being said, here are some reasons for teaching mechanics in youth baseball.

1. You want to avoid injuries, especially when you are working with kids. Sore arms, particularly elbows, are one of the most frequent problems in baseball. This is usually caused by the player starting the throw with his body before his arm is in the right position. Consequently, he has to drop his elbow in order for the arm to catch up with the body, resulting in his hand getting under the ball and putting a twisting motion on the elbow. If this is done repeatedly, the player will be complaining about a sore arm by the middle of the season. Hitters develop problems with their wrists from an improper grip. They can also hurt their backs with a crazy swing and lack of balance. I mentioned running the bases earlier. I can't tell you the number of times I have seen broken legs or sprained ankles caused by hitting the base wrong or sliding improperly. Most of these injuries can be avoided through the use of good mechanics.

2. Everybody likes to be a winner. Kids are no exception. Yet, I never coach winning or losing. I don't have to. My teams win more than they lose because I concentrate on mechanics. By learning proper skills, my players make more accurate throws, get more hits, and commit fewer errors from mishandling the ball. Don't get me wrong, they are definitely not perfect. They are still growing and can be quite uncoordinated, but they are learning how things should be done. One thing that helps is lots of praise from the coach when they show improvement. I should probably point out that your players will not be as devastated by a loss as you and their parents will be. Remember, they are there to have fun. However, they also want to learn how to get better, and they will improve if you teach them proper mechanics.

3. As a youth coach, one of your major responsibilities is to get your players ready to compete at the next level, like moving from Little League to Babe Ruth. We lose a lot of young ballplayers at this stage every year for a variety of reasons. Some haven't gone through puberty yet and cannot handle the larger field. Others discover girls or different activities that stimulate their interests more than baseball. But sadly, a large percentage leave the game because they can no longer compete with the other players. They were never taught proper mechanics. The throws are longer so they have to throw harder and, as a result, get a sore arm. The pitchers are faster and they can't get the bat around fast enough to hit the ball. They get discouraged, and they quit. You can help prevent that by teaching them the appropriate skills now. I have seen Little League all-stars fade into oblivion on the bigger field because nobody gave them the correct coaching. They made the all-star team on natural skills that weren't enough for the tougher competition that they faced at the next level.

As you can see, these are some very important reasons to teach mechanics in youth baseball. some side benefits for your players are that, without mentioning it to them, you have shown them that success can come with proper execution. They are also learning that hard work has its benefits. This goes for you too, coach. Are you prepared to work hard, also? Do you know what the proper mechanics are for baseball? Don't worry, there are many websites devoted to teaching mechanics. Look for sites that talk about the power triangle, and avoid sites that emphasize pushing off the rubber with the back foot. This is something that a pitcher does, but it should not be taught that way, especially to still developing children. Now, go have fun with your kids!

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Baseball Coaching Digest: Teaching Baseball Pitchers the Correct and Proper Stride Leg Mechanics

By Nick Dixon

One of the most common pitching flaws seen in baseball has to do with the motion and action of the pitcher's front leg or stride leg and foot. This article discusses three common baseball pitching flaws associated with the stride leg and foot.

Stride leg movement and landing foot action is an extremely important part of proper pitching mechanics. Here are three common mistakes made by pitchers that can make them suffer the embarrassment of a poor performance on the mound.

"Improper Leg Action from Balance Point to Stride"

The proper, correct and desired motion of the stride leg depends on the game situation and the presence and location of base runners. If there is no one on base the pitcher should go to the balance position, then separate, and then take the leg and foot downward in a "down and Out" or "Landing Plane Motion". This path allows the hands to separate and the throwing arm to get to the desire point with the front foot don and planted before the throwing RM COMES FORWARD.

If there is a runner or multiple runners on base, the pitcher should throw from the stretch and use the glide step to deliver the ball to the plate quicker to deter base runners from stealing.

"Improper Front Foot Landing"

The simplest way to describe a bad front landing is to say that the pitcher is landing the front foot on his heel. The front foot should land flat or on the ball of the foot. Landing on the heel makes the pitcher's delivery inconsistent and his control will suffer.

"Improper Front Leg Mechanics"

A young pitcher should be taught to stride toward home plate. The pitcher's front foot should land with the toes pointed in the vicinity of the plate. When striding toward home plate the pitcher should not land on a stiff rigid leg with their knee locked. This can cause a "pole vaulting" action and a whip like action that is a dangerous pitching flaw that can injure a player's arm over time. Pitchers have to learn to land with their front knee slightly bent, but to firm the bent leg up during the pitching motion. When the stride foot lands the knee should be bent. The lead leg must stiffen up as the pitcher's weight comes forward. This stiffening action gives the pitcher leverage or resistance to work against in creating arm whip and velocity.

I hope that you found this article to be informative and useful. Please visit the Youth Baseball Digest Blog, Baseball Coaching Digest Blog, and the Baseball Coaching Digest for more free baseball articles, baseball tips, and free baseball drills. Good luck to you and your team. Have a great day, Nick.

The CoachesBest Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.

Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

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Baseball Coaching Digest - The 5 Keys to Obtaining and Maintaining Power Pitcher Status

By Nick Dixon

A "Power Pitcher" is a pitcher that dominates with an overpowering fastball. There are five conditions that I think add to the likelihood that a pitcher will be overpowering to the opposition. Those keys are average arm and body strength, above average conditioning and flexibility, good and proper mechanics, an understanding of the importance of proper warm-up, and dedicated commitment to proper post-game arm care. This article gives insight in how important each of these keys are and how each can be improved.

Strength: If a player is below average in body strength and arm strength, his fastball will be below average. All Power pitchers have strong arms. This arm strength more than likely comes from a regular routine of "long toss" and weight workouts. If a pitcher is going to maintain dominance, he must develop three kings of strength; arm strength, lower body strength and torso power. These strengths should be improved with regular weight workout beginning around the age of 12.

Conditioning & Flexibility- Endurance, stamina, and resilience, all come from a well planned and organized conditioning and flexibility programs. Flexibility in the hips, torso, and upper body is a must for pitching success. A well planned and executed program should include workouts with long and explosive running activities, explosive abdominal conditioning, and serious flexibility activities.

Proper Mechanics - Without proper mechanics a pitcher will never reach a level of dominance and maintain it. There are some pitchers that dominate at one stage of their career but fade aware due to injury and arm problems because their mechanics had flaws that lead to injuries. Receiving proper instruction and coaching early is an important element of baseball pitching success. When it comes to learning proper pitching mechanics, the sooner a young pitcher learn them, the better. Proper mechanics include proper arm angle, smooth separation, consistent arm slot and release point, correct front leg track and movement, and the ability to rotate the torso late in the stride.

Warm-up - There are a lot of arm injuries that come from a pitcher not warming up long enough or thorough enough before throwing full speed. A proper warm-up session should involve stretching, light jogging, and throwing at a range of distances. The steps should stretch, jog, throw close, and extend the throwing distances. Pitchers should develop their own pitching pre-game warm agenda if their coach or team does not have one. Failure to warm-up is inexcusable. A pitcher must do what he knows is best for his arm. If he does not feel loose, he should continue the warm-up procedure to he feels loose.

Post-Game Care - The absolute best post-game activity to recuperate one's arm is running. Pitchers should always run at least two foul polls for every inning pitched. Running serves to get the blood flowing and to flush the lactic acid from the arm, particularly the elbow region. Many people ice their arm after every mound appearance. I prefer my players not to ice unless they have soreness and a history of injury. I think two things rehabilitate the arm completely. Those two things are a regiment of running and rest.

In closing, I think that body build is also a huge factor in pitching dominance. There is a serious correlation is body size and height and how dominate a pitcher is. The taller a player is, the more likely he will become a serious pitching prospect that dominates opposing teams with his fastball. There are exceptions sometimes. You occasionally see a power pitcher with a small body frame. But these guys have problems sustaining dominance and often have shortening careers due to injury.

I hope that you found this article to be informative. Visit the Baseball Coaching Digest, Youth Baseball Digest, or Baseball Parent Guide for more free baseball articles. Thanks for reading this article. Have a great day, Nick.

The CoachesBest Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.

Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

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4 Simple Tips to Protecting a Young Pitcher's Arm

By Daniel Warwick

Last year I played my first year of baseball at Orange Coast College, and I pitched through the whole year with two torn tendons in my shoulder. Why am I telling you this? I was never aware of the different things you can do for a healthy arm. I pitched since I was little, and that is where the initial wear and tear starts. I just recently had surgery and I want to help young pitchers avoid ever having to deal with arm injuries. These are very simple, very basic tips that a lot of people know about, but don't apply them. By doing these everyday, I was able to still pitch while already having these injuries, I just wish I had known them before the injury occurred.

Tip #1: If something hurts, don't ignore it.

This is probably the most basic, yet most important point I want to get across. If something doesn't feel right, and it doesn't go away, don't just act like it will. This is what I've done my whole life, and even when I was going to my doctor, he kept insisting that it was only tendonitis. I had to finally insist an MRI from my doctor, and he still didn't think it would be anything. My coaches, teammates, and my doctor, all thought it was nothing but tendonitis. Well the results came and two tears in my shoulder, and an O ring tear. Now I'm sitting here writing this with still 6 to 9 months of recovery time ahead of me. Bottom line, go with your gut, get it checked out. If it's nothing, at least you know. Trust me, it's not worth taking the chance.

Tip #2: Ice Ice Ice and More Ice

Like no duh, you throw a lot of pitches, you ice, everyone knows that. What I learned is that you can't underestimate the power of icing your arm. And it's not just something you have to do when you pitch a lot, if at all possible, after every time you throw. Trust me, you won't notice, and you won't know to thank me for it, but do it young. The sooner you ice after throwing, the better as well. People don't realize how much wear it takes for you arm to throw a ball as hard as you do, over and over. Sure it might not hurt, but that wear and tear adds up every year you continue to do it. Icing thins the blood to help more blood take more nutrients throughout your arm to start repairing all and any damage. Secondly, when you do it right after you throw, it slows all of your cells down right away, and prevents all that wear you just performed. If it were possible, I would ice immediately once I know I'm done throwing every time. Trust me, your arm will feel golden. And there is also nothing wrong with icing more than once a day, especially if it's sore.

Tip #3: Don't just play catch to warm up

If you're a pitcher, you do different things than other players. Throwing downhill puts more stress on your arm, you throw more than all the other players, and you throw different pitches, "the curve ball." You want to be really warm before you throw. Run to get some blood flow, stretch out, and either use bands, or light 3 or 5 lb weights. Just do different things, keep your arms straight by your side and lift up in front of you, at a 45 degree angle, and on the side of you. Then over your head with your arm bent at a 90 degree angle straight up, and slowly bend it forward, and then back up. When I do these, I do three sets of ten reps each every time before I throw, whether it's a bullpen, coming in for relief in the middle of the game, or even just to play catch. Now I know that these may be hard to know exactly what to do, but you can just experiment and figure out what works. The important thing is to make sure that all of your small muscles are really warmed up and stretched before you throw.

Tip #4: Run and build your legs

I'm not going to waste a lot of time on this one, it's pretty simple, but important. Run a lot, and build your legs. Running increases blood flow to help heal your arm, while at the same time helps your stamina and endurance on the mound. And the stronger your legs are, means the less your arm has to work. You'd be surprised how important your legs on for pitching, for velocity, and to protect your arm.

Hi, my name is Daniel Warwick. Now there was one tip I left out, and that is to build your forearm strength. This takes stress off your elbow and your shoulder. The thing about this one though is that it is great for baseball performance all around, pitching and hitting. Just check out my blog to see the link at http://livelargedt.ws/PitchingTips Also, if you are looking for a really big edge in whatever you're doing, there is a site is going to be launching a new workout and diet program from top pro trainers. Just check it out at my site http://livelargedt.ws/PitchingTips

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Coaches Must Learn to Teach Proper Pitching Mechanics

By Nate Barnett

Just Throw Strikes?

Have one of your coaches ever told you to "just throw strikes" and get us out of this inning? Many coaches out there make the mistake of telling pitchers to "just throw strikes". Of course your pitchers are trying to throw strikes to end the inning; what they really can't do is control their emotions or they lack correct mechanics. When a coach tells pitchers to "just throw strikes" what the coach is really implying is they don't know what else to tell the struggling pitcher. They lack the education behind what is really going on in the pitchers mind in different game scenarios; or they lack the knowledge about pitching mechanics.

Many youth pitchers hear "just throw strikes" and they do just that. Many pitchers start aiming the ball and they forget about their basic pitching mechanics. They may slow their motion down; not exploding to foot strike. Many pitchers often open up to soon taking more of a step instead of a strike to home plate; guiding the ball over the plate instead of simply throwing it. The pitcher begins to throw batting practice and the batters begin to tee off. Yes your pitchers are throwing strikes, but they are often right down the heart of the plate with no velocity behind the ball. See ya! Game over! You Lose!

If you are a coach, you will do more harm than good throwing out little comments like "just throw strikes", "rare back and fire", "throw hard now", "get er done" what do all of these things mean to your pitchers? Do you know what they mean?

Every pitcher is going to have a different interpretation of what these things mean unless you are very clear in presenting to them what they mean. What does "rare back and fire" mean? We have all heard that one. Does it mean to rock back and throw as hard as you can? If so, a pitcher will lose all control of the baseball if they rare back because they lose their balance. What does "throw hard now" mean? When you tell a young pitcher to throw hard, what do they usually end up doing to their pitching mechanics? One, they never try to get power from their legs, hips, torso and shoulders (entire body) as they should; they use too much of their arm to throw when trying to get more velocity. The only time these small innuendos work is if the coach explains to the pitchers what the terminology means. Otherwise these words are just filler words for lack of better education.

To get better results out of your pitchers in games, it is imperative that you understand proper pitching mechanics. You also need to know your pitcher and how they react to different game situations. Do they get nervous and buckle under stressful game situations? If so, you need to figure out why they get nervous.

It's time to get educated on proper pitching mechanics.

Nate Barnett is co-owner of The Pitching Academy.

After finishing a professional career in the Seattle Mariners Organization, Nate pursued his coaching and motivational training career. You can find The Pitching Academy's videos, blog, and more articles when you visit the website.

The Pitching Academy's pitching mechanics DVD

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One Word That Will Make You Sound Like a Baseball Expert - 5 Tips For Hitting, Pitching & Fielding

By Jack Perconte

Not everyone knows the finer details of the game of baseball and, of course, many do not care to be baseball coaches or experts. Everyone has there own interests and that is fine. However, that does not mean you cannot say helpful things to young ballplayers. Using this one word will make one sound like a baseball expert and sound like you really know the game of baseball. As a baseball instructor over the past 21 years there is one word that I believe I have said more than any other word. This word is revealed below. If you would like a hint, think of the first thing that you teach your dog to do?

You guessed it - stay. Using the word "stay" with most any baseball term gives instant, "expert" credibility to the one saying it. Following are the terms good coaches often use when talking to players about the three key skill components in baseball - hitting, pitching and fielding. People, who use these terms with the magic word "stay," will sound like a knowledgeable, baseball expert.

Hitting Tips:
1. Stay back - good hitters do not jump at the ball, they let it come to them.
2. Stay inside - good hitters do not reach for balls, they try to hit the side closest to them on all pitches.
3. Stay behind - when good hitters swing, they rotate, transfer their weight and throw their bat at the ball while keeping their head back over their rear hip.
4. Stay balanced - good hitters swing the bat at 100% speed, but make it look like they are not working hard at all.
5. Stay ready - good hitters always expect the next pitch to be "their pitch."
6. Stay focused - good hitters concentrate on just watching the baseball from the pitcher's release to the hitting zone and tune out all other thoughts.

Pitching Tips:
1. Stay balanced - good pitchers throw at maximum speeds but make it look effortless.
2. Stay direct - good pitchers keep great direction, stepping on direct line towards home plate with their delivery.
3. Stay on top - good pitchers keep their fingers on top of ball on backswing and at release.
4. Stay behind - good pitchers do not rush themselves, allowing their arm time to come around.
5. Stay focused - good pitchers remain focused on their target, and tune out any distractions.

Fielding Tips:
1. Stay ready - good fielders "want" and expect the ball to be hit their way.
2. Stay down - good fielders approach ground balls low to the ground and keep their glove below the hop initially.
3. Stay smooth - good fielders make fielding look effortless, moving through the ball with grace.
4. Stay focused - good fielders keep their concentration on the ball, ready for any hop.
5. Stay balanced - good fielders have great footwork when fielding, always remaining under control.

You may have noticed that there are two terms used with our word "stay" that applies to every fundamental tip and those are balanced and focus. Everything in sport requires great balance and focus. So, when you are not sure what to say to your athlete, you can never go wrong with saying, "stay balanced" and "stay focused" as long as they are said in a positive, affirmative manner.

Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball playing lessons, books and advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball Jack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - his positive parenting advice and books can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com

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