Baseball Instruction |
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As hitters have many preferences when it comes to position in the batters box, so do pitchers when it comes to position on the pitching rubber. Some will pick one spot and some will move around depending on the mound or the situation. Whatever the preference the most important factors are comfort and balance.
Some pitchers will stand with both feet lined up and some will stand with the stride leg slightly behind.
The position of the glove and pitching hand also changes from pitcher to pitcher. Some will hold the ball in the glove with the pitching arm dangling by their side. Others will have that same position but keep the ball in their hand (If any of your pitchers choose this method, make sure they use the same grip every time so the don't give away a pitch). Others will have their hand inside their glove. For the majority of pitchers the glove is held somewhere between the waist and the chest.
Most young pitchers don't have any idea how the stance can affect the final outcome of the pitch by either allowing or taking away from a smooth efficient delivery. For young pitchers, try to get them comfortable with the least amount of movement. From the stance to the windup, the least amount of movement is to have the hand in the glove gripping the ball at about chest high.
Try to get your pitchers comfortable pitching from different parts of the rubber. The main reason for this is the fact you don't have a grounds crew fixing the mound between innings or even before the game. Some mounds will be in such poor condition that fixing them at game time will be impossible. A pitcher will need to be able to pitch comfortably from different areas of the rubber to utilize the best possible landing zone for the stride foot on a poor mound.
If the pitcher starts with one leg back this can be a weight shift back.
A common problem is taking to large a step back. Again, the more movement the more difficult it will be for the pitcher to be balanced during the windup. Watch most major league pitchers and you will see they take a very small or no step back to start their windup.
As the weight is transferred to the back leg, the front foot will be turned and placed parallel to, in contact with, and in front of the rubber. The feet are now in position to begin the kick.
When working with pitchers, have stop when they reach the top of their kick. They should be able to hold this position, if they cannot, correct this balance problem before moving on to the rest of the delivery.
At the same time the pitcher takes the step back, the arms will also move. Pitchers will either swing both arms over the top of their heads as they step back and begin pivoting their front foot, or they will keep their hands at waist level and move directly into the top of the kick from that position.
Once the front foot has pivoted and the hands have reached the top of the pump. The pitcher will shift his weight onto the pivoted foot and pull the back leg forward and up swiveling as he does this until the his thigh is parallel to the ground or a little higher. His body should be sideways to the plate. Make sure your planted leg is not locked at the knee, it should be slightly flexed. Again the critical element is balance. The pitching motion is a combination of many movements that need to be executed exactly the same way with every pitch. Without balance at this point consistency in the pitching motion is impossible and with it good control.
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