Name:
One Knee Drill
Purpose:
Teaches the proper fundamentals of the throwing motion.
How to
Conduct: Have two players face
each other on one knee about 40 feet apart. Have them toss the ball to each other
while keeping the throwing hand knee (right knee if right handed) on the
ground. Take the ball back, turn shoulders sideways
to the target, bring the ball
up and through the head area while keeping the eyes on the target, follow
through naturally down and to the left side of the body, keep glove hand tucked
during the throwing motion. Teaching the
proper torso twist is important in developing good pitching mechanics.
Excellent drill for junior players beginning to learn to throw a
baseball or senior players needing to work on throwing
fundamentals.
Name:
The Pause and Balance Drill
Purpose:
Teaches the proper pitching mechanics by having a player pause and maintain a
balance point prior to throwing the baseball.
How to
Conduct: Have a pitcher go
through the normal windup without a baseball in their hand. At the balance point at the top of the
motion (when the player is standing with their foot sideways on the pitching
rubber, the hands are together at the waist and the leg/knee is raised at its
peak). Have the pitcher pause for
3-5 seconds, turn his head to look at the coach standing behind him and then
take the ball from the coach about waist high, reaching behind to grab the
ball. The pitcher should complete the pitching motion and deliver the ball to
the plate at ¾ speed.
Name:
The Stride Drill
Purpose:
Teaches the proper length of a stride for pitchers to take
How to
Conduct: Measure the height of
each of your pitchers. Explain to
them that a pitcher’s stride should be equal to the distance of at least 80%
(more if possible and comfortable, but at least 80%) of his height when
throwing a fastball. Have each of
them pitch and mark the stride distance on the ground, then calculate how long
it should be and compare. Off
speed pitches can be 6-8 inches shorter than the 80% mark. Mark this off and have them go through
their motions with or without baseballs/throwing to see that each obtain the
80% rule for stride length.
Name:
The Step Drill
Purpose:
Designed to teach the concept of dynamic balance to young pitchers. This drill
will teach them what it is like to collect energy around their center of
gravity so the energy can be used to throw the baseball harder.
How to
Conduct: Find a step or stair and place your back pitching foot on the step or
stair. From the stretch position,
raise your arms until the shoulder has extended to a right angle (flex-T) with
the hands facing upward. Step
back on the stair and hold for a count of three, tighten the abs, return to
the starting position and repeat 15 times.
Name:
Towel Drill with Partner
Purpose: To teach the skill of holding
the pitchers head still during the pitching delivery.
How to
Conduct: Have a partner stand 5 feet away from the landing foot’s big toe (if
pitching on flat ground, 6 feet if off a mound) at the end of a pitching
delivery. The partner will sit on
one leg and hold his glove up about eye level while in the one knee
position. The pitcher performing
the drill will go through a regular delivery from either the stretch or the
windup and place a towel in his hand between his thumb and middle finger with
about 12 inches of towel extending from the hand. The pitcher will strike the glove hand
of the partner with the extended towel by reaching for the target at the end
of the delivery. The pitcher must
keep his eye squarely on the target, any head motion will cause the pitcher to
miss hitting the glove hand with the towel, providing instant feedback that
the head is too busy during the delivery of the pitch.
Name:
Elastic Cord Drill
Purpose: To
teach the proper arm mechanics of taking the ball back and through the
delivery of a baseball.
How
to Conduct: Cut about 3 feet of elastic resistance cord from a band and secure
it to the thumbs on both hands of the pitcher. Have the pitcher play catch and check to see
that the cord is not being pulled too tightlyl across the chest to indicate improper
mechanics and that the ball is being thrown correctly. The cord should provide resistance but
not bind the player. Also helps
to build strength through resistance.
Name:
Hockey Puck Drill
Purpose:
Teaches proper arm motion mechanics for baseball pitchers to have their elbow
up and their wrist under the ball when throwing, perfect the release
point.
How to
Conduct: Purchase a hockey
puck and throw it at a wall with the throwing side knee on the ground. Hold it
with two fingers across the puck. Throw it in such a way that the puck
spins backward as it approaches the wall and then returns to the pitcher. Take care to use a wall that can
withstand abuse – the huckey puck can leave marks. The arm mechanics and wrist motion are
perfect for throwing a baseball if the hockey puck returns to the pitcher
successfully each time.
If you have
other drills that should be included in this series please let me know and I
will be sure to add them for all to enjoy.
These are
baseball pitching drills from my playing days, excellent books and my favorite
coaches. Emphasis is on baseball
pitching instruction, baseball pitching fundamentals, baseball pitching
technique, throwing a baseball.
