Pitching Better in Practice Than in Games

I’ve been getting a lot of emails and messages on our social media pages from players and parents, all with the same concern. Each girl has reached out saying that they throw really well in practice and then throw so much worse when they are in game situations. Some of the most common things I hear are:

“When I’m practicing I throw upwards of 60MPH, but when I’m in a game I’m clocked in the mid 50’s”

Or,

“When I’m throwing in practice, I can hit my spots and I’m really good with my command. But when I go into a game, I’m really wild and can’t find the strike zone.”

Or,

“I feel like when I practice all of my movement pitches work really well, and when I go into a game nothing works.”

These complaints are common, and the cause is often a mental/confidence issue rather than a mechanical issue, but for some, mechanics can play a big part as well. The problem really lies in focusing too much on the result. When practicing, there is no umpire, typically no batters, no scoreboard, and therefore no pressure! Pitchers can relax and just focus on being loose and having good mechanics. Once they get into a game situation however, they fixate so much on balls/strikes, batters, umpires, scores and game situations that mechanics can go out the window. They become stiff, and try to aim or slow down, so mechanics start to collapse. It seems that girls are taught from a young age that you need to muscle the ball, overthrow it, or try to aim in order to get power and command, when in reality the opposite is true.

Here is a quick list of the most common mechanical flaws we see in pitchers during games that they don’t necessarily do in practices:

1. Pushing instead of firing: Many players are taught that muscling, aiming, and pushing are the ways to get speed and command. This is just not true. Relaxedness and fast arm whip that fires all the way down the throw zone is the way to see maximum speed and command. If you are practicing with good arm whip and relaxedness, but then you go into a game and you start stiffening up trying to aim for the strike zone, this could be a reason for the difference in speed and command.

2. Bending instead of staying tall: It is so important to be vertically stacked during the pitch. If you are nice and tall during your power K and your delivery, you will establish a better throw zone. In games, if you start to bend over or lean, you’re going to create a lot of problems such as arm going behind the body, arm getting off the power line, and movement of the throw zone

3. Smaller push off the rubber: Believe it or not, having a really good stride off the rubber can affect the pitch big time in both speed and accuracy. In practices, a lot of girls focus on getting a really good push off the rubber, but in games they might shorten the stride in an attempt to aim the ball. When you shorten the stride you can lose a lot of command and speed

4. Slowing down: This is SO common. Having a fast arm and drive through is so important when delivering the ball. The faster you get the arm and the drive through through, the less time you have to do something mechanically incorrect. Very often I see girls slowing down their entire motion in games because they feel this is necessary in order to get strikes when really the opposite is true

5. Losing the drive through: Having a quick and complete drive through will not only increase power, but help maintain correct posture and body position. If you are in a game and you stop driving through completely and aggressively, you will not only lose power, but you will also be more likely to land bent and rotate as you deliver

So what can we do to help close the gap between success during practices and games? Here are some tips:

1. Take video! Whenever I give a lesson (whether in person or online) I am almost always taking video. No it’s not so I can post it on Instagram, it’s so I can show the girls what they are doing and how they look. It is SO helpful for girls to see how they look when they are pitching. I will also often ask the parents to send me game video. This is so I can compare the practice and game videos, and if I see a big difference I will put them side by side and show my student. This shows them how they are changing their mechanics in games, which is causing them to struggle more. It is one thing to tell a girl what she is doing incorrectly, but showing them is often much more helpful, especially if she’s a visual learner!

2. Trust your mechanics: this can be difficult to do, but sometimes it is hard for girls to believe that the more relaxed and loose they are, the better the pitch will be. If you truly pay attention to how you feel during practices and just trust that those mechanics will carry you through a game, you will be MUCH better off. Just because there are umpires and batters doesn’t mean your mechanics should change.

3. Love the game: Putting so much pressure on oneself to throw balls and strikes often causes a breakdown in mechanics. This makes pitching more difficult and the game can become miserable for the pitcher. The game might not even feel fun anymore. So much of pitching is the drive and the burning desire to be out there no matter what situation you’re in. I always say, the mental part of pitching is even more important than the mechanical part of pitching. If you are having fun and truly love the game for what it is, you will be successful.

Performing badly in games can be one of the most frustrating things for players, especially when they feel they are better in practices. As coaches, we all wish there was something we could give or say that would instantly make our players mentally tough and confident. We can teach the mechanics and give inspirational talks, but the mental part has to come from the player! Go out there, be tough, have fun, and you will see success! It can be hard to become mentally strong and confident, but try separating yourself from the result. Rely on your mechanics! They will get you where you need to go.