pitching

Troubleshooting Common Pitch Location Problems

By Carly | November 12, 2012 |

When you’re learning windmill pitching for the very first time, the ball is probably going to go everywhere… and that’s normal! Once you sort of get the hang of it, however, you may notice that when you miss your pitch location, it is often in the same spot, or the same two spots. I find myself constantly reminding my students WHY pitch after pitch lands inside, outside, high, or low; I tell them to memorize the reason so they can self-correct in games and practices. Whether you’re a parent trying to teach your daughter to pitch and you’re not quite sure how to troubleshoot location issues, or you’re a Fastpitch Power student already and you need a cheat sheet to help you remember, this post is for you!

Should the Stride Foot Land on the Power Line?

By Carly | November 6, 2012 |

The question of landing on the power line has come up a couple of times now among Fastpitch Power readers, so I want to share my response with all of you. Many people assume that to throw a strike as a windmill pitcher, you want to land on the power line—sounds right, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not quite right. Today we’ll discuss more specifically where you SHOULD be landing.

How Much Should You Practice Pitching?

By Carly | October 29, 2012 |

An EXTREMELY common question I hear from parents of new young pitchers is, “How often should my daughter pitch? How many pitches should she throw?” You may have started noticing a pattern in my answers to these types of questions: there is no “right answer” or solid number I can give you that works for everyone. There are, however, guidelines you should take into account, and that’s what we’re going to discuss today.

Is a Pitcher who “Experiments” More Likely to be Successful?

By Carly | October 22, 2012

Several weeks ago, I was participating in a conversation on a softball message board about pitchers figuring things out themselves through experimentation. There is a lot of valuable information that can be gleaned from this idea of “experimenting,” so I wanted to share this with all of you here as well.

Can Your Core Stand Up to Windmill Pitching?

By Phil | October 12, 2012

It’s no secret that windmill pitching is not easy. It requires not only a tremendous amount of practice and aptitude for the skill, but also a tremendous amount of strength and stability. Core strength is something that is lacking in many—if not most—young female pitchers, yet it is absolutely essential to pitching with sound mechanics.

Moving Up? How to Prepare

By Carly | October 8, 2012 |

Fall ball is a popular time for many organizations to allow their second-year 10U and 12U players to get a taste of 12U and 14U, where they’ll be playing in the spring and summer. Even if you’re sticking with your age group this fall, the move up in the spring will be inevitable. Both age groups involve significant transitions for windmill pitchers: 10U pitchers moving to 12U will be moving back to 40 feet and throwing a larger ball. 12U pitchers moving to 14U will be transitioning to 43 feet. Today we’re going to talk about physical preparation and pitching drills that you can do to make the transition easier.

14-inch Training Softballs: Good or Bad?

By Carly | October 1, 2012 |

Last week I received an email from a reader asking my opinion of 14-inch training softballs for pitchers. Personally, I’m not a fan of using oversize softballs for training, but the 14-inch softball is a tool used by a number of pitching coaches, and so you’ll probably come across conflicting opinions about them. Today we’ll take an in-depth look at their purpose and the effects they have on pitchers. Hopefully it will help you decide whether the 14-inch training softball is right for you.

A Practice Model for Pitchers and Catchers

By Carly | September 24, 2012 |

If you really want to reach your maximum potential as a pitcher or a catcher and help your team as much as possible, pitchers and catchers from the same team MUST practice together. We love dedicated parents and siblings who catch for their daughters/sisters, but pitchers who never throw to their catchers during their workouts leave so much potential untapped, and the same goes for catchers.

How Catcher Framing Can Make or Break a Game

By Carly | September 17, 2012

A particular play in the Yankees-Orioles game on September 6th reminded me how a single strike call can make or break a game, and how important a catcher’s influence can be in getting calls. Want to learn how to use this to your advantage?

Reach, Track, Fire and Drive

By Phil | August 10, 2012 |

What follows is one of my favorite muscle memory drills which helps pitchers see and feel their bodies at various, crucial points in the delivery. Please note the following when performing this drill:

1. The pitcher should be 25 – 35 feet from the catcher, depending on age and level.

2. Coaches commands should be a minimum of 2 to 3 seconds apart to allow the pitcher to sense and adjust any mechanical flaws, as well as keep her balance (if she cannot keep her balance, it’s an indication that she needs to strength train).

3. This video is a demonstration for a fastball. The drill can be adapted for any pitch. Look to future posts for other pitches.

Posts Tagged ‘pitching’