Youth Pitching: Natural is Better

www.TheRisingFastball.com

Our main goal for young pitchers is to get them to let loose, attack the zone, and pitch the ball in a way that feels natural and comfortable to them. In order to help them do this, we must keep things extremely simple, ask them questions and repeat ideas over and over. We must also realize that every player’s body and arm works differently, so we can’t make “cookie-cutter” pitchers. In fact, we prefer unique deliveries and styles. Remember that for youth players, the name of the game is throwing fastballs for strikes. If we can get kids to repeat their motion and throw the ball freely for strikes, then we have succeeded. However, it’s even hard for advanced players to throw strikes consistently, so in order to practice this skill, we must work on the player's feel for picking up a target and throwing through that target without thinking about it every step of the way.

Young players want to please coaches and this can often get in the way of them doing what feels comfortable for them. We want them to take the things we demonstrate or suggest and adapt it for their body and arm. The more they feel comfortable with their mechanics, the more likely they will be able to repeat them and throw consistent strikes. Ask questions instead of making commands. Demonstrate mechanics and let them see the pitching motion instead of trying to explain everything verbally. Kids are usually visual learners so just commanding them to do something is rarely effective and can often be confusing and counterproductive.

Whether it's using a fork properly, riding a bike, or building a Lego castle, young kids learn by doing. So stop talking so much, let them learn to pitch by throwing and pitching. Let them experience successes, feel their failures and adjust their bodies and arms accordingly. Ask them questions and voice simple observations and reminders. Stop trying to make them a robot who looks exactly like someone you saw pitch ten days ago or ten years ago. Encourage their efforts and focus on the process of development, instead of worrying about every rep, every pitch, every ball or strike.

Finally, no young player is going to be a good pitcher if they don't love to throw the baseball. Let kids hurl baseballs over fences, into garbage cans, against walls, and towards targets. Allow them to let loose by using a radar gun to test their velocity and a plastic stand-in hitter to practice their control. Encourage young players to "let their arm go" and throw with reckless abandon. Encourage them to change their thought process from "controlling" the ball to "attacking" the zone. Challenge them to let their body naturally start and stop their arm instead of using their mind to mechanically rotate it through the throwing motion. Too many kids deliberately raise their arms, throw the ball, and stop their arm. They are trying to push the ball into the zone as if they are throwing a dart into a balloon. We want kids to pitch like they are trying to throw a tennis ball through their garage door. Freely. Loosely. And with total reckless abandon.

When kids throw without the fear of controlling it, pushing it, or aiming it, they will actually throw more strikes and feel more comfortable with their mechanics, delivery, and motion. Like a golfer who attacks the ball is more successful then a golfer who decelerates to the ball, pitchers are more successful when their arm is working in an attack mode. It may seem as though slowing their arm down and focusing more on each part of the throwing process would help command and control, but it doesn't. Letting the arm work without fearing negative results (hits, HBPs, walks, etc), will allow young players to not only throw harder, but pitch to their target more often than not. Test it out by talking less, demonstrating more, and encouraging a free and natural pitching motion.


-- Ben Campopiano