by Joe Benedetti

During the winter months, coaches having the good fortune of using an indoor facility have been working with their pitchers. With the costs of these facilities escalating, coaches have found creative, cost effective solutions to develop their pitchers year round by organizing pitching clinics, schools, clubs, etc. Time and facility costs are shared within the local organization.

Some dedicated coaches and parents have gone so far as to create their own indoor pitching facility within the basements of their own homes. Good for them! The overall goal of these pitching training programs, as well as the specific objectives of each session, varies greatly with the age, experience, and competitive level of the athletes participating. Generally speaking, pitchers work on improving their overall mechanics so as to develop faster velocity and better control.

An important area of training that has nothing to do with the physical and technical development of pitchers, but everything to do with their mental and tactical development, is often neglected by coaches. In other words, giving athletes a real understanding of the art of pitching will help to make them into real pitchers and not just throwers.

One philosophy of pitching that has reportedly been around since the 1800’s has three components and all of six simple, yet profound, words:

Throw Strikes
Work Fast
Change Speeds

Throw Strikes – it sounds simple, but it is not as simple as it sounds. Doug Neil, a long time pitching clinician, preaches that a pitcher should NEVER throw strikes if the batter swings at balls and if the umpire calls your balls strikes! Effective pitchers must learn to throw strikes when they need to while working with, and adapting to, an umpire’s strike zone.

Some teams, and many individual batters, have the bad habit of always taking the first pitch. Well, guess what? Smart pitchers and coaches who have scouted well will take advantage of this and get ahead in the count by hurling in the first pitch for a strike.

It is also well known that the dreaded base on ball often comes back to haunt us – so make the batters earn their bases – throw strikes! Of course, developing control is what “throwing strikes” really means. Various targets can be used to help pitchers with their control and the use of “strings” (as outlined in the Softball Canada NCCP Technical Level 2 Manual) is most effective.

Work Fast – Why? What’s the rush you might ask? Well, first of all, let’s clarify what is meant by this. We are not talking about rushing or hurrying between pitches. We are talking about developing a routine using a consistent, smooth and efficient pace that doesn’t waste time between pitches. This will keep the entire defense on its toes, ready, activated and energized to make plays for the pitcher and the team. It will prevent them from losing concentration and focus thereby slowing their reaction time and their decision making processes. It will also be less tiring on the catcher.

Many pitchers are required to pitch in multiple games on the same day, so why have them stay out there, often in the heat and humidity, any longer than what is necessary?

Change Speeds – It’s often said that hitting is all about timing and that pitching is all about upsetting timing. Once pitchers, even at the youngest ages, have developed smooth mechanics, they should start to learn a change up, off-speed, or slow ball. (Again, see your Level 2 Manual for further technical information.) This is not really about acquiring confidence in delivering a change up but more about being able to change the speeds of all their pitches at more competitive levels. This can be done in many ways, but it often requires just subtle adjustments in grip, pressure points, wrist snap, etc. It may also be done by just reaching back and having the pitcher give it everything they have once in a while to increase velocity.

Less experienced pitchers often do not throw enough change ups, period. Often, they seem to get “embarrassed” when their pitch bounces in the dirt or is thrown very high, which sometimes happens when they are still mastering good control and their confidence in delivering the pitch. Good coaches will remind their pitchers that the goal is not necessarily to throw a strike, or use the pitch as an out pitch, but more to upset the batters timing, and to mess with their head while getting them to think.

Having been a carded umpire since 1979, I witnessed something recently for the first time. You might be guessing a “perfect inning” – 3 pitches, 3 outs, but that’s not it as I’ve seen a few of those over the years. It was a pitcher who, at the start of an inning, threw three consecutive change ups, all of them for swinging strikes to get an out.

As a coach, you have many things to consider as you prepare your pitchers for the upcoming season. Take the time and have the patience to teach your pitchers the secrets in the “art of pitching.” Throw Strikes, Work Fast, Change Speeds. Your team, and its pitchers, will be richly rewarded.