If you want to be good in baseball training, you also have to learn how to pitch. Until you get out of high school, you’re not going to have to develop more than two basic pitches, the fastball and curveball. And within that, you can refine further by turning each pitch into what are actually four pitches, with each of them having separate pitches: the low outside, the high inside, the low inside, and the high outside for both the curveball and the fastball. And changing the speed of each pitch expands the repertoire further.
The grip is the same for both the fastball and curveball. Your middle finger and forefinger are both spread in a comfortable “V” on top of the ball, with your thumb underneath. If you deliver the fastball from the three-quarter or overhead delivery, your hand is directly behind the ball. When the ball leaves your hand, it’ll be rotating upward, towards the future. To spin the ball more effectively, you’re probably going to grip the ball across the stitches, either in the narrow or wide part of the figure 8, depending on what’s comfortable for you.
When you throw a curveball, you’re going to make the ball rotate or spin away from the hitter at an angle. The ball should go out and down, not horizontal or “flat.” Move your top fingers along the stitches and goes slowly through delivery as with the fastball to practice.
When your wrist snaps forward, twist your hand outward and bear down on your outside finger. First, learn to twirl the ball at the proper degree. (Paint a large black spot on side of the ball so that you can get correct angle to the “spin.”)
You can improve your control by erecting a set of strings to guide the pitch. For that construct a string between two trees or poles at your average shoulder height, and then put another one parallel to that below it at knee height. Tie two pieces of twine 12 inches apart to the top string and loop around to the bottom string. This will form a “strike zone.” Then, build a pitcher’s mound in front of the strings the right distance away.
Practicing the windup
When it comes to the windup, we’re going to be talking about the three-quarter delivery because it’s the most popular. For this, you’re going to use two basic positions, the windup and the “stretch.” You use the full windup when the bases are empty. Professionally, it’s usually used when runners are on second and third, first, second and third, or on third. The “stretch” is usually used with players on first, first and second, or first and third.
If someone shows promise at eight years old, he or she should first be taught to throw from the stretch position and then gradually be shown the full windup. Before any throwing starts, the pitcher has to learn where and how to stand on the mound. The rules say that the pitcher has to have one foot in contact with the pitching mound until the ball has been delivered.
For that, his pitching foot should be on the plate at the beginning of the windup and stay there until the body is in the final position of the delivery. The pitching foot is the right foot if a person is right-handed, or left for left-handed pitchers. The weight is on the back foot, behind the rubber. The pitcher will hold the ball out of the batting person’s line of sight behind his pitching leg.
When the pitcher sees the batter and the catcher is in the proper position, he can begin the throw.
The game requires regular practice, no matter what aspects you’re practicing. Good baseball players are made as well as born.
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June 8, 2009
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