Many of you have pitchers that will be moving up in age group this year and as a result they will be pitching from longer distances and possibly also pitching the bigger softball.
Both will require more velocity and throwing strength so let’s look at 3 things that will help your pitcher create more pitching strength.
3 Keys to Creating More Pitching Strength:
- Start with fast feet – the stride is where the pitch creates the power she’ll use at the release point. If she doesn’t start with a fast and powerful stride forward (and not just up) she can’t end up having a fast and powerful pitch. So help create a faster and stronger pitch by starting out with a longer and more powerful stride. A great drill for helping pitchers take a more powerful stride is Distance Pitching – check out our Distance Pitching eDrill!
- Release with a faster hand – however fast the foot starts in the stride the pitcher’s hand must move even faster during the release. Too many pitchers start their hand fast and then gradually slow down as they get closer to releasing the ball – the opposite needs to be true. The pitcher’s hand must get faster the closer she gets to letting go of the ball. Remember that the most important part of the pitching motion is the release, and it happens at the end of the arm circle, and not at the beginning. Check out the Sock Bombs eDrill – it’s a great way to help pitchers get a faster hand at release!
- Finish long and fast – a long and fast follow through is the final key to creating more pitching strength. The pitcher is throwing a ball OUT to the catcher so her follow through needs to continue out as long and as fast as possible. Too many pitchers after releasing the ball immediately go UP with their follow through which drastically reduces their speed and power. The Basketball Pitch is a great drill for helping pitchers work on finishing long and fast!
To help practice these 3 keys here are some pitching eDrills that will do the trick:
- Distance Pitching
- Sock Bombs
- Basketball Pitch
- For the best value, check out the Vault Classic where you get ALL of our eDrills, eClinics, ePractices and eSkills!
And our foam trainers are a wonderful training tool for helping your pitchers build strength, control and movement on their pitches.
