Pitching Little League to Babe Ruth Pat Berger Varsity Head Coach Hopkins High School

Six Ways to be a Better Coach* 1. Use the first few seconds to connect on an emotional level. 2. Avoid giving long speeches- Instead, deliver vivid chunks of information. 3. Be allergic to “mushy” language.

Six Ways to be a Better Coach (ctd)* 4. Make a scorecard for learning. 5. Maximize “Reachfulness” 6. Aim to create Independent Learners.

Basic Pitching Skills Warming up Properly. Teach the stages of pitching. Practice pitching frequently. Use other drills. The mental part of pitching.

Warming Up Properly Do your best coaching now. Instruct first, then demonstrate. Make sure they do it right.

1- Wrist Toss on Two Knees Four seam grip. Release point level with shoulder. Spin the ball.

2-Elbow to Wrist Toss Same as step one. Glove on. Start out front, pull back towards ear, then back forward releasing ball. Elbow level with shoulder. Release out front.

3- One Knee Throwing Kneel on throwing knee. Start at gathering position. Tell kids to get to “Umpire Says Safe”. Pull glove into chest, throw ball and follow through over knee.

4-Stride, Stop, Check, Throw Player strides like he is going to throw to their partner. Stop at Power Position. Look back to check that fingers are on top of the ball directly behind. Look back at target and finish throw.

Power Position

5- Put it Together Step and throw without pausing. Every throw has a purpose. Always work on hitting target. Gradually back up to stretch out arm.

Long Toss Example

The Stages of Pitching Balance Power Delivery Follow Through

Balance Point Stay tall, but bend back knee. Relax toe. Lead with chin. Focus on target. Don’t rush.

Power Position Arms spread. Creating downward plane towards plate. Fingers on top of the ball. Weight should be where the ball is.

Delivery Lead arm pulled in toward body. Concentrating on release point. Consistent arm slot and speed.

Release Point Ball Rotation Matching stride with release.

Follow Through Kick back leg “over the chair”. Arm continues to natural deceleration. Ready to field the ball.

Teach the Changeup! Different grips for different ages/pitchers. Circle, Pitch Fork, Split grips. Examples with baseballs. How to get good at throwing the changeup.

Correcting Mistakes Throwing Too High Releasing the ball too early. They should work on step one of playing catch to reestablish proper release point. Stride is too short, causing the arm to release the ball too early. Have them practice their stride without throwing a ball. Standing too tall, creating an upward plane towards target. Ball will sail. Work on playing catch close together. Stride too long. Arm tries to compensate by throwing up hill. Follow same routine as striding too short.

Correcting Mistakes ctd. Throwing Too Low Releasing the ball too late. Step one of playing catch work. Stride is too long. Follow stride routine. Stride is too short. Same as above.

Correcting Mistakes ctd Missing Targets Teach four seam grip. Make sure they are stepping at their target. Make sure their fingers are on top of the ball. Watch their release point. Shorten the distance the player has to throw. Use wall drill. Put them in a position to succeed.

Practice Pitching! Pitchers get better at pitching by practicing pitching! Repetitions with less effort. Off the mound and flat ground. Work situations (0-0 count, 0-2 count, inside, outside, take situations, etc.)

Drills Towel drill Black and white ball Blind fold Inside outside Long toss 21 Simulated game Screen Throwing Target practice at each step Freeze

Pitcher Mentality Need to know when to forget and when to remember. Keep the game moving. Don’t show up the umpire. Only control what you can control. Be in command at all times!

Pitch to Contact- Walks Are Not Acceptable Goal is not to strike everyone out. Goal is to pitch late into the game. Trust your defense. Make hitters earn their way on base. Walks lead to runs. We want to prevent runs.

2015 Hopkins Baseball Youth Coaches Clinic Welcome! We will be starting at 6:00. There are three presenters tonight.

Tonight’s Schedule 6:00-7:00: Basic practice and game set-up, with an emphasis on coaching your own child. Kevin Athmann (Former Hopkins youth and high school coach.) 7:00-8:00: Correct throwing fundamentals with a focus on pitching. Proper mechanics, drills, and grips will be discussed Pat Berger (Hopkins High School Varsity Head Coach).

Tonight’s Schedule Ctd. 8:00-9:00: Coaching the youth catcher. Drills and skills will be discussed. Josh Hintz (Hopkins High School Varsity Associate Head Coach.)