Dos and Don'ts of Softball Pitching

Like any other sports in our country, softball has been consistently being played by all ages, boys or girls. Since the introduction of this game by George Hancock, it already progresses to becoming one of the most-loved sports.

If you are interested in playing softball, you should carefully study the rudiments of it. You should know the basics and the rules on how to play. When it comes to skills, you should be able to bat, field, catch, run and pitch. Those are the common skills needed for you to excel well in this sport.

Discussing each skill would require a lengthy article, which is why softball pitching is the concentration of this article. In layman's term pitching is synonymous to throwing. But throwing doesn't is as easy as throwing a stone. One should master the art of pitching so that you may provide the game with extra excitement and elicit more applause from the crowd.

Getting started is quite easy, just be sure that you know how put your hands and feet in their proper places. Just remember that when you are already in the field, the following tips could help you carry out your tasks successfully:

1. Make sure that your pitching arm pass overhead (just like the 12 o'clock position) while your weight is on the drive leg.
2. Swing you arms up as your body moves along with it.
3. Land with your stride leg pointed at about 30 to 45 degrees to maintain your balance.
4. Release the ball once it is beside your hip.
5. Push your drive leg off the pitching rubber to give you more power.

Once you have tried doing those things, you will end up successfully in pitching the ball to the batter. But, there are also some nonsense actions that you should avoid while pitching.

1. Do not let your balance arm swing off to the side because this will diminish your pitching power as you throw the ball. As you bring your arms up, your pitching arm should make a 360-degree rotation while your balance arm will go up for 90 degrees.
2. As you raise up your hand, just stand straight. Do not lean over for this will cause you to let the ball go late.
3. If you do not want to have any ankle, knee or hip injury, do not land on the side ways of your stride leg.
4. The ball should be released behind the shoulders. Do not release the ball in front of your body for you can't pitch it to your maximum power.

Softball pitching is one of those vital skills in winning the game because you will be the pitching the ball which starts the game. In your hands lie the winning or the losing of your team.
Marc Dagenais, MHK, CSCS, is a softball peak performance coach that helps players and teams hit with more power, run faster, throw harder, become mentally tougher, and be more dominant on the softball field. To get tons of great FREE softball pitching tips to boost your game, visit us at: http://www.softballperformance.com

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