Excellent Drills For Softball Pitching

Excellent Drills For Softball Pitching
By guest author: Marc Dagenais

It is known to every pitcher that a good hitter won't able to beat a good pitcher. Softball pitching is one of the most difficult positions in a softball game. It is a skill that needs your intense thinking to what would be the best strategy to use while keeping yourself in concentration inside the diamond. It is a must that if you desire to be good pitcher, you should know what are the drills to use in order to improve your pitching skills.

Excellent softball pitching is not innate in us, it is being developed! Why have your drills? First, it is to identify the key parts of motion so that you can concentrate on it. This will also speed up your learning. Second, drill makes you repeat your movement per time. With this kind of training, you would be able to master the pitching mechanics. It is a must that you should get the correct form so as to perfect it.

Here are some of those drills that you can use in perfecting that excellent pitch.

1. Static pitching - you will throw the ball so a catcher should stand by. You should be facing the catcher about 8 to 10 meters (24 to 30 feet) in distance. Throw the ball in windmill motion while the feet remains steady or stay in place. Rotate your body in full motion. You may start at easy pace. Just add more speed gradually as you become comfortable with your motion. This drill promotes upper body rotation increase your pitching power.

2. Dry Pitching - you may begin with the typical pitching position, long step forward, and stride foot in front of pivot foot. At a rate of 1minute per second. Pitch your arm in continuous full circles. You should aim your rounding circles with your target, with your arms close to head at top. Arm must meet your hips at point of release on each repetition. This drill is designed develop a perfect circle and to promote arm-hip coordination.

3. Pendulum drill - begin with a long step forward, with your foot in a stride position in front of your pivot foot. Your pitching hand should be at the top of the down-swing, or half back of the circle. Put your pitching arm down to the release point and hold it tight against body for a second. The weight should be at your back foot. Finish the movement by forcing the body and hips forward by pushing hard with your pivot foot. As your movement becomes natural, allow your arm to swing right through without pausing. Just ensure that the arm continues to brush your hip each time you do it. This drill will improve your throwing skills with your whole body working, not just with your arms.

These are just some of those many softball pitching drills that you can use in order to improve your pitching skills. By continue doing those drill and research some more will guarantee you a best form in doing your softball pitching.

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. Visit us and sign-up to get tons of great FREE softball pitching tips to boost your game!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais

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Pitching Grip - How to Throw a Curveball

Fastpitch Pitching Grip - How to Throw a Curveball Effectively
By Guest Author Dan Gazaway

When is the best time to throw the curve? When you are ahead of the count with one or two strikes on the batter or surprise the batter by throwing it your first pitch. I only recommend throwing the Curveball the first pitch if you have excellent command and can throw it for a strike. You always want to start the count in your favor.

You can throw the Curveball one of two ways as far as the location of the pitch is concerned. One, you can start the Curveball out in the strike zone and throw it into the dirt hoping the batter will fish for it. Or two, you can start it out as a ball and have it drop into the strike zone. If the batter doesn't swing, it is a strike, and if he does he misses it or grounds out. I prefer the ground out personally so I can throw fewer pitches per inning. When a starting pitcher performs, he should plan on throwing the whole game if he is on a five day rotation; first pitch ground outs are ideal for me.

Before we cover how to grip the Curveball, it is important to note that a pitcher should always pull the curve from his glove. This is important because it ensures that the wrist and forearm are aligned on each pitch for consistency. For example, while throwing a fastball a pitcher should bring his thumbs down, out of the glove so the ball ends up facing second base at the equal and opposite position. The Curveball should be pulled from the glove with the palm of your hand facing toward your body.

Curveball Grip

To grip the Curveball, place your index and ring finger on the seams opposite of the thumb. The thumb and middle finger should split the baseball in half. Apply some pressure on your thumb and middle fingers. Your index finger should simply rest on the ball next to the middle finger. I teach pitchers that are just learning this grip to slightly raise their index finger off the ball to ensure they don't apply pressure with it.

When throwing this pitch, make sure you maintain solid fastball mechanics. One, you don't want to tip the batter so he will know you are throwing something other than a fastball by changing mechanics. You also want to keep the same arm speed and arm angle with the curve. The only thing that changes is wrist and forearm angle. At release, avoid snapping your wrist. The ball rolls off your index finger while spinning the ball with your thumb and middle finger.

A fact about the Curveball: Hitters can hit a "good" Curveball, but they struggle hitting a "great" Curveball. A great Curveball deceives the batter and drops aggressively in the end. Keep practicing so that you will be one of the great Curveball pitchers.

Curveball tip #1: Ensure that your fastball mechanics are in order before learning a curve. Also, to make sure that the ball doesn't squirt on you, finish the pitch with your glove in front of you, not on the side of your body. Refer to your Pitching Mechanics DVD if you are not sure what we mean by that.

Curveball tip#2: Coaches and parents need to monitor how many Curveballs a young athlete throws, especially when the pitch really begins to work for him. Pitcher's who throw the curveball well and experience great success with it, tend to overuse the pitch. The ratio of pitches thrown should be 15-20% Curveballs regardless of how effective your curve is.

Dan Gazaway is owner and founder of The Pitching Academy in Utah. He has instructed over 1,000 students in the area of pitching mechanics and the mental aspect of competitive pitching. Coach Gazaway received his coaching certification through The National Pitching Association in San Diego. Dans latest projects include creating a Pitching Mechanics DVD and e-book and placing them on his Pitching Academy website. Coach Gazaway also instructs thousands of pitchers about proper pitching workouts which include pre-season training as well as pitching workouts relating to off-season conditioning.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Gazaway

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Softball Pitching - The Four Mechanics

By Marc Dagenais

It is very vital for softball pitchers to know and breathe the basics. One cannot perform at his or her best in fastpitch softball if he or she does not know or is not adept with the basics of softball pitching.

There are four mechanics which is essential when it comes to the effective execution of every single softball pitch:


The Stride

The stride should at all times be taken with the pitching hand opposite the foot. The distance is individual but it should be a long walking step. Balance is everything when it comes to looking for the perfect stride. So find where you are most comfortable, balanced, and energized.


The Arm Circle

The arms of the pitcher must be fully relaxed. The circle must be a complete rotation and must be at the same direction as the force. Rotate the pitching arm in a clockwise motion. As the ball is released, the pitching must be quite close to the body particularly the hips.


The Hip Thrust

The hip thrust is said to be the hardest of the four mechanics because it involves the simultaneous use of the hips and the pitching hand... At the point of release, the hips should move forward in order to add some more force and momentum in the pitch. Keep the weight back and push with the pivot foot to achieve this.


The Follow Through

After the ball has been released, the arm should continue to about eye or should level then stop. The pivot foot continues to move forward and ends up being planted on the side to give the softball pitcher his or her balance.

Those are the four basic softball pitching mechanics that every softball pitcher should know. With the knowledge of these four, you can most certainly perform at your peak in softball pitching.

Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that helps softball players and coaches improves their game by sharing with them the tips and strategies used by the world's best softball players and coaches to achieve extraordinary performances. Visit his site and sign-up to get his FREE softball hitting tips!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais


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