Five Most Common Softball Pitching Mechanics You Need to Avoid to Prevent Injuries

Softball Pitching Mechanics Flaws
By Guest Author: Marc Dagenais

Softball pitching is one of the most important roles that need to be learn if you want to be an elite softball player. It takes time and practice to be able to develop great pitching skills and if you are a softball pitcher, you, along with the catcher at the home plate, determine greatly the outcome of the game as you both communicate what pitches to throw in order to prevent the opposing team of players from hitting the ball with the bat.

There are cases where even the most seasoned softball pitchers, who have years and years of experience, use incorrect pitching mechanics, especially when they were taught to do so. And due to the wrong pitching mechanics that they employ, they can develop many softball pitching-related injuries that can either stop them from playing softball for a while or even end their softball careers altogether.

Here are five of the most common softball-pitching mechanics that you must need to stay away from if you want to continue playing the game that you love and prevent injuries.

Overuse

More often than not, when you throw the softball over and over again using the wrong pitching mechanics, you can get injured, specifically on the shoulder and rotating cuffs of your body. For instance, if you often pitch the rollover drop ball, it is highly likely that you would have an overuse injury. Up to now, there is no clear idea as to the number of pitches that you as a softball pitcher would only pitch to avoid injuries but you must be able to exercise some restraint and get proper rest in between innings.

Inadequate Warm Up and Stretching

When the day of the softball tournament comes, majority of the athletes do not take pre-game warm up seriously and so, they often rush through this activity. For softball pitchers, it is important that they perform warm-up exercises such as jogging, throwing and other dynamic exercises before they even go to the pitching mound. They must ensure that their muscles are lose and limber before they pitch the ball.

Doing Breaking Pitches At the Wrong Time

In order to be able to pitch drop balls, curve balls and other difficult pitches, you must have a developed and adept bone structure, specifically at the wrist. You need to have a tough, taut wrist snap so, that you can cause the ball to spin fast. Unfortunately, young softball pitchers do not have a developed bone and muscle structure yet and so, they are not capable yet in performing a tough wrist snap. So, if you are a softball coach, remember not to force young players to practice breaking pitches at this time as they would not be able to do it in an effective manner.

Doing the Chicken Wing

Chicken wing is what we call the elbow of the pitcher when she allows it to fly when she does a pitching maneuver. This can cause a softball pitcher to have elbow and shoulder injuries since this should not be a component of the pitch or even the follow through. Aside from the injuries, chicken winging can cause you as the softball pitcher to have improper control on pitching. Usually, if you utilize pitching methods like the snapover, then, you have the tendency to have your shoulder and elbows look like a chicken wing when you release the ball. To avoid this, you must have your elbow curled tightly on your side and your forearm and wrist should only be the ones that you use when you snap the ball.

Tugging the Head and Shoulders Backwards When Releasing the Pitch

There are some softball pitchers who tug their bodies as their arm releases the ball. Even if whipping your arm at this stage is necessary in order for your pitch to achieve optimal speed, you should never ever snap your head, neck and upper back. When you consistently do a jerking motion when you release your pitches, it is highly likely that you would have back or neck injuries.

Be sure to avoid incorrect softball pitching mechanics listed above so, that you would be able to prevent yourself from developing pitching-related injuries and have a long, successful softball career.

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

Softball Pitching Tips on Common Pitching Errors You Should Avoid

By Marc Dagenais

In softball, it is the job of the defensive team to force the offensive team to commit errors. It's the role of the pitcher and the catcher to prevent the batter from hitting the ball, the basemen to protect the bases, and the outfielders to catch balls the come to their direction.

Therefore, it would be a huge mistake for defensive players to allow the offense to turn the tables on them, and forcing the defense to commit errors.

Since the pitcher plays a huge role in defense along with the catcher, she must keep errors on her part to a minimum. Doing that would increase her team's chances of winning the game.

Here are some softball pitching tips I have for you to prevent the common errors most pitchers make.

Pitching with the Arm

At first glance, it looks as if most of the pitching motion and accuracy depends on the arm. After all, how strong the pitch is depends on the power the pitcher's arm can deliver.

But the truth is that the pitching motion begins with the legs, connects to the hips and simply culminates with the release of the ball from the hand.

That's why I recommend that you get a total training if you want to become a good pitcher. Focus on how you can improve your balance and motion with your legs and hips, as much as you would go to the gym and strengthen your arm muscles.

Pitching with a Straight Arm

Pitching with a straight arm seems like a logical idea when it comes to pitching. It's probably good if it's how you throw the ball naturally. Otherwise, I would recommend a whipping motion to enable you to throw your pitch much efficiently.

Not Giving Enough Time to Develop Your Pitch

It's fantastic if your team has a training coach that will help you improve your pitching. And it's even better if you can invest on hiring a personal training coach who can give you more personalized advice when it comes to your game.

However, it's easy to treat these options as a crutch and expect yourself to become a fantastic pitcher in just several sessions.

The truth of the matter is that it takes a lot of time for you to totally develop your pitching skills. Some young players may not show a lot of promise at the beginning, only to develop their skills by the time they're in their teens.

What I'm getting at here is that you should persist if you really want to be a good pitcher. Develop your mechanics, strengthen the muscles that you use for pitching, and put your own personal stamp on pitching that batters won't be able to read easy.

These things take time. But when you fully develop your pitching skills, the rewards are fantastic.

Now that you know what some of the softball pitching errors you should avoid, why don't you try it out for yourself and apply what you've just read here?

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

Softball Pitching Tips on Common Pitching Errors You Should Avoid

By Marc Dagenais

In softball, it is the job of the defensive team to force the offensive team to commit errors. It's the role of the pitcher and the catcher to prevent the batter from hitting the ball, the basemen to protect the bases, and the outfielders to catch balls the come to their direction.

Therefore, it would be a huge mistake for defensive players to allow the offense to turn the tables on them, and forcing the defense to commit errors.

Since the pitcher plays a huge role in defense along with the catcher, she must keep errors on her part to a minimum. Doing that would increase her team's chances of winning the game.

Here are some softball pitching tips I have for you to prevent the common errors most pitchers make.

Pitching with the Arm

At first glance, it looks as if most of the pitching motion and accuracy depends on the arm. After all, how strong the pitch is depends on the power the pitcher's arm can deliver.

But the truth is that the pitching motion begins with the legs, connects to the hips and simply culminates with the release of the ball from the hand.

That's why I recommend that you get a total training if you want to become a good pitcher. Focus on how you can improve your balance and motion with your legs and hips, as much as you would go to the gym and strengthen your arm muscles.

Pitching with a Straight Arm

Pitching with a straight arm seems like a logical idea when it comes to pitching. It's probably good if it's how you throw the ball naturally. Otherwise, I would recommend a whipping motion to enable you to throw your pitch much efficiently.

Not Giving Enough Time to Develop Your Pitch

It's fantastic if your team has a training coach that will help you improve your pitching. And it's even better if you can invest on hiring a personal training coach who can give you more personalized advice when it comes to your game.

However, it's easy to treat these options as a crutch and expect yourself to become a fantastic pitcher in just several sessions.

The truth of the matter is that it takes a lot of time for you to totally develop your pitching skills. Some young players may not show a lot of promise at the beginning, only to develop their skills by the time they're in their teens.

What I'm getting at here is that you should persist if you really want to be a good pitcher. Develop your mechanics, strengthen the muscles that you use for pitching, and put your own personal stamp on pitching that batters won't be able to read easy.

These things take time. But when you fully develop your pitching skills, the rewards are fantastic.

Now that you know what some of the softball pitching errors you should avoid, why don't you try it out for yourself and apply what you've just read here?

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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