Total noob at pitching, 22 yr old

Pitching Mechanics
#1

The distance to the fence from sidewalk is approx. 50-55ft. I had to throw over the trampoline so maybe it mentally slowed me down, and I also had flip flops on :smiley:

I played a few baseball games with 3 of my friends in a baseball park when I was in middle school, that’s about it for my experience with baseball, but I’m generally good at throwing things.

After watching many pitching videos on youtube I realize my “step” is horrible, so what else is wrong with my pitching?

I think my pitching speed is OK, but looks like I have bad accuracy in the 2nd vid, it flew over the fence, will that be improved with more pitching experience or is it because of bad technique?

Thank you.

#2

Good morning, “total noob”—NOT.
I can give you a few suggestions that may help in the beginning, and for the rest I would say you should find a good pitching coach who will work with you and teach you some of the things you need to know. The first thing—you obviously need to work on control, and here’s a drill—actually more than a drill, it’s a good workout and a lot of fun besides. This is something I used to do when I was a little snip, twelve years old or so, and I continued to do it from time to time through the years when I was pitching. First, get a good catcher. Then, if you can work off a mound, do it, or if not, mark off a pitcher’s rubber and a home plate 60’6’'apart. It’s a little game called “ball and strike”, and the purpose of this is to sharpen up one’s control. The catcher positions his mitt in various spots, high, low, inside, outside, wherever, and what you have to do is get the ball into the pocket of the mitt—believe me, there are few more satisfying things than the “thwack” of the ball as it goes smack dab into the pocket of the mitt. I remember how we used to go at it for an hour at a time!
Next, you should think about your arm angle. What type of delivery is most comfortable for you—overhand, high or low three-quarters, sidearm or even submarine (there are a few pitchers who use that delivery). Or maybe don’t even think about it. Just throw the ball and see what feels most natural for you, and once you have found it (to paraphrase the words of a song), never let it go. I have heard about too many coaches who for one reason or another try to change a pitcher’s natural motion, usually because they have an agenda or something, and it ends up not only not working but also giving the pitcher a sore arm or a sore elbow or whatever. I remember when I discovered, at the age of 11, that I was a natural sidearmer, and I stuck with it, and I found a most incredible pitching coach (an active major-league pitcher) who showed me how to make the most of my natural motion.
Then, consider your repertoire—your stuff, as it were—and it’s not too early to start thinking about it. My guess is you have a pretty good fast ball—you just need to get control and command of it. And you might think about a few breaking pitches—and there are more of them available than one realizes: curve ball, slider, various forms of changeup, you name it: I had a good curve ball that came attached to my sidearm delivery, and I worked with it and learned to change speeds on it, and I also picked up a palm ball and a knuckle-curve. My best pitch was a sharp-breaking slider which I nicknamed “Filthy McNasty” (after a character in a W.C. Fields movie) because that was exactly what it was. You say you’re 22, and that is not too young to think about adding a couple of these pitches to your arsenal once you have your control squared away.
But probably the most important thing is to get those mechanics, and for this nothing beats a good pitching coach who knows what he’s doing and can help you. There’s probably someone, perhaps more than one, in your area—ask around. Good luck to you. :slight_smile: 8)

#3

Hey thanks Zita Carno.

I have now been practicing pitching every other day for the past 2 weeks, going from 30 to 60 pitches each session now, it’s actually a nice cardio workout throwing these balls :slight_smile:

I measured about 65 ft (give or take) from the fence here.

From what I learned so far, I need to work on my stride and tuck the glove arm.

I will try to add a curveball to my pitch and see if that works (I have tried couple times, but doesn’t work well)

As for the coach I have no idea who to talk to, maybe I’ll send an email to my community college coach.

Catcher… well my bro hasn’t been very enthusiastic about that :frowning:

#4

Good morning! I’m glad to see that you’ve gotten into working on a few things—that’s a start.
The curve ball—well, I don’t know what I can tell you about it, because I had a pretty good one that came attached to my sidearm delivery (one of those weird things that just happens at times). But if you’re having a problem with it, why not try picking up the slider? That’s a pitch that’s actually easier on the arm and shoulder than the curve ball, so you might well go after that one first.
I learned the slider when I was sixteen. My instructor, who became my pitching coach for a few years, was an active major-league pitcher who doubled as an extra pitching coach for the Yankees, and here’s what he told me: “Throw it like a curve, but roll your wrist, don’t snap it.” He showed me the off-center grip he used—and it was indeed off-center, neither two-seam nor four-seam but somewhere in between and the index and middle fingers close together with the middle finger just barely touching one seam. He demonstrated the wrist action for me—first in slow motion, then at normal speed as if he were throwing the pitch. Then he handed me the ball he had with him and said “Go ahead—try it.” I got the hang of it in about ten minutes. He watched me and made some mental notes, and that started it.
You can try it with different arm angles to see what’s most comfortable for you and how you can best get it into the strike zone. And if you’re looking for a changeup, try the palm ball (I used to use it as a change, and a nice one it was). For that you grip the ball way back in the palm of your hand, hence the name, with the thumb on the bottom and the other four fingers on top—but DON’T TRY TO SQUEEZE THE JUICE OUT OF THE BALL!, otherwise when you try to throw it it will just squirt out of your hand and drop to the ground with a plop. Maybe leave a little space between your hand and the ball—that will do nicely. And you throw that pitch just like a fast ball, same arm speed, same arm angle.
Keep at it—and then you’ll have to find another name for yourself because you won’t be a noob, total or otherwise, any longer. :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: