·         If its not 80 degrees, you are not in short sleeves. You need to cover your arm

·         All pitchers should have an extra long sleeve shirt and jacket at all times in their baseball bag

·         Long toss everyday to build up arm strength (start close, working your way back & stay in straight line)

·         Arm exercises with elastic tubing, very light dumbbells, and a medicine ball are important for strengthening arm

·         Ice your arm for 20 minutes after each time you pitch under your elbow & on top of shoulder

·         Run after you ice your arm to help build up leg muscle which are important for leg drive

·         Draw a line in the dirt from the mound towards home plate as a guide to stay straight with home plate.

·         Skipping then throwing (Crow Hop) is a great way to develop rhythm which is important on the mound

·         Keep tract of your pitch count every time you pitch. WARM UP PITCHES COUNT TOO!

·         Always be aggressive early in the count. Your best pitch is always first pitch strike.

·         Working quickly keeps everyone in the game (Fielders behind you and the umpire)

·         If you don’t have a driver’s license you are not throwing a curveball. Fastballs 2 & 4 seem and changeup

·         Know that every pitch is going right through the catcher’s mitt. HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF

Ø      Start with the ball in your hand in the glove.  Glove should be in front of your chest facing only you.

Ø      Your heels should be on top of the rubber while your toes are in front on the dirt (nice and comfortable)

Ø      If there is a big hole, start with your heels against the front of the rubber.

Ø      If you are having a hard time balancing, pitch from the stretch to simplify things

5 Steps for the Pitching Windup

1. Take a small step back with your left foot.  Weight should not transfer over rubber.   

2. Pivot your right foot in front of the rubber. Side of foot should be completely against rubber. Right Hander on the right side of the rubber, Left Hander on the left side.

3. Pick your left knee up so you are in the balance point (make sure your hands have not moved from your chest) Toe should be directly below knee pointing downward. (Helps for balance)

4. Stride forward towards your target leading with your heal down and out. Keep your weight back as long as possible when striding.  Hands should break over your knee as you are doing this.  Your weight should transfer from the balls of your back foot to the balls of your front foot. Stop when your front foot lands (putting your foot into a sandal), your glove arm and the ball should be on the same straight plane as your shoulders are fully extended. Ball should be facing 2^nd base slightly above your shoulder and your glove or front elbow should be pointing at the catcher.

5. Bring the glove towards your armpit and turn to throw.  Make sure you follow through.  Chest over your left knee (like using a sledge hammer) and bring your back leg up and over so it ends up just in front of your lead foot. The majority of your weight should end up over your front knee. Try reaching out and grabbing the catcher’s mitt to help your finish.

v      Say the Numbers 1-5 in your head as you are doing them to help you go through each step when pitching. This will remind you where you need to be throughout your delivery

Pitching Drills

Balance Beam

Make sure pitchers are wearing turf or sneakers rather than spikes. Have them pitch from the stretch, while standing on a 2 x 6 piece of wood. This will force them to keep their balance throughout their motion.

Hopping Balance Drill

Start at your balance point. Take three small hops forward then throw. After each hop you must remain balanced.  Should be able to throw on any hop if asked to. Make sure they are hopping in a straight line. Do this drill on flat ground.

Balance Wall Touch

Player is in his balance point a few feet away from wall. Stride down and out and touch the wall with the outside of your foot while keeping your weight back on your back leg then right back up to your balance point. Repeat over and again. This will help players keep their weight back on their stride. (Think about checking a pool out to see if the water is cold with your foot)

Side Toss

Pitcher goes through his windup and stops at his balance point. Once he is balanced, flip him the ball from the side of the mound. Once he has received the ball he may proceed throwing the ball to the catcher. This makes sure he is balanced when throwing.

Towel Drill

Wrap a towel tightly with some tape. Holding one end of the towel, go through the throwing motion while trying to reach out as far as you can and hit a chair or something with the towel. This will help work on getting good extension and having the proper arm circle.

Medicine Ball Slam

Four Seam Fastball

The four-seam fastball (or four seamer) is the single most important pitch in baseball, and it should be the foundation of a baseball pitchers repertoire for three reasons:

1. It's the easiest pitch for pitchers to locate for a strike.
2. It's the fastest pitch (mph).
3. It sets up a every other pitch a pitcher will throw (especially off-speed pitches).

The pitching grip for the four seam fastball is relatively easy. Place your index- and middle-finger pads directly on the perpendicular seam of the baseball with the "horseshoe seam" facing into the ring finger of the throwing hand .

Next, place your throwing hand thumb directly beneath your fingers on the other side of the baseball and resting on the smooth leather .

Ideally, a pitcher should aim to rest his thumb in the center of the horseshoe seam on the bottom side of the baseball .

The pitch should be gripped softly, like an egg, and there should be a "gap" or large space between the baseball and the palm (or cup) of the throwing-hand (as shown in the middle picture).

That gap, caused by the four seam fastball gripped in the fingertips, is the key to throwing a good, hard four-seam fastball with maximal pitching velocity.

However, it's been my experience that most baseball pitchers grip the four seam fastball far too tightly and far too deeply in their throwing hand (sometimes to the point where there is little to no gap at all).

Of course, this is incorrect.

Again, that gap is important when throwing a four seam fastball because it minimizes "friction" between the fingers, hand and baseball. The less friction, the quicker the baseball can leave the throwing hand (and with less energy lost), which in turn, equates to more velocity on the pitch itself.

Keeping the four seam fastball in the finger tips also promotes two things important in boosting pitching velocity:

1. Leverage
2. Backspin

Leverage and backspin (not pitching velocity) are the two elements that cause good, hard fastballs to "pop" in the catcher's mitt.

What is pitching leverage?

Leverage is the force that is created when a pitcher "flicks" or "snaps" his wrist upon the release of the baseball.

What is pitching backspin?

Backspin is the bottom-to-top rotation of the baseball that is created when the pitch is released with the index- and middle- fingers directly behind the baseball.

The average Major League Baseball pitcher's four seam fastball will rotate 36 times from the time it leaves his hand until the time it reaches the catcher's mitt (60-feet-6) — the most rotations for any pitched baseball (and thus, a primary reason the four-seam fastball is traditionally the fastest pitch a baseball pitcher will throw).

Remember, keep the four-seam fastball in the fingertips, grip it softly, like an egg, and let it fly!

Two Seam Fastball

The two-seam fastball (also called a two seamer or sinker) is gripped slightly tighter and deeper in the throwing-hand than the four-seam fastball.

Movement on this pitch comes from:

1. The friction that is created from holding the baseball deeper in the throwing hand.
2. The slight, natural pronation of the throwing-hand (which imbalances the baseball) when the pitch is released.

The index- and middle-fingers are placed directly parallel and on top of the narrow seams of the baseball . Next, place your thumb directly on the bottom side of the baseball and on the smooth leather in between the other narrow seams.

Change Up

Make an "OK" gesture with your throwing hand.

This is the starting point of the circle change-up.

Next, place the ball in your hand with the throwing hand's ring-finger in the center of the grip.

When the baseball is thrown, the "circle" made from overlapping the index-finger on top of the thumb, turns inward toward the target. This is called "turning the ball over."

However, unlike a curveball or slider, the change-up is turned over on the inside part of the baseball, not the outside.

Remember to throw the baseball as you would a fastball. The speed variation comes from the friction created by holding the ball deep in the hand.

There should be no space between the ball and the throwing hand.

Think "throw the index-finger's knuckle to the target" to get dramatic "down-and-in" big league movement.

Many youth leagues have a limit of the number of innings each pitcher can throw. This number can be manipulated by a player throwing many pitches during these innings. This guide helps you understand how many pitches is recommended. Buy a hand counter and keep track of the number of pitches each pitcher throws. Make sure you also watch how many pitches each pitcher throws during warmups. 15-20 off the mound would be sufficient. Even the new Little League pitch count rules have the players throw too many pitches per week.

a. Any player on a regular season team may pitch. (NOTE: There is no limit to the number of pitchers a team may use in a game.) Exception: A player who has attained a league age of twelve (12) is not eligible to pitch in the Minor League.

b. Junior, Senior, and Big League Divisions only: A pitcher remaining in the game, but moving to a different position, can return as a pitcher anytime in the remainder of the game, but only once per game.

Exception: If a pitcher reaches the limit imposed in Regulation VI (c) for his/her league age while facing a batter, the pitcher may continue to pitch until that batter reaches base or is put out. Note 1. If the pitcher reaches the limit imposed in Regulation VI (c) on his/her last pitch to a particular batter, the pitcher must be removed before delivering a pitch to the next batter. Note 2. Intentional Walk: Before a pitch is delivered to the batter, the catcher must inform the umpire-in-chief that the defensive team wishes to give the batter an intentional base-on-balls. The umpire-in-chief waves the batter to first base. The ball is dead.

• If a player pitches 61 or more pitches in a day, four (4) calendar days of rest must be observed.

• If a player pitches 41 - 60 pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest must be observed.

• If a player pitches 21 - 40 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest must be observed.

• If a player pitches 1-20 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar day of rest must be observed.

• If a player pitches 76 or more pitches in a day, four (4) calendar days of rest must be observed.

• If a player pitches 51 - 75 pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest must be observed.

• If a player pitches 26 - 50 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest must be observed.

• If a player pitches 1-25 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar day of rest must be observed.

NOTES:

Example 1: A league age 12 pitcher delivers 70 pitches in a game on Monday when the game is suspended. The game resumes on the following Thursday. The pitcher is not eligible to pitch in the resumption of the game because he/she has not observed the required four days of rest.

Example 2: A league age 12 pitcher delivers 70 pitches in a game on Monday when the game is suspended. The game resumes on Saturday. The pitcher is eligible to pitch up to 85 more pitches in the resumption of the game because he/she has observed the required four days of rest.

Example 3: A league age 12 pitcher delivers 70 pitches in a game on Monday when the game is   suspended. The game resumes two weeks later. The pitcher is eligible to pitch up to 85 more pitches in the resumption of the game, provided he/she is eligible based on his/her pitching record during the previous four days.

Note: The use of this regulation negates the concept of the “calendar week” with regard to pitching eligibility.