Move both shoulders in circles: one clockwise, one counter-clockwise. For even more softball training, check out softball video library. The pitcher takes a bucket of balls and moves to a point just behind pitchers rubber. If you cannot locate the problem, ask one of your assistant coaches to watch or take your pitcher to another coach. Throughout, keep eyes focused on a target ahead. Then in this position throw a minimum of 30 full-blast fastballs. 7. Get a demo; Features; Pricing; Tournaments; FAQs; Coaches or Team Managers. 1. If you are catching the pitcher, having that bright colored twine powerline, going from home plate to 10 feet in front of the rubber, will make itmuch easier to tell if the pitcher is off the power line without distractingyou from the ball coming at you. Then I have them move in ten foot increments back until they are throwing from as far back as 60 feet. Next you will put your other knee facing home plate. Do this on both sides until you feel limber. Pitch a ball that crosses over the plate. Drill correctly to boost arm strength, accuracy, power, and control. To the batter it seems as though its that same pitch (the strike) over and over. This [tag]softball drill [/tag] helps pitchers realize the importance of staying balanced and in line upon release of the pitch. Take your game to the next level with softball drills and workouts at STACK.com. By taking things one component at a time, you can focus your team in . Do 10-15 full loops of each arm in clockwise and counterclockwise directions. If you look at the body from the third base side, it resembles the letter K. If the ball hits it (which with young players is often) the ball drops straight down and does not deflect to the catcher (me). Then have her throw to the different lines on command. -Then I stretch the string from home plate to the next nail in front of therubber and tie them off so the twine is taught. #6. Many pitchers will throw a certain pitch for an off-speed pitch and that is all. SOFTBALL PITCHING DRILL FOR SPEED (Stacked Ball Drill) - YouTube Drill designed to help pitcher focus on drag leg and engaging thigh and core muscles during pitching motion. Now you only swing at it on the third. Remember, to give up a handful of accuracy for a pinch more speed, is NEVER a good trade. Never let them see you sweat!!6. Try utilizing the striped ball in your next practice and watch the throwing errors disappear! While doing this, emphasize the proper weight distribution. Note that for this drill, it might be too advanced for some 8U players. Return to starting position each repetition should take 23 seconds. A: Some basic softball pitching drills include the balance point, arm circle, toe touch, and leg kick drills. Start with pitches right down the middle and then work the corners (inside and outside) also high and low. As you bring your ball hand around toward the release point, push off the pitching rubber with your trail foot violently so it squares your body to the target. In addition, many dont use their back leg by driving it forward. This means, after warm-up, pitching 75-150 balls, hitting locations and working on rotations and if at all possible, throwing long toss. THE WALL WORKOUTEvery pitcher has one problem in common; sometimes you need or want to practice your pitching and cant come up with anyone to catch for you. Control and maintain same speed throughout the motion. Use this every time!! Run and Drag Begin as if you were on the mound with your feet staggered and your throwing arm foot slightly in front. While it can do these things, the main job of the glove in pitching is to aim the ball. This tool is specifically meant to help your pitcher feel a good load and get a really STRONG push and glide off the rubber! Members online 6 Guests online 124 Total . The stripe gives instant feedback to the player and is easy for the catcher to see and determine what rotation has been imparted to the ball. Windmill drills are great for arm strength, technique and pitching velocity. Instead of the ball facing the batter when it is at the hip, the hand should be palm up to the sky and the ball laying in the hand so if you were to stop the motion the ball would stay in the hand. Work on accuracy first. Every coach needs new ideas to keep their players on their toes and practice interesting and fun. Just deliver the pitch in the location called and you have done your job. The following 30-day challenge will correct these issues and help you generate more power and spin on your pitches. After this motion, both hands come forward with the glove hand pointing directly at the target as the stride is taken. Tip #3Training during your noncompetitive season?Pam Newton, ASA Junior Olympic Coach. HAVE FUN! The one I use is an inflatable Mickey Mouse. Register Log in 1 2 3 6 Next Mar 2, 2020 #1 T Texas McE Oct 11, 2019 38 8 Please help. SOFTBALL PITCHING DRILLS AND GAMES These are various pitching drills. After all, most pitchers in NCAA D-III are very successful without a rise ball (though this is changing). The batters can sense your confidence and you have already won half the battle. During this drill, the player snaps her wrist as quickly and violently as possible. The keys are the same for any position, Preparation (drills and muscle memory), Confidence (knowing that you can perform any athletic task required because of your hard work and muscle memory) and Relaxation (when your have confidence in your preparation you are relaxed and can focus on the game). And that is OK; by hitting bad pitches in practice you slowly figure out that hitting short pitches allows you to drive the ball back through the middle, that in addition to hitting outside deep pitches to right field you can use an inside-out swing to hit inside short pitches down that line as well, or that flat pitches are easy to hit into the corner down the left field line. Have the pitcher gently put on the brakes at the end of the wind-up so the ball only returns as far as the 60 percent mark. 2023 Softball-Spot.com. . It goes like this: Start out in the K position. There is also much that can be used for analysing apitcher from those angles. Make sure these two areas are correct and your pitcher will have much better control, and, in turn, will be more effective. In addition, many dont use their back leg by driving it forward. Sue will share some great tips and softball pitching, hitting and much more! Pitching from the stretch is an essential skill for all pitchers. Finally we put the whole thing together and throw 8 balls incorporating all the drills above. This does a couple of different things. Every now and then, the pitchers hit Mickey on purpose. They loosen the shoulder and get the blood flowing. Make it the strike zone for your height. When practicing the drill, stand tall and wind up. Otherwise you just might be waving goodbye to the ball as it leaves the park. Here are some drills you can use: High-leg kick drills are key for any softball pitcher. The following youth softball pitching drills are designed to help players master the components of the pitch before putting the whole pitch together. You know, you squeeze them with your hand to increase your grip. Time to cool down the arm! Push through with elbow joint until full extension is achieved and snap your wrist down for whip action. Have the players stand at 2nd base position, SS, 3'rd base position and make throws to first base trying to hit the bucket. For more lacrosse training, nutrition and gear advice from the nations top coaches and players, see our lacrosse training videos. Pitching Drills - Fastpitch Power Practice slowly to embed the mechanics into muscle memory. I was having a hard time breaking a bad habit of HOOK sliding the trailing foot on my 10 year old pitcher (who happens to be my daughter). (The percentage is not accurate but I will use this as an estimate for arguments sake). Shoulder rolls are a great start. Second, pitchers push the ball out of their hand, which reduces the spin applied to the ball and potential movement of the ball. Imagine a line from your feet to home plate. Then move back to the last sucessful toss and toss 3 more. This is the kind of exercise that you hardly notice doing after awhile. It should be a smooth, comfortable motion that releases the balls full power. We got it/kicked it fair/foul Out, yes. RELATED:Fastpitch Hitting Drills for Beginners. Keep eyes forward, head level, chest slightly raised, hips loose, hips square to batting zone. This will reduce delayed movements, giving more accurate delivery. When youre balanced, move to an overhead position. The first mistake is pivoting on your drive/drag leg, which limits the amount of power that can be transferred from your lower body into your pitches. Throw some heavy balls or close rotation drills to perfect rotation of the ball for certain pitches. Latest sports news, for all pro sports, college sports, high school sports, and more. I have my pitchers pitch from approximately 20 feet, 10 balls. I will use a roll of bright colored construction twine and stretch ittightly from that nail at the back tip of home plate, to the front of 2ndbase. Now have the pitcherreturn to the 100 percent mark and throw from there. It will increase forearm strength also. Q: How can I improve my pitching accuracy? Develop first-step quickness, serve with power and add inches to your vertical with volleyball training from some of todays top coaches. I am certain it will work for other pitches also. Fastpitch Softball Pitching Tips for Beginners Part 1 | STACK Softball Pitching Drills For Warm Up 52,679 views Jul 8, 2021 973 Dislike Share Save MegRem Softball 54.1K subscribers Audrey Broyles, former University of South Carolina pitcher, shows. I have a few striped balls in my pitching bag for use when teaching the roll drop and the riseball. I have to remind my pitchers who are just now learning how to throw a rise ball, that the lower body mechanics for a rise ball should not be carried over to a fast ball. When doing a windmill drill, focus on body position: Use these tips for successful softball pitching drills! -Then I let the string go loose and all the way around the edge of the circle(so it is not in the pitchers way of throwing) and tie it to the nailbehind the rubber. Your pinky can be tucked or lightly resting on the side but not actually gripping the ball. Keep legs rigid and arms relaxed. This helps create more power and teaches you to adjust mechanics in any situation. Ueno might have one of the best motions, best mechanics. -I then stretch the twine taught to the nail in front of 2nd base and tie itoff there. Warm-up Drills Warm-ups are a must for any pitcher! This will be very evident in the rear view. Do 5-10 riseballs, peel drops, and roll drops.4. "Stay Tall" | Discuss Fastpitch Softball Community I find that many young pitchers have their weight too far forward, even bending at the waist on delivery. There are, obviously, many different approaches a pitcher can take to beat a good hitter. Do 10 sets each leg with 1 minute rest between sets. Former is an issue, latter could be preference / style, but may also be indicative of issues further up the chain. To do this drill, stand with feet shoulder-width apart. This can be done anywherein a car, bus, rain, snow, summer, winter, etc. At first, do not be concerned with accuracy. With practice, they will become easier and help maximize control over velocity and accuracy. Softball Drills: Batting, Pitching, Fielding You may lean off balance. But once you get the basics, it will give your pitching game an edge. These 10 throwing drills are player favorites and youth softball coach approved. Make sure that at each distance, the rotation and weight distribution is correct. Once your pitcher can do 3 sets of 10 reps, increase the weight and start with 1 set and work up. Now, have the pitcher throw her slowest change-up several times and draw a line at an average distance where the ball comes back and hits the ground. Its great to have friends with similar interests, dont you think? What I found by this, is that when they do actually pitch, they do not drop their shoulders and make that swooping motion. This will give the pitcher two speeds available for anyparticular pitch. In addition to following a healthy diet, athletes must pay particular attention to gaining muscle and losing fat, which together improve athletic performance. This is the best way I have ever found to train a pitcher to throw one pitch at different speeds (an off-speed pitch). For extra power, add bridges, planks, or sit ups. If running is not your thing then you can ride a bike, kick box, aerobics or swim doing these for 30 minutes to one hour. But since it is practice, you will swing at them. Follow-through drills will help! Windmill drills help with key fundamentals like using core muscles, arm motion follow-through and form.