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Softball Pitching
Fundamentals
Overview
This introduction to pitching was
prepared to help parents and coaches get
their kids started in pitching. To
become great pitchers, girls must
practice nearly every day. The
fundamentals that follow provide a good
foundation for getting started in
pitching, but they are not a substitute
for professional coaching. If a girl
shows talent, she should attend pitching
clinics periodically or receive
one-on-one instruction so an expert can
offer advice and correct the inevitable
flaws that can hinder progress. The
tough part is getting started, and these
instructions can help in that regard.
For additional information about
pitching clinics or instructors, or if
you have other questions, talk to your
team manager/coach or one of the
League Reps.
Getting Started
A few of the most often asked questions
about pitching include:
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At what age should a girl start
pitching?
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Should she use the windmill when she
starts out?
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Should she concentrate on accuracy
or speed at first?
Players
begin to pitch to live batters in the
8U, Rookie Division. However, it
is not too early to teach a girl the
mechanics of pitching at the age of six
or seven. At all levels of play,
the preferred, and practically only,
style of pitching is the windmill (as
described in this guide) and girls
should use that style as early as
possible. It is far better to
teach one method and stick with it,
rather than first teach something like
the slingshot and then change to the
windmill later.
The last question, whether to work on
accuracy or speed when a girl first
starts pitching, always seems to be
controversial. The correct answer,
however, is to work on the
mechanics first. To become a very
good pitcher, a girl must throw hard
while executing the mechanics properly.
While control is important, it should
not override everything else. To
sacrifice proper mechanics and speed to
achieve control will result in the
development of bad habits that will have
to be broken later. It takes a few
years for most pitchers to be able to
throw strikes at will. It takes a
few more years for pitchers to attain
the necessary control so they can spot
the ball anywhere in the strike zone.
However, pitchers cannot achieve this
skill level unless they learn and
practice the mechanics first.
Correct arm
speed,
wrist snap, body rotation, balance,
stride length, and follow-through are
the prerequisites to becoming a great
pitcher.
The following instructions describe how
a typical pitcher executes the windmill
style in fastpitch softball. They
are not meant to be the last word about
pitching fundamentals. Many very
fine pitchers execute some of the
mechanics differently than described
here. However, this guide is
useful in getting a young pitcher
started and in helping a parent or coach
teach basic techniques. All
descriptions that follow are for
right-handed pitchers and should be
adjusted, as appropriate, for
left-handers.
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Setting Up
To Pitch
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The
pitcher initially stands
behind the pitching
rubber with both hands
apart -- the ball may be
in either the bare hand
or the glove hand -- she
then may step on the
rubber -- before
initiating the pitching
motion, both feet must
be in contact with the
pitching rubber
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The right foot should be
placed over the front
edge of the rubber --
the left foot should
touch the back edge of
the rubber -- feet
should be comfortably
apart
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The ball should be
gripped with the padded
parts of the fingertips
and thumb resting on
seams -- the ball should
not rest in the palm
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Before
initiating the pitching
motion, the pitching
hand and glove hand must
touch for at least one
second
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Initiating the Windmill
Pitching Motion
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After
hands touch (usually at
or below the waist near
the right hip) and after
a slight rocking back
motion, the initial
forward motion should be
to extend the arms
towards the catcher --
the back foot also
begins its stride
forward as the arms are
extended
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The
pitching arm should
remain extended (but not
locked) throughout the
pitching motion -- the
elbow should be relaxed
(but not bent)
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When extending the
pitching arm forward,
the hand should be on
top of the ball or on
the outside of the ball,
but not under the ball
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As
the arm travels in a
circle upward, back,
down and forward towards
the target, the wrist
should rotate to present
the ball towards third
base and then second
base (at the top rear of
the arc)
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The
glove hand is pulled
back and down past the
left hip as the pitching
arm is extended
backwards and downward
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The cocking of the wrist
should occur naturally
on the downward swing of
the pitching motion
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The
arm circle must remain
true to the "power line"
between the pitcher and
catcher -- any initial
deviation from the power
line must be towards the
glove hand side, not the
throwing hand side
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Increase
arm speed throughout the
pitching motion with the
highest speed occurring
as the hand approaches
the release point --
there should be no
hesitation in the
pitching motion once it
begins
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Body Rotation
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At
the beginning of the
pitching motion, hips
are square to the
catcher
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Hips
open (towards third
base) as the arms and
stride leg are extended
forward and until the
ball is released -- full
rotation is generally
around 45 degrees but
may be as great as 90
degrees
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Hips
return to a closed or
square position (facing
the catcher) after
release of the ball
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Shoulders
and hips must rotate
together back to the
square position
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Leg Stride
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Get
as much leg drive
forward as possible
while keeping the upper
body balanced
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Stride
length should be
aggressive, yet
comfortable -- the pivot
(or rear) foot should
stay in contact with the
ground as it is being
pulled forward by the
momentum generated by
the leg stride -- the
pivot foot should scribe
a banana shaped figure
in the ground from the
pitching rubber to a
point behind the stride
foot -- the closing of
the hips creates the
banana shape figure by
pulling the pivot foot
towards the third base
line at the end of the
pitching motion
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The
stride foot should be
planted at a point on
the power line between
the pivot foot and the
catcher and the toe
should be aimed at a
point halfway between
third base and the
catcher -- plant the
stride foot so that the
toe hits the ground
first, then the heel
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Wrist Snap
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Proper
wrist snap is the key to
control and speed
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The
natural cocking of the
wrist on the downward
swing of the arm should
be followed by a strong
snap of the wrist at the
bottom of the arm circle
just off the right hip
-- the inside of the
right forearm may
actually brush the side
of the hip as the wrist
snap occurs
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The
snap of the wrist should
be firm, but relaxed
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Balance
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At
the point of release of
the ball, the body
should be in an upright
posture and balanced
between the feet
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After release of the
ball, forward momentum
will carry the pitcher's
weight forward while the
toe of the pivot foot is
being dragged towards
the stride foot -- the
pitcher's weight should
remain balanced between
the feet -- a toe first,
then heel, planting of
the stride foot helps
achieve the proper
balance
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FollowThrough
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After
releasing the ball, the
pitching arm should
follow through in a
natural motion -- the
hand generally ends up
in a position near the
right shoulder --
pitchers should not be
forced to achieve a
particular arm/hand
position when first
learning to pitch
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However, while
the pitching hand may
finish in a number of
different positions, the
correct position for a
given pitcher will be
achieved as long as the
elbow is relaxed and
continues past the hip
after release of the
ball
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As
pitchers begin throwing
a variety of pitches
(e.g., drop, curve, rise
ball), the different
follow-though positions
will be used to create
the spin necessary to
achieve the desired
pitch
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Note:
Training primers included here are
from materials published on several
websites, including
baberuthnetwork.com and
syasoftball.com. RBGSL is a
San Diego area non-profit and
appreciates posting of this material
here as reference for our girls.
If this is not what
the original author wishes (whoever
that might be), please contact the
RBGSL webmaster.
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