QArc-ing the Throw

I have an 8 yr. old boy (lefty) who has difficulty throwing the ball on a straight line. Everything he throws is up in the air or with an arc. What can I do to get him to throw the ball straighter? He wants to pitch - his windup and stride seem fine but I can't get him to throw consistently straight.

AI can't tell for sure without seeing him - arcing or throwing high could be caused by a number of factors - lack of power and distance (no torque from hips or shoulders), releasing the ball early (not following through), or poor alignment when he starts the pitch (shoulders not in line with the plate, no balance over back foot, etc.

Start with the large muscle mechanics first, to make sure balance, weight transfer, etc., is what it should be. Whatever you do don't make him worry about throwing straight - that inevitably leads to kids who aim the ball with their forearm and wrist and that's not where accuracy comes from. (Accuracy comes with consistency. And consistency is built on a foundation of muscle memory and focus. The key is to have the large muscle groups working routinely before worrying too much about finer muscles.)

QConsistency

My son is going to be 9 this November. He has started pitching this year (April or May). He continually has ups and downs in pitching. I don't know what to do. I think he was always nervous and lack of confidence which affect his performance. Yesterday he gave up 8 runs in 2 innings (walked 5 kids).

AFirst, a perspective. He's 9. I wouldn't even worry about whether he can pitch or not at that age. Some of the best pitchers in baseball didn't start until mid-teens or later.

Second, he's not 19 - meaning his body still has a lot of growing and changing to do - he won't yet have the consistency required to always have the same body action when he throws or always release a pitch at the exact same point in his delivery. Third, he's not 29 or in his thirties and even those who are, those who are paid high salaries to pitch every 4th or 5th day, they will walk guys and have off days.

Often I find a lack of confidence comes from the pressures of expectation and that those pressures are external - from parents, and from coaches who take things far too seriously at that age. If you are simply happy to see him playing baseball, if you don't expect consistency, if you help him enjoy the good experiences and not make any kind of big deal about the off days - that's a start.

Now, in a year or two, you can perhaps work on some of the mechanical and mental aspects of his delivery to start working on improving the consistency of his release point, etc., using backshaping techniques (for instance) to refine his throwing techniques.

Here's a final perspective - the best 9 y.o. pitchers are likely no longer the best at 12 or 15 or 19. So the fact he's not a superstar yet is probably in the long run a good thing.

QDropped Shoulder

I have a nine year son playing in his third year of baseball. He starting pitching this year and I have been working with him on his mechanics. However I have encountered a problem that I am having problems correcting. My son has a tendency to drop his shoulder and throw the ball side arm. When he does this he loses both accuracy and velocity. I work with him daily but he seems to revert back during practice and then again at game time. Do you have any suggestions on drills that I can work with him on to correct this problem.

AFirst check the pitching faults page in the WebBall BullPen area. - some of the suggestions about a dragging foot might also impact a dropped shoulder.

It may actually be a vision/perception problem - he needs to twist his eyes off the horizontal to focus better.

Get him to practice dry (no ball) and concentrate on only one thing - having the glove hand tuck in tight to the body with his shoulders rotating in locked position. (With shoulders locked and the glove really pulled into the armpit, I doubt if he can let the pitching shoulder drop as much.

It's a start.

QFacing Batters

I have a 8 year old playing Little League, minor division. He has good control and good speed. When he is warming up before a game, or in practice he throws pretty hard, but as soon as the first batter steps in, he just does not pitch with the same speed as he was throwing during warm ups. It's like he would be afraid of hitting a batter with a pitch. What can I do to help him pitch during the game with the same speed that he is using during warm ups?

AStart in warm-up. Make sure his eyes are locked on the glove at best, or on the catcher's knees. Move the catcher's body and mitt to inside edge and outside edge of plate in the bullpen. Work hard on that focus. Get him to do his final pitches in a 'game' situation - okay 3-1 count, let's get him on the outside corner, low. Then maybe he can come into the game and all he wants to look at is that glove or strike zone - as framed by the knees. (Best if he warms-up with the game catcher or at least be throwing to catcher's mitt to be used in the game.)

QMaking the Transition

My son has one year left in his machine pitch league, but after the all star season he and his teammates will compete in "Kid Pitch" select tournaments. He will be 9 in December. I want to start to prepare him for pitching. We have drilled throwing mechanics from a SS perspective (we utilized WEBBALL). From reading your material I want to make sure we teach proper mechanics and techniques. My questions concern LONG TOSS (number of reps/sets/distance, times per week), PITCH COUNTS for kids this age, and COMMON MISTAKES to look for.

AThere is info on Pitch Count cross-linked from Pitching & Safety directories. There is also good advice now on a Long Toss routine - distance should progress to at least 2-3 times pitching distance. The most common mustake at this age is to try too hard - the danger of over-pitching with young arms is extreme. The second mistake is to think you pitch with your arms - pitching starts with lower body power AND continues with endurance - which should nbot be a problem at his age - kids tend to get lots of aerobic exercise on their own - just running around, being active. (We have as of Nov. 4 just changed some of the details on our new mechanics page )

QPitching Targets

I am a coach of 9 and 10 year olds. I have read much of the site regarding pitching. I am trying to figure out how to correct this problem. Two of my pitchers pitch when they are out of the strike zone pitch outside about 6-8 inches. I think they do not want to hit the batter. But I am not sure. I look at their form but am unable to pick out what is causing this problem. I would appreciate any help in this matter. Thanks.

AYou're right. They are afraid of hitting the batter. The problem starts when they are learning to throw - they have only a vague sense of pitching to the plate. what you need them to do is focus more specifically on the area between the catcher's knees and shoulders and learn to ignore the batter. (That's the idea behind a prop like the Bullpen Buddy.)

For instance. if they learn to aim at the catcher's left knee - an actual target, in other words, not a vague reference to some space over the plate - they will more easily be able to pitch to that target even when the batter steps in.

QRaking the Ball Back

I am very confused on exactly how a young pitcher should take the ball back as he transitions from his glove. Is it a 90 degree angle, should he have his elbow above his shoulder pointing his ball hand 'fingers up' and back toward center, toward third, or just where? We want to be sure we are instructing our young pitchers correctly. I have had my son pointing back high toward center. He seems to pick up velocity but will this hurt his arm.

AThe arc back, as the old chestnut goes, is thumb to thigh, circle to the sky. You want to sweep the arm back and up to the high center towards second base, fingers on top of the ball. That part you have right, and you should know that there is no unnatural movement there - nothing that can damage an arm.

The danger comes from over-rotating (arm too much toward first base - if RHP), and also from not clearing the upper arm as it comes past the head - which can pinch the shoulder - this is how some rotator cuff damage can occur.

You want to keep the front shoulder in, and not release the hips too soon, but you should try to bring the front shoulder down so the head comes forward enough to allow the throwing arm to come over the top on a nice high arc.

QRocking Back?

I've been coaching my 9 year old son for two years and noticed that many pitchers were struggling when starting in the normal stance facing home plate. Most kids were uncomfortable with the traditional rocker step, 90 degree turn, and foot placement on our less than perfect mounds. Another coach suggested I start them from the stretch and let them rock back from there to start their delivery. It worked great, but now I've got other coaches telling me "it's not normal".
Since both styles start the delivery with the same momentem, is there a technical reason why I shouldn't use this technique? It also seems to make sense when they get older and have to really pitch from the stretch.

AThe comment about "when they get older" also applies to a proper wind-up delivery, doesn't it? It is somthing they will have to learn. In fact there are several problems with what you suggest.

The step back parallel to the rubber (rather than in line with the plate) pulls the head and body away from proper alignment for the pitch. anything that changes the line of attack is bad. (We try to minimize the side step in the rock back for the same reason.) So in other words, both techniques do not "start the delivery with the same moment" = one is on target, one pulls away.
The turn accomplishes something in bringing the hips closed for explosive power when the hips then open during the pitch.

Your step back also can be viewed as a step to first base - a balk if there is a runner on and the pitcher throws home.

The mound should not be the cause - the rock back should be a minimum step anyway, not a big stride that might cause a pitcher to fall off line.

QSafety at 8

My son is 8 years old, pretty tall ( 4'9"), 73 lbs. He plays both LL & AAU ball and pitches in both Leagues. In LL he throws about 25-30 pitches/game in AAU he throws anywhere from 71 - 81 pitches every Sunday they play. He has excellent mechanics and throws a 2 seamer (great movement down), a four seamer about 46-48 mph consistently can top out at 52 when he is on; and a change up. He never appears tired and has never complained about any type of fatigue during or after the game. It normally takes him about 25 pitches to really warm up. I know it appears like he is throwing too much, but he hates coming out of a ballgame. Even after pitching a AAU game, he wants to go home and play catch, throw, etc. He is in love with the game and with Pitching. He is a very self motivated kid and although I facilitate his wants, have not pushed him to pitching etc. What should I do as a father that wants the best for his son as well as want to see him develop into the best he can be.

ADo you want him to pitch a lot at 8, or still pitch well at 12, or pitch at all at 17? It does not matter if he seems healthy. It does not matter if he never wants out of a game - he is 8, he can't possibly understand the risks. He cannot call the shots, and his coaches may not have his future in mind. Either get him off that AAU team or ask the coaches if they know anything about growth plate deformation and insist on a 40-50 pitch count limit. The risk is not only pitch count in a game but recovery time between games - at any age. 

QSidearm Follow-Through

I have an 8 y.o. that started pitching last year. He is a side arm pitcher. We have tried to get him to pitch over the top but he would get frustrated so we decided to just let him do what he felt comfortable with and he does a great job now. My question is I hear a lot about how bad it is for him to be a side arm pitcher, will he grow out of it or break his arm like I've heard? He also plays 1st base and does great.

Ah, urban legends and baseball myths. The truth is that side arm is a more natural movement that puts less pressure on the rotator cuff - the arm-shoulder joint. But where it can be dangerous is if the sidearmer is not taught the proper release and follow through. You must let the arm come right across the body to stop - do not try to use the arm itself to slow momentum after release. This is the part of the pitch that is easier for an overhand thrower - the pitch releases, the arm moves down and across, and the hand makes contact with the opposite side hip. But in a sidearmer, the arm has to reach right across the chest and collide with the other arm - this is much less natural, so the sidearmer tries to slow after release using one set of arm muscles - when he used about 5 muscle groups to accelerate the arm in the first place - see the problem? Work on that follow-through.

QSqueezing Him Dry

I need help!! My 7 year old has pitched in 7 games this year. He had decent control until the last 2 games. They were both playoff games and I'm sure he was a little nervous. I wish I could have more time to work with him but the final games are here and i lost one of my starters to an illness. I need him to pitch 2 innings. The question is how can I help him throw strikes now. I need a simple solution that I can try now. At 7 I know the answer to the question is time.

AThe real question...

What do you want more? The next two innings or the next 10 years or more. I'm frankly amazed that any kid age 7 has the muscle control and consistency to throw two strikes in a row. All you will accomplish from the extra pressure is to scare him away from the game.

I assume the need is because of the innings-pitched rule. I might approach it that way. That you need him to do it - even if he just puts balls into play to let the fielders handle it. Tell him you're sorry you have to call on him again so soon. Ask him if he'd rather start of finish a game? (I'd put him into finish not start, but sometimes kids have to feel comfortable.)

Please, for your sake as well as his, don't ask for more than he can deliver.

QThrowing Effort

I have a nine year old team that is pitching for the first time. I am
concerned over the long term health of their arms. My plan is to keep them on a
strict pitch count of <40 pitches and focus on proper mechanics and leg drive.
What is your opinion regarding how much and often should they train. While I
personally believe that with each throw you are one step closer to an injury, it
also seems that going into game conditions with little or no training could be
provide even more stress on a young arm. My plan is to teach mechanics in a
setting throwing at 75% of max. That will provide them with the knowledge of
proper mechanics and pitching mentality but not put as much stress on their
developing arms.

AI disagree. With each proper all-out throw you are one step closer to a
healthy arm that can, in time, withstand the stresses of pitching. However, you
are right to be cautious about young arms. For that reason I would tell parents
about the possible risks and to report any signs they notice of a sore arm the
day after a baseball practice or game. But the problem is that it will not be
muscle damage to worry about - young muscles recover quickly, it will be the
joints to worry about - and unless you are absolutely certain about your ability
to teach absolutely correct mechanics, I would focus mostly on release point and
work backwards to a good starting point - let them discover in time what feels
right to them - effortless, yes, but that does not mean 75%. In other words,
mechanically I would not try to mold them to some pre-conceived ideal throwing
motion - their bodies will be different. In fact, I would stress warm up over
actually throwing, I would make sure that each outing in the bullpen or at
practice, includes some all-out pitches - 75% actually means little to a 9 year
old in terms of effort. So I would say 25 quality pitches (for example) is
better than 40 with less intensity. In either case that's after the warm up -
arm circles, running, team throwing and drills, etc. The real point is that the
risk of injury is mostly from under prepared arms and unnatural throwing motion.