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Baseball Pitching Mechanics: Fundamentals, Coaching Techniques, and Drills
Gordie Gillespie
Ripon College
Baseball Pitching Mechanics: The Basics of Coaching Pitchers - Courage. Confidence. Control. These are the three "C's" of Pitching. But, how do you give a pitcher Courage and Confidence? By teaching Control through the development of sound Pitching Mechanics. Coach Gillespie explains why Pitcher Control and Pitcher In-fielding Skills, including Holding Runners on First are essential to the mechanics of Pitching.
Baseball Pitching Mechanics: Strategy and Conditioning - What pitching strategy will be of the greatest value to the team? What are the skills a Pitcher has to learn in order to employ the strategy? How does Conditioning play a role in successful Pitching Strategy? In this video, Coach Gillespie will tell you this and more!
Baseball Pitching Mechanics: Attitude - "Pitchers, by their very nature, have got to be a little bit cocky," says Coach Gillespie. That's one of the things that makes the psychology of training a Pitcher difficult. A Coach has to recognize all the eccentricities of a Pitcher in order to help shape an attitude that will benefit the Pitcher and the Team.
Baseball Pitching Mechanics: Load & Explode and The Wind Up - Hitting and Pitching are very similar. In Hitting, Bat Speed means Ball Speed. In Pitching, Arm Speed means Velocity. Here, Coach discusses how a pitcher learns to Load and Explode and the purpose of the Wind-Up - whether long or abbreviated.
Baseball Pitching Mechanics: Rubber to Crow Hop - Beginning with Feet on the Rubber and progressing through the Wind-Up to the throw, Coach goes through the body mechanics of Pitching. Where the Hands Break, moving into the Flamingo Position, and finally the Pitch. But don't Rush the Pitch! Coach's Crow Hop Catch Drill will help you teach players to take the time to get it right!
Baseball Pitching Mechanics: Alignment and Arm Path - Alignment and arm path have everything to do with a good pitch. If the Pitcher opens up too soon it results in a rushed throw - wild high. Teaching Pitchers to throw as if in a three foot hallway will help players establish correct arm path motion and alignment.
Baseball Pitching Mechanics: Practice Drills and the "Buddy System" - Once you teach your players proper Pitching Mechanics, it's time for what? Repetition. Repetition. Repetition! That's one reason why Coach Gillespie says to "Always work your pitchers in pairs." Using the Buddy System for working pitchers decreases practice time without decreasing the amount of repetition. The Buddy System also allows players to learn mechanics from both the active and passive point of view as participants and observers.
Baseball Pitching Mechanics: Landing Gear and Underload Pitching - Good balance begins with proper position and movement during the pitch. Coach discusses pitching footwork for the right and left-handed pitcher, including use of the Glide Step. Coach also explains Pitching Drills using Underload Pitching and setting up multiple Pitching Stations to make practice more efficient and more effective.
Baseball Pitching Mechanics: Timing and Pitching in the Square - One of the essentials to being a good baseball coach is using a Stopwatch. Sound too simple? Think about it. A Coach has to know times. From the time to first to how that extra crow hop the outfielder takes impacts the ball getting to the base. But timing isn't everything. It's also about Location. Coach shares his insight on Pitching in the Square and the benefits of training pitchers on the Strike Zone.
Baseball Pitching Mechanics: Training Techniques - Let's face it; high tech coaching aids and equipment can be great. But, they can be costly too. Too costly for most programs. In this video, Coach Gillespie explains how to use low tech methods to achieve high end results. From his Pocket Radar to using a hand towel so pitchers "hear" hand speed, these training ideas are effective, and inexpensive. The perfect combination.