Pitching Problems Part 1: The 5 Most Common Mechanical Issues

Since I began offering online pitching lessons, I’ve been interacting with parents and players who come to me seeking different things: some to learn basics, some want to improve, many want to “fix” different pitching problems. Some come to me from previous pitching coaches while some have pitched for years and are just looking for a tune up.

Recently I have been receiving a lot of emails from parents who say, “I’ve been studying videos online and have tried to teach my daughter myself but now I’ve reached a point where I can no longer help.” Many times a Dad will tell me, “I used to play and teach baseball but this is so different!”

Here’s the thing: Pitching is hard and there are SO many tiny mechanical parts that have to come together for the pitch to work. Some are so small that you would think they couldn’t possibly make a difference to the pitch, but they really do. These little details are nearly impossible to see unless you are a trained softball pitching coach. So parents don’t feel bad if you feel like you’re trying to learn the mechanics of pitching but your daughter isn’t getting everything. This is totally normal! This is why we are here offering lessons. But I totally understand that not everyone has the time (or maybe budget) for lessons with us, so I’m here to help.

Today I’m going to share with you part one of a two part written series that discusses the most common mechanical issues we see and some smaller ones that are easy to overlook but affect the pitch big time! Today we will talk about the 5 most common mechanical issues we see in pitchers, what you can do to help address these problems, and the best drill for that problem. When you’re reading through these I want you to keep in mind that the number one key to successful pitching is delivering the pitch without the throw zone breaking down. So now, let’s get right to it.

1. Postural Problems: After pushing off the rubber, have you noticed that your pitcher lands bent forward or sideways? Maybe her hips are sticking out, or her upper body is leaning across the power line? Perhaps her back is hyperextended and her upper body is leaning away from the power line? Maybe she is landing with too much of her weight on her front foot and it looks like she’s leaning forward. Or maybe she’s got too much weight on the back foot and she’s leaning backwards? These are all postural issues and they are VERY common, especially in younger pitchers. Postural issues can make your throw zone move up and down creating lift or drop in the ball. When we pitch we want to be vertically stacked and tall. The primary cause of postural problems is poor core, hip and glute strength, which is why this is so common in younger pitchers whose muscles have not yet fully developed. If you’re older however, the problem could be poor muscle memory.

• • The Fix: If you are 13 years or older, the best fix is to get with a strength and conditioning coach who understands softball and pitching. If you can target those weak areas I mentioned above and make them stronger, you will have a much easier time staying tall and vertically stacked throughout the pitch. If you are not 13 yet, we recommend trying the drill below:

• • The Drill: The best drill (in my opinion) that can help with posture is the first stage of the “reach, track, fire” drills. This drill allows you to break down each part of the pitch. You freeze in power K position where most of the postural issues present themselves. If you really focus on landing tall when you freeze in power K, it can help solidify that posture into your muscle memory. You can check out our video for the reach track fire drive drill here

2. Hip & Shoulder Rotation: One of the most common things young pitchers are taught is to slam their hips and shoulders shut (so their hips and shoulders are square to the catcher) when they deliver. It is believed by some coaches that slamming the hips and shoulders shut gives the pitcher more power, when in reality, it just causes the body to block the power line and the arm is unable to get through. This means that the arm has to slow down and come around the body, creating a big loss of speed and command. When we deliver the pitch, we want the hips and shoulders to be facing the power line so the arm has a clear path to the catcher. Hip and shoulder rotation can also be caused by poor core and hip strength, but it can also be caused by poor muscle memory if a pitcher has come from a previous coach who taught them to do that.

• • The Fix: Again, if you are 13 years or older, get with a trainer! Strengthen those core and hip muscles so you can keep the hips and shoulders out of the way. If you’re younger, try the following drill:

• • The Drill: The best way to correct hip/shoulder rotation would be with wall work. This means you can take any of our drills, or even a full pitching motion with your pitcher FACING a padded gym wall, batting cage net, or chain linked fence. Find a full explanation and demonstration of wall work here

3. Glove flying out: This is SUCH a common problem, and I bet you even see some college pitchers doing this. Have you noticed that when your pitcher pitches, her glove hand goes flying out to the side? When we pitch we want to have our glove hand pointing straight at the target. This helps maintain our throw zone and it helps keep our body in the correct position. When we allow the glove hand to fly out, it can cause hip and shoulder rotation and you will see all of the problems I listed above. So I bet you’re saying to yourself “wait, how do college pitchers get away with this?” It’s true, if you watch some of the NCAA games, you will see pitchers who allow their glove hand to fly out to the side. The difference between these girls and younger girls is their physical strength. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen how college softball players train, but most days of the week they are doing serious strength and conditioning. This means that even though their gloves fly out to the side, their cores are strong enough to keep their bodies facing the power line. Younger pitchers who do not have this core strength can fall victim to hip and shoulder rotation when the glove flies out

• • The Fix: Believe it or not, glove flying out can be a problem related to core strength, so older girls, get back with that trainer! You can also try the following drill:

• • The Drill: The best way to correct glove flying out would be with wall work, but instead of facing the wall, it is my recommendation that the pitcher should have her BACK against the wall. Again, you can find a full explanation and demonstration of wall work here

4. Pushing the ball: One of the most important parts of pitching is the relaxed release. We teach forearm fire, which utilizes a completely relaxed arm that allows for maximum whip and snap, creating the most speed and command. You might notice when your pitcher is pitching that her arm looks very stiff. Maybe her elbow is locked or she’s just pushing the ball to the catcher with her palm instead of staying loose and snapping. Many young pitchers feel that they need to “aim” for the strike zone in order for the pitch to work, but this is not true. The more relaxed you are and the more whip/snap you have, the more speed and command you will have.

• • The Fix: Focus on isolating the arm and wrist movements. Do not move onto other drills or full pitches until your pitcher starts to feel what it feels like to fire the ball instead of push. Try the following drill:

• • The Drill: The best drill for starting to feel the isolated delivery movement is the forearm fire drill! Here we will put our body into delivery position and solely focus on keeping the arm loose and relaxed while also firing the hand to the end of the throw zone. You can check out the isolated forearm fire drill here

5. Drive through problems: The drive through is the part of the pitch where the back foot comes all the way through to the front foot when you are delivering. The drive through comes through at the same time as the arm, and when it comes through fast and at the right time it can help maintain good posture and add speed to the pitch. Many times though, we see various problems with the drive through, maybe you’ve noticed some of them. Does your pitcher’s drive through not come all the way through? Maybe instead of pulling it through she kicks her foot to the side and then just steps through. Maybe she’s only stepping off the rubber instead of pushing? Or maybe you’ve noticed that she is collapsed onto the entire side of her foot when she pitches? When the drive through foot comes through, the pitcher should be up on her toe, and the toe and knee should be pointed forward towards the catcher. This allows for the drive through to come through completely and easily. When the foot collapses, it creates and anchor which makes completing the drive through very difficult. When the drive through is incomplete, you can lose speed and command

• • The Fix: You might think that problems with the drive through foot are caused by ankle or foot problems, but actually it is hip strength/flexibility that is the problem. If your pitcher has tight hip flexors or weak glutes, you might see problems with the drive through. Focus on strengthening those areas if you are working with a trainer. If not, focus on drills that isolate the glide off of the rubber. Try the following drill:

• • The Drill: A great drill to do to focus on the proper glide off the rubber is the reach, track, fire drill. Again, this drill isolates each movement of the pitch, and your pitcher can really focus on keeping the toe and knee in the correct position as they glide off the rubber and pull it all the way through during the delivery. Find the reach, track, fire drill here

I hope you guys have found this helpful, and be on the lookout next week for part 2 of this series, where we take a look at the smaller, less noticeable mechanical issues that can affect the pitch in a big way!