Brendan Smith
Pitching
Almost every great pitcher in baseball history has used this technical document to help improve their pitching style. Everybody has heard of Cy Young, Nolan Ryan and CC Sabathia. Nolan Ryan pitched 13 no hitters in his career of pitching. There is a perfect explanation for his success. He used this document to do just that. Now it is your turn to become the next great pitcher in the Baseball Hall of Fame. What you need for this is a baseball glove, a baseball, a catcher (optional), and yourself.
First you need to find a baseball mound that suits you. Once you have found your mound, you must put your foot on the rubber. If there is a runner on a base, then it is always a good idea to put your back foot behind the rubber. This shows the runner that you can move your body all you want. You can move off the mound and run at him so he can run back to the base. You do that if your foot is behind the rubber and if you think he is way off of the base. If there is no runner on base, then there is no need to move your foot behind the rubber. You put it in front of the rubber.
Now here is a little lesson on picking off a runner. If you think the runner is off the base too much and you think you have the strength to throw him out then pick him off. What you do is positioning your feet. It really doesn’t matter where you put your feet in front or behind the rubber. What matters is when you move your foot to the runner. Picking off is all in the feet. To pick the runner off, you have to move your front foot toward the runner, and then you make a good hard throw down to the baseman’s shin so it would be easy for him to tag him out because his glove is already down there. If you throw it above is head then it will take some time for him to get his arm down there and tag him out. You have to do this fast and good or you will over throw the ball and the runner will advance a base.
If there is a runner on base and your foot is in front of the rubber, then you can still move around, but if your hands come together, then all you can move is you’re your head. Next you lift your front leg up as high as you can, then you move your front foot forward as far as you can. This is called a stride. When you take your stride, it will force your body to move faster; thus making your throw a bit faster. Once you have taken your stride, push off of the rubber with your back foot. While you are in motion of moving forward, raise your arm that has the ball up. Don’t make your arm stiff and straight; make it almost like a tilted L shape. While your arm is in motion, let go of the ball when you think the ball is level with your head. Don’t fret if you throw a ball, you’re not going to throw strikes all the time.
Once you have let go of the ball, follow through with your throw. If you let go without a follow through, the ball will not go very fast at all. During your follow through, your throwing arm has to hit the other side of your body. During your follow through, your back leg should swing around in front of you body; thus making your body look like you are about to pick up a ground ball. This will make you ready to pick up the ball if there is a hit up the middle and you’re already for it. You could throw him out easily if you come to a ground ball position. If you follow all of these steps you will become a fabulous pitcher. WARNING: you may be swarmed by players who want to become just like you or you will have baseballs and baseball bats thrown at you because you keep striking out kids.