Tobias JunkerA coach cannot make you into a great pitcher or even a good pitcher. Your coach can only show you the mechanics that are used by great pitchers. You have to practice with good mechanics, practice frequently, and enjoy pitching enough to continue practicing week after week! Below are a few general guidelines that may help.
Concentration — When practicing, you must try to do it the same way each and every time. If your coach/catcher/parent says “step straight,” then concentrate on stepping straight for 10 or 20 pitches. If your coach/catcher/parent has to repeat the same “step straight” instruction every other pitch, then you are not concentrating. You are making the correction one time and then reverting to your old, incorrect form. This is especially true of pitchers that have started pitching before learning the correct mechanics. These pitchers have already developed some muscle memory that may be incorrect. They must concentrate to overcome the old memory and develop better mechanics.
It is not enough to get out and throw the ball, the pitcher must practice with good mechanics! The goal is to get the brain and body pitching with exactly the same motion each time you deliver a pitch. This is frequently called “muscle memory.” While learning, you have to think about how you are pitching. After developing “muscle memory,” you will pitch without thinking about mechanics.
Drills! Drills are what make you into a good pitcher. While performing each drill, focus on your target and try to hit the target. If you miss the target, think about what you did wrong and correct it! Drilling incorrectly does more harm than good!
Frequency — You have to practice more than one hour per week to get better! I recommend one session with your pitching coach and two additional sessions with a catcher, your parent, or a friend. If you cannot manage two additional sessions, get at least one. The minimum number of sessions per week is two. Any less and it will be very difficult for you to develop the skill needed to be a successful pitcher.
You can work with your coach once every two weeks. You would then practice with your catcher/parent three times a week on the weeks you do not work with your coach. Your catcher/parent needs to know enough about basic mechanics to help you practice correctly. Practicing with bad mechanics will do more harm than good. Your catcher/parent should attend your sessions with the coach to learn the basic mechanics.
You have to ENJOY pitching to get to be a good pitcher. The only way you will be able to continue to practice multiple times a week and concentrate during each practice is when you ENJOY pitching. If you feel it is work, you might as well stop now and enjoy softball by playing in a different position. Many positions do not require the extensive work and concentration needed to be a pitcher.
