Part of helping youth pitching athletes become better pitchers is helping them with the fundamentals. Nutrition is one important fundamental for not only pitching performance, but also overall health. Why is Nutrition So Important for Youth Pitching Athletes? Why is it so important for kids, and particularly athletes, to prioritize nutrition? Vitamins, minerals, and nutrients
Pitching Lessons: Release Point Height & Distance
Have your previous pitching lessons included instruction to stay tall and get your hand up as high as possible during release? This is a common thing coaches teach to pitchers. However, it may not be the most efficient or effective strategy. When talking about release point height, we also need to discuss release distance. Increasing
Strategies for Reducing Youth Pitching Fatigue
Youth pitching fatigue is a serious problem. Fatigue at any age or skill level can have harmful effects on a pitcher. That’s why it’s so important for coaches and parents to help their young players recognize fatigue and know the risks. Unfortunately, many people aren’t aware of the problems that pitching while fatigued can cause.
Does Stride Affect Pitching Velocity?
For many players, early trunk rotation or over rotation can reduce pitching velocity. A common misconception is that “striding straight” will help reduce the risk of early trunk rotation. However, is this true? Our research suggests this piece of advice might not be accurate. Is Pitching Velocity Affected by Stride Direction into Foot Strike? You
Pitching Instruction: Landing Foot Strike
Should pitchers land on the ball of their foot or on the heel when landing foot strike? A lot of outdated advice says players should land on the toe or the ball of their foot. However, this may not offer many advantages to the player. Instead, players may benefit from pitching instruction that focuses on
Increase Pitching Velocity: Arm Health & Functional Strength
Want to increase your pitching velocity? Taking care of your arm and increasing functional strength are a great place to start! Improving velocity is hard work, and no mistake. However, work ethic isn’t the only thing in your toolkit for velocity training. Functional strength and arm care are the basics that great pitchers rely on.
Youth Pitching: Equal & Opposite Elbow Angles
Every pitcher has a signature that’s unique to them. We believe in keeping that signature while teaching athletes efficient mechanics for velocity, control, and injury prevention. Unfortunately, many youth pitching coaches give instruction that can affect your young player’s signature. While well-intended, the advice to break the throwing hand toward second and glove to the
Pitching Velocity & Energy Angle
Increasing pitching velocity is a complex process and often requires improving many different elements. One of these elements includes biomechanical efficiency. Inefficient movements can lead to lower pitching velocity. One important part of efficient pitching mechanics involves a player’s energy angle, which is how a pitcher directs energy from first movement to maximum leg lift.
Sidearm Pitching: Myths vs. Facts
“Get on top of the ball” is a common phrase players hear during pitching instruction. This is in an effort to correct players who pitch sidearm or close to sidearm. However, this can actually create mechanical inefficiencies. There is a common myth that pitching sidearm or three-quarters to sidearm increases the risk of injury. However,
Youth Pitching: Which Side of the Rubber?
Most youth pitching coaches instruct left handed pitchers to stand on the first base side of the mound and right handed pitchers to stand on the third base side. This is a common myth meant to create a better angle at release point. However, this advice may actually be causing biomechanical inefficiencies. These efficiencies can affect
