Pitching Lessons: How to Get the MOST Out of Your Investment!

Hey There Friend!

The start of the training season is just around the corner! As I prepare to start registration for both my in-person and on-line programs, I thought it may be helpful to share 6 key things that will help you to:

- Determine if your pitcher is a good candidate for pitching lessons

- Get the MOST out of what your pitcher learns during her lessons

 Let's take a closer look at these keys to success:

1. Does you pitcher have a genuine interest in learning more about pitching?

Ask her! If she isn't fired up about learning more about pitching before you sign her up, she is likely is not ready for lessons.

Learning to pitch has to be something that SHE want to do, not that YOU want for her. If pitching isn't something she is passionate about, find something that she is excited about learning and find ways to help her develop that skill! ; )

2. Does she LIKE to practice at home by herself or with you outside of her team practices?

No amount of pitching lessons will help if your pitcher doesn't want to work on the things she learns, AT-HOME, between her lessons. There MUST be a willingness to put in quality reps at home to see real results from what she learns during her lessons.

Lessons are for TEACHING skills, at-home practice is where the skills are LEARNED and incorporated into a pitcher's movement pattern/muscle memory.

If you are a pitcher's parent, spend time with her while she practices! While I do tell every pitcher that she can do workouts all by herself, (and she certainly can) it’s nice to have someone there to support, encourage and challenge her at least once or twice each week!

3. Does your pitcher have a spot AT HER HOME that she can practice anytime she wants?

It’s important for every pitcher to have a spot in her home to be able to go to and get in some practice. Creating habits works much better if you don’t have to drive or ride somewhere to do something. If you have a spot at your home to workout, there is never the excuse of “I couldn’t get into the gym” or “it was raining outside today” or “my dad worked late tonight so I didn’t have anyone to catch me” and the list goes on and on and on as you can imagine!

Your pitcher just needs a very small space to do most of her training.

If she has an open spot that is 10’ in front of a net or wall, that’s all she needs for much of her off-season training each year!

Here are 2 suggestions on how to set-up an at-home practice area:

• Option 1: A net and a bucket of ball works perfectly for at-home practice! If you don’t have a permanent spot to put a net, purchase one that goes up and down quickly. I use PowerNets. They are very affordable and will go up and down in a minute. Even young pitchers can put these nets up all by themselves! They are versatile because you can use them inside a garage or basement or move them outside to your yard quickly. They will also make a great backstop if you want to throw to a catcher!

• Option 2: A few softball socks made into “balls” and an open wall somewhere in your home or garage. This is a GREAT way to work on creating positive muscle memory with basic mechanics, working on full effort/power and even on hitting targets!

Putting a workout area in a place that your pitcher frequents regularly will be a reminder to her to GET TO WORK!

4. Does your pitcher have an at-home practice schedule?

Establishing a schedule and creating a practice "habit" requires that you pitcher commits to practicing at a set-time on set days.

Planning at-home practices around things she routinely does can be super helpful.

The more your pitcher can practice at the SAME time in the SAME spot at her home, the easier it is to stay disciplined to doing what she SAYS she wants to do, EVEN when things get busy in her life OR the motivation leaves her!

5. Does your pitcher have a practice PLAN she follows?

If you are investing in pitching lessons, your coach SHOULD be giving her things to work on between lessons. I provide workouts for my pitchers that support what they do during lessons for both my in-person and on-line students. If your coach doesn't do this, you may ask her/him for some ideas on WHAT to do during your at-home practices if you are unsure.

Creating a workout plan helps your pitcher stay focused AND have a starting AND ending point to the session which can reduce disagreements between pitchers and parents! ; )

The workouts I design range from short 5-10 minute daily sessions to longer, more intense 30-45 minute sessions done 3-4 times a week.

The key is finding a workout schedule/structure that fits with your pitcher's goals and time schedule!

6. Does your pitcher get to have INPUT on her practice goal for the day?

It's important for pitchers of ALL ages to feel like they have a voice in what they want to accomplish during practice. Try asking your pitcher what one thing she wants to improve during her practice session and help her with just that ONE thing that day.

The goal of practice should be to get a little better at ONE thing each session!

If you add all these small improvements together over several days, weeks, months and years, you will certainly see many "BreakThrew" moments for her as a result!

If you answered NO to any of these 6 things, I encourage you to investigate those areas more thoroughly. Getting some answers or resolving any problems BEFORE your pitcher's main training season begins can help your pitcher get better RESULTS this training season and beyond!

Pitching should be mostly FUN for your athlete. If it’s not, she won’t want to invest time practicing.

I say "MOSTLY" fun because there will be days that are tough, that she gets frustrated, that a workout is really challenging, that she can't throw strikes or hit spots as well. 

When those moment happen, and they will, it’s our job as coaches and parents to help her understand that these TOUGH moments are NORMAL, that struggle and failure is what HELPS us LEARN and grow!

If you have any questions about things you can do to help your pitcher succeed, don't hesitate to reach out to me via email at: [email protected]. I'm always here to help you however I can my friend!

All My BEST,

Myndie