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These links are all great baseball sites.
But remember your way back to learningbaseball.com
PopUp Quiz with Quips 'n' Quotes from this site.
Below is a link for my convenience, but you're
welcome to visit, of course:
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| | When you are on the mound you
are almost a foot higher than the batter. That's why they call it a
mound. In order to use your height advantage you need to develop
the proper mechanics and deliver your pitches with confidence. The
pitching rubber is 2-foot wide and presents another advantage for you.
Move to your throwing side of the rubber and you change the batter's view of the
pitch from 2 to 3 planes. She now not only has to see the ball coming in
and up or down, but also across. Approach the rubber from the backside of
the hill. Put both feet on the rubber with your toes over the front.
Relax with your hands together in front of you with your glove fingers up hiding
your throwing hand and wrist while you take the signs from your
catcher. Be King of the Mound.
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The Pitch
- Start Step ---Small
step back in a 45-degree angle. Maintain balance. Head
stays still toward the target.
- Leg Lift ---Straight
post leg. Lift, not swing, leg up. Knee above belt and
over lift foot, yet in line with post knee to close the hips. Head
& trunk over pivot foot. DON'T RUSH. Hips &
shoulders level.
- Hand Break ---Above
belt, and early---no later than when you start to lower your stride
leg. Pitching hand starts downward and sweeps up with elbow
bent and fingers on top of ball, glove-hand elbow toward plate and
upward.
- Stride ---Slow. Deliberate.
Down & out rather than out & down. Nearly
straight at plate. Front elbow up until glove pulls back to
chest. Stride length close to body height.
- Arm Path ---Down, back
& up at hand break bringing both elbows to shoulder height.
Elbow flexes early on way up. Fingers stay on top of
ball.
- Stride Foot Plant ---Glide
the stride and land flat-footed and slightly closed. Knee
flexed approximately 45 degrees. Keep weight back when
landing. Ankle rolls off rubber to open hips.
- Cocked Position---Head
in top center of triangle. Body aligned to plate, chest thrust
out, elbows shoulder height. Front shoulder closed to plate.
Shoulders & eyes level. Hand high with fingers on
top of ball and wrist extended back.
- Release & Follow Through---Head
& shoulders over lead leg. Eyes & chin toward plate.
Throwing fingers toward ground. Glove to front and
ready.
Mechanics every Major League pitcher has in common.
- Hips closed on leglift with weight on toes.
- Weight back on stride/ stride leg down & out.
- Keep hips & shoulders closed before landing.
- A closed landing foot.
- Arm up & chest out with ankle roll from rubber.
- Follow through.
Additional points most Major League pitchers strive
for.
- Leglift above belt.
- Early hand break with fingers on top of the ball.
- Throwing arm down then circle up from hand break (not stretched
back toward 2nd).
- Glove hand in front on follow through.
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