Trouble shooting Questions & Answers
These are some of the questions and problems that arise in windmill pitching. As more come to light, I will update this page.
Q. What can I do to stop throwing everything inside to a right handed batter?
A.
Q. Everything I throw goes into the dirt. I have to release in front of me to get the ball up in the zone.
A. The most likely cause of this frustrating phenomenon is bending at the waist. Along with the foot problem above, this is the problem I find most in pitching students. Make sure the stride foot lifts high enough to keep your weight back. The question I ask of them is do they bend over to walk? When the stride foot lands, the hip should be leading the body forward. The head and upper torso should remain back. The best way to practice this is to lift the hands and stride leg, count 1001, 1002. Then allow the stride foot to land while pulling the hands down to complete the pitch. You don't even need a ball. The glove hand, pitching hand and stride foot lift simultaneously with the glove stopping at shoulder height, and the ball hand stopping directly over the head. Count the 2 seconds and bring down in a throwing motion. If you are a leaner, you will know. You will be tipping forward before the 2 seconds have passed. Get used to balancing on that back foot. Once you have accomplished the balance, the ball will go high because of the difference in the release point. Adjust the release.
Q. I have a quick arm but I don't have the as much speed as I think I should.
A. With maturity and age, speed will be developed. Weight training helps to develop strength and power. You must evaluate your speed by comparing it to someone who is about your age and size. All of that means don't get frustrated because you can't throw as fast as your friend or the girl on the other team. There are some things you can look at to see if you are getting the most out of your body. For instance, do you open completely when you bring the ball up. You should point your belly button towards 3rd base. If that is not happening, turn your pivot foot as you bring the ball up. This will allow the body to open. Next make sure your pitching hand is going in a perfect circle. The more perfectly aligned the arm is, the faster it can travel. Also, as you bring both arms up, point the glove hand at the target. As the pitching arm comes down toward the release point, bring the glove hand straight down forcefully. The more you practice, the faster you will get. However genetics plays a role. The ratio of fast twitch muscle fibers to slow twitch fibers affects speed.
Q. How much should I practice, and how often?
A. This is a hard question to answer. How much desire do you have to be the best you can be? Are you willing to sacrifice mall time, movie time, time hanging out, television, computer, video game time? What do you want to accomplish through pitching? You need to consider these questions when deciding when and how much to practice. Don't burn yourself out, but remember some girl is out there wanting the same scholarship you want and she is throwing 200 pitches a day and working every day she can. Do you want it as badly as she does?