Pitching from the stretch

[Doctor Zizmor]

I almost threw a no hitter the other night...I got tossed out of theg ame in the 7th (we play 7 innings) with one out....buts that a whole othr story.

Although I was still effective, I never feel comfotable out of the stretch and I cant get the velocity I normally have out of the full wind up. I play in a wodden bat amateur mens league so we dont have coaches or anything liek that. Just curious to see if anyone has any tips...Im a right hander too.

[MCBaseball13]

I almost threw a no hitter the other night...I got tossed out of theg ame in the 7th (we play 7 innings) with one out....buts that a whole othr story.

Although I was still effective, I never feel comfotable out of the stretch and I cant get the velocity I normally have out of the full wind up. I play in a wodden bat amateur mens league so we dont have coaches or anything liek that. Just curious to see if anyone has any tips...Im a right hander too.

Well im interested in that story.

But here's what I do.

I have a long motion thats kindup slow, I step back, to tap, then come and bring my leg up.

When I pitch from the stretch I put pressure on my toe that would be touching the ground as I picture me going through my windup in my head.

Even though it may sound dumb it really does work well for me.

[Doctor Zizmor]

Well, I was dealing. Honestly, it was the best Ive felt on the mound in years, my curve ball was breaking like 10 inches and I was actually able to command my circle change(something I have alot of trouble doing). I had 14 k's threw 6 innings My team is ahead 2-0. I come on in the top of the 7th, get the first guy on a swinging bunt to the catcher. Next batter, I walked on some very questionable calls by the umpire. Next batter, hits one to SS, my shortstop couldnt get the ball out of his glove so all runners were safe...men on 1st and second, 1 out. I throw a 4 seam fast ball righ down the middle of the plate, thigh high...BALL. This guys strike zone was all over the place, inconsistant is an understatement. I was livid because I was tossing a no-no and this guy was squeezing me all game. next pitch, same thing BALL. Now Im really fuming and Im about to explode. I just give the ump a stare. My next pitch was a curve ball that was foul tipped on a check swing into my catchers glove and he called it a ball. Thats when I lost it. I went beserk on this umpire and he tossed me...now with me getting tossed we had to forfiet the game because one of my teammates was tossed earlier in the gme and we lost one guy to injury and didnt have anymore players. Im still bent about it

[Doctor Zizmor]

49 views and only one guy can give me some tips.

[Richmond Hill Phoenix]

I'm gonna move this to BB101. Perhaps you'll get more help here.

[randy]

I can't help you with the pitching mechanics questio, but as a long time HS coach(not baseball) I have to ask you one. You get tossed and cost your team the game, yet all I see is complaining about the ump maybe costing you "your" no-no. Were you pitching for you or for your team? I know, I know...personal milestone, never done that before, etc....and I know it is important to you. What about the other eight guys? You cost them something very important with your selfishness. It is a team game, and that must come first. I'm not trying to be harsh or rude, but rather to think of the other guys who made plays behind you to help get you to that point, and who scratched out a couple of runs for you..what about them?

[virg]

49 views and only one guy can give me some tips.

Randy gave you the best tip you'll ever get on pitching.

[scorekeeper]

Although I was still effective, I never feel comfotable out of the stretch and I cant get the velocity I normally have out of the full wind up.

Think back as long as you’ve been pitching, and ask yourself this, of all the pitching practicing you’ve done, what percentage has been out of the stretch?

There’s no magic answers to this one other than to practice more out of the stretch, and very likely you’ll become more “comfortable”.

Just out of curiosity, do you know if more of your pitches are delivered in games with runners on or not? Throwing pitches with runners on, not only involves different mechanics, its much more stressful. It causes pitchers to have to spit their focus.

Maintaining focus is difficult enough when all you do is play baseball and have coaches to help you, but when its being played more or less as a hobby, the ability to deal with some of the little things like that is lost.

[Baseball gLove]

Your pitching coach should have worked on your mechanics from both the wind-up and the stretch, ss my son's pitching coach always has. I take it you were a Little League pitcher where no lead-offs are allowed. My son played Pony since he was 5 years old, where lead-offs and steals are allowed for 10U and up. My son throws harder from the stretch than the wind-up.

[scorekeeper]

BBL,

I can see how logic would dictate that a LLI pitcher would be at a huge disadvantage for working from the stretch, but other than one particular situation, I doubt there’s any real proof of that for a couple of reasons.

I can certainly see how the majority of kids who didn’t have to throw from the stretch would be ahead of those that did, but IMHO, that advantage would only exist for kids who never used or practiced it, and maybe for 1 season once they did have to use it. But, its certainly not something that’s true in every single case, and certainly not something anyone would expect to be true for someone who’s been pitching for “years”.

My son pitched exclusively in LLI until he was almost 14 and had no difficulty at all acquiring the skills to pitch out of the stretch. Of courts that’s how he was taught to pitch when he was 9, and like your son, he threw harder from the stretch right through his college career, even though he was a starter.

Whether a P is brought into the mix through LLI, PONY, or CR really makes little difference since nothing that goes on prior to the big field is life or death anyway.

[Baseball gLove]

I did say his pitching coach should have worked with him on throwing from the stretch.

Pony and Club make a big difference around here.

[scorekeeper]

I did say his pitching coach should have worked with him on throwing from the stretch.

Pony and Club make a big difference around here.

I suppose we both took away different things from his posts.

When I read that he was playing in a wood bat amateur men’s league and that his team didn’t have any coaches, I assumed he wasn’t exactly playing ball as seriously as what many of us are used to with our children. ;)

I know there are pocket areas where the difference I mentioned exists more than others, but there’s just no way I can see how the advantage from pitching in PONY or on a Club team would last through say the Fr year of HS, if that long. I’m sure there will be some kids who never do catch up, but I’m also just as sure that there will be some who not only catch up, but exceed the others.

However, I’m pretty sure we can agree on one thing. No matter what the program, no matter whether or not he had good coaching, and no matter how talented a P was, if they don’t practice a skill, they’ll never be as good at it or as comfortable with it as they might be. ;)

Do you have any stats showing anything about pitching from the windup as opposed to the stretch for your kid?

[Doctor Zizmor]

I can't help you with the pitching mechanics questio, but as a long time HS coach(not baseball) I have to ask you one. You get tossed and cost your team the game, yet all I see is complaining about the ump maybe costing you "your" no-no. Were you pitching for you or for your team? I know, I know...personal milestone, never done that before, etc....and I know it is important to you. What about the other eight guys? You cost them something very important with your selfishness. It is a team game, and that must come first. I'm not trying to be harsh or rude, but rather to think of the other guys who made plays behind you to help get you to that point, and who scratched out a couple of runs for you..what about them?
I hear you, but you have to look at it from my standpoint. The umpire was a _ head. And Im a very competitive and emotional guy, I know I need to work on that because it could cost us and Im all about the team believe it or not. And you say what about the guys who made plays behind me, youre right, but I did have 14 k's through six and 2 other outs were ground balls back to me, so 16 of the 19 outs was all me and I hit a 2 run homer so i drove in all the runs....I know that sounds so selfish, but it was my night. With that said, youd be complaining too if you saw the calls this ump was making. and when he called a foul tip into my catchers glove a ball, I lost it, thats just insane.

[randy]

So it was all you...how about your catcher? How about the first baseman? How about the guy who gpt on so you could drive him in? sounds like you were having a great night, but it is nNEVER one individual alone in ANY team sport? Nolan Ryan pitched 7 of them, and he always gave credit to his catcher and his teammates. Abasketball player may score 50, but he needs to remember the guys who got him the ball and set screens to get him open.
You said "I know my actions could cost us"-the did!!! They cost your TEAM the game since you had to forfeit, and your no-no and HR don't count anymore. It is a team sport, and one person's actions affect everyone on the team. A lot like life, perhaps?

[Jake Patterson]

49 views and only one guy can give me some tips.

Doc post a clip or give us something we can work with. The best we can give you is specualtion. Not being comfortable from a stretch is a huge problem playing in many of the men's leagues I have seen. This indicates you were never comfortable. If you want good feedback post a clip.
Jake
101 Mod