Pitching drills teach beginning pitchers the mechanics of pitching and how to improve their results. Any good series of pitching drills will include information on conditioning, stretching, warming up and injury prevention in addition to actual pitching instruction.
One Knee Drill
An important step in learning how to pitch is developing the proper arm motion. The one knee drill removes the lower body from the pitching motion to concentrate solely on the arm motion. To perform the drill, walk about 45 to 55 feet away from your pitching partner and drop to your right knee if you are right-handed. Rotate your opposite shoulder toward your throwing partner, keep your hand on top of the ball, and throw the ball using a strong circular arm motion.
Bucket Drill
The bucket drill is similar to the one-knee drill but focuses on the proper arm motion and the follow-through. As with the one-knee drill, set up 45 to 55 feet from your partner and drop to the knee on your throwing side. Prop your kneeling foot on top of an upside-down 10 gallon bucket. Proceed with the same motions as in the one-knee drill, but as you throw the ball, pop up the foot on the bucket and continue with a follow-through motion.
Quick Hands Drill
This drill helps a beginning pitcher develop pitch velocity through the use of muscle memory. Stand as if pitching with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your lead toe pointing toward your target. Keep your hand together at your waist, ball in glove. As fast and controlled as you can, break your hands, turn your hips, and throw the ball to your target, complete with follow-through, but do not step. While your back foot should pivot as you release the ball, you should keep your feet the same distance apart at all times.
Leverage Drill
The leverage drill is a way to keep your right leg tall so you can use it to leverage the motion of your body and deliver all of your energy to the pitch. Stand in the pitching position and bring your knee to the height at which it should be during your delivery. Have your partner stand in front of you and mark this spot by holding out his hand. Next, go through the pitching motion and see whether your leg reaches the height of your partner's palm. After a few tries without the baseball, try it while throwing the ball 35 feet, then 45 feet.
Warm-Ups and Injury Prevention
As a beginning pitcher, you should never get on the mound until you are thoroughly warmed up. Do some light running and stretching to begin, and then throw the ball on flat ground to warm up your arm. As you grow older, you can begin to incorporate weight-training into your warm up and injury-prevention program, particularly during the off-season.
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