If you try to pitch with an improper stride, expect to eventually be switched to a different position on the baseball field. The stride is the pitcher's movement to home plate, and a smooth one is going to put the pressure on the opposing hitter. When your stride is sound, pitching is much easier.
Step it Up
The most effective drill for developing the proper stride doesn't require any equipment -- not even a baseball. It's the simple shadow exercise, and the pitcher only needs to simulate his throwing mechanics. Ideally, the stride is going to be 80 percent to 90 percent of the pitcher's height, so practice moving your front foot forward at that distance while also simulating the throwing motion. Place an X in the dirt where your front foot should land on the perfect stride and practice hitting it.
Go Long
The stride begins with the back foot, which pushes off the rubber and shifts weight and momentum to the front leg. The long toss is an effective drill for helping you become accustomed to ensuring the back leg is used in the delivery. Unlike throwing the standard 60 feet, 6 inches from the mound to home plate, the long toss drill covers a distance of 90 to 100 feet. By simulating your pitching motion when participating in long toss, you get used to throwing off your back leg to get enough power in the stride to cover the added distance.
Full Bore
A pitcher uses two basic windups during a baseball game: the full delivery and the stretch. The full windup is used when no runners are on base, and the stride can be simulated when throwing batting practice or in the bullpen. With the shoulders facing the hitter, the pitcher brings the front leg up while the hands are going over the head. Push off with the back leg and practice releasing the baseball as the front foot lands aiming right at home plate.
Side Saddle
When runners are on base, the pitcher throws from the stretch, meaning you stand sideways on the mound with your back foot on the rubber. Practice this stride during batting practice because runners need to be on base. Stealing bases is a big part of the game so pitchers must practice shortening up their stride to home. Getting the ball to the catcher as quickly as possible is a must if you want to your catcher to have a better shot at throwing out base-stealers. While a full stride should cover 80 percent to 90 percent of the pitcher's height, the move to the plate out of the stretch is much shorter.
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