| As our long winter begins up north, my coaching | | | | need to present options to your young pitchers. |
| buddies and I where talking about youth baseball | | | | Little league coaches should stress a compact |
| pitchers along with some tips we all have used in | | | | wind up with as little unneeded movement as |
| baseball. I hope you may find some help in the | | | | possible.You are not reinventing the wheel here. |
| following article. | | | | Please stress balance first to your pitchers. Arm |
| Every kid wants to pitch in baseball it seems. | | | | position, rotation of the hips and balanced |
| Pitchers are learning how to throw pitches and | | | | controlled follow-through are also recommended. |
| are the center of the game. Young pitchers set | | | | Pitch counts and no breaking balls of any kind are |
| the pace of the little league game. Young pitchers | | | | also strong recommendations. Youth baseball |
| feel great when they strike out the No. 3 hitter in | | | | pitchers can begin to be introduced to breaking |
| the lineup. They float to the dugout when after a | | | | pitches around puberty is the view of some |
| one, two, three inning. They don't have to run off | | | | baseball coaches. Change ups will more than |
| the field like everybody else. The baseball pitcher | | | | suffice until then. You can do a great deal of long |
| gets walk off after the third out. It is a rewarding | | | | term damage to your young athlete's arms by |
| position to play in baseball. | | | | number one, not getting into a warm-up routine |
| It can also be very humbling when you lose the | | | | early in the career. Learning how to throw |
| strike zone, start getting hit, or your defense has | | | | baseball pitches is a process, not an event. It's the |
| trouble helping you out. The worst part is when | | | | habit that needs to be instilled early on by baseball |
| you have to be taken out of the game or off the | | | | coaches. At 8 years old they may not physically |
| pitcher's mound. | | | | need to have a half-hour warm up routine. At 13 |
| Pitching is much more than just throwing the | | | | they do, so if it is not ingrained by then, all it |
| baseball past hitters. The top three rules for | | | | takes is one incident to hurt the young pitcher's |
| baseball pitchers are as old as baseball itself. | | | | arm. |
| Location, location location. At eight or nine years | | | | Pitch counts. Please abide by the recommended |
| old you can get away most of time with just | | | | youth pitch counts per age group. We're talking |
| throwing heat past hitters. As you get older | | | | long term here. It is your responsibility as a |
| however, off unless you learn how to change | | | | baseball coach to protect your players. It also |
| speeds, and change location, hitters will begin to | | | | teaches young pitchers a lesson or two. It |
| hit your fastball. | | | | teaches them to use pitches wisely if you want |
| Young pitchers who are top youth baseball | | | | to go deep into the game. Young pitchers should |
| pitchers at 8 years old sometimes aren't even | | | | learn get batters out by using location not just |
| pitching at 11 years old for of a variety of | | | | heat. Seven pitch innings using your fielders, keeps |
| reasons. Some of these reasons we will cover in | | | | everybody in the game. It also keeps the pitch |
| later articles. The sooner the young baseball | | | | count lower and pitchers stay in the game longer. |
| pitcher learns the necessity of changing speeds | | | | I know the younger age groups may have inning |
| and location the sooner they will improve as a | | | | limits, it is still never too early to instill these basics. |
| pitcher. Baseball pitchers 8-11 will have a wide | | | | Youth baseball is too great of a sport not to give |
| variety of throwing motions. As a coach you | | | | our young players the right instruction. |