Youth Baseball Digest - Pitcher Having Control Problems - 3 Pitching Delivery Flaws I Check First

Youth Baseball Digest - Pitcher Having Control Problems - 3 Pitching Delivery Flaws I Check First
By Nick Dixon

You are a youth baseball coach. One of your pitchers is having trouble throwing strikes. When a pitcher is having a bad day on the mound, there has to be a reason. In most cases bad days are caused by simple pitcher delivery flaws. Often times these flaws can be quickly identified and corrected. What are the first three things that a coach should check in the pitchers delivery? Here I discuss the first three things that I always check first.

1) Target Focus and Concentration
2) Front Leg and Landing Foot Action
3) Release Point Consistency.

These three elements of a pitcher's delivery are extremely important when it comes to becoming a good pitcher with good control.

Target Focus and Concentration - Many pitchers let their eyes wonder during their delivery. They get their sign from the catcher and start their motion. At some point they may look away from the target. They do not keep their eyes zeroed in on the catcher's mitt. When a young pitcher takes his eyes off the target, even briefly, the results can be poor concentration and inconsistent control. Coaches should always watch the eyes of the pitcher. Make sure that the younger pitchers keep their eyes on the target throughout the pitcher's pitching motion.

Front Leg and Landing Foot Action - The second element of the pitchers delivery encompasses the action of the stride leg and stride foot. The lead or stride leg should can be locked or stiff during the final stages of the delivery. There must be some give or a slight bend in the stride leg knee. A stiff front leg tends to "pole vault" the player's body upward causing the pitch location to be altered. The stride foot should land flat. Many times a pitcher will get the bad habit of pointing the toes upward and landing on the stride foot's heel. Landing on the heel will in most cases cause control problems. Make sure that the stride foot is landing on the ball of the foot with the entire foot landing flat.

Release Point Consistency - I first check to see if the pitcher is properly releasing the baseball out front and in the same spot pitch after pitch. I want to make sure that the pitcher is consistently releasing the ball in the same location. It is impossible to have good pitching control without perfect release point execution. Stress to your pitchers to get the ball out front. The pitcher should practice enough to master a consistent release point that never varies.

I hope that these tips are helpful to you. The main thing you need to remember as a youth coach is that if strikes are not being thrown, there is a reason for the problem. Every pitcher is to have his great days and bad days. But, the key is to make sure that the bad days are not caused by a simple pitching flaw that can be quickly identified and corrected.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article. For more articles like it, you can visit the Baseball Coaching Digest, Youth Baseball Digest, and Little League Digest. Good luck to you and your team. Thanks for taking the time to read my articles. Have a great day, Nick

The CoachesBest and Baseball2u Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.

Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

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Coaching Youth Baseball Pitchers - 4 Common Pitching Flaws That Should Be Corrected Immediately

By Nick Dixon


Young pitchers need frequent practice. I recommend that they throw to a catcher or at a pitching target daily. The number of throws should be limited to prevent "overuse" or fatigue, but the daily practice allows young pitchers to develop muscle memory, confidence, and pitch control. A throwing session may be only 15 to 20 pitches at ¾ speeds. The point is that daily practice allows players to improve daily and it also allows the coach to observe and see any bad habits or flaws that a young pitcher may have "picked up".

There are 4 Common Pitching Flaws of Young baseball Pitchers that a coach should identify quickly and correct. The 4 flaws that are the most common are (1)Not Seeing The Target, (2)Landing on the Heel, (3)Throwing Across the Body, and (4)Poor Follow-Through and Finish. Here is a brief description of each of these flaws and a coaching point related to each.

1. NOT SEEING THE TARGET -Many beginning pitchers have tendency to look down and pick up the target to late in the delivery. Their eyes wander and they often have trouble hitting their spots. Young pitchers should see the target or "mitt" from the start of the delivery until they finish their delivery. Young pitchers often do not concentrate on the specific pitch target during delivery.

Coaching Point - Make sure that the young pitcher always looks at the catcher's mitt. It is equally important that the catcher give the pitcher a "low target". It is important to keep the ball done in the strike zone. The more the pitcher gets the ball up, the more chances the opponents will have of hitting the ball with power.

2. LANDING ON THE HEEL - The stride foot of the pitcher should land softly and with onto the "ball" of the foot. Many young pitchers tend to "over-stride" which requires them to land on the heel of the front foot. Landing on the heel of the stride foot will cause control problems and accelerate fatigue. The pitcher should land softly on the "ball" of the stride foot. Landing on the front half of the stride foot reduces the "landing impact" on body thus helping to improve body control and pitch control. Control the body; control the pitch! Landing on the front heel with a stiff front leg tends to "pole vault" the pitcher onto the front leg. This action can cause serious control problems. The pitchers front leg must bend to prevent this problem from occurring.

Coaching Point - Consistency is the number one friend of the pitcher. It is important that the pitcher uses the same stride length, the same arm slot, the same lower body motion, and the same stride foot action. If a pitcher normally has great control, the first thing a coach should always check is the front foot landing action. If the front foot is landing properly, look for other problems that may be causing the lack of control.

3. THROWING ACROSS THE BODY - This is caused when the pitcher strides too "closed" to allow a smooth delivery and follow through. The pitcher must throw across the body causing a "front hip lock" that prevents proper and adequate front hip movement and rotation. The pitcher should stride into "center zone" toward the plate to prevent this flaw.

Coaching Point - It is important that coaches closely observe where the pitchers stride foot is landing. The foot should land on or close to what would be a straight line directly from where the pitchers foot lifts from to target. The front foot's toe should be slightly closed.

4. POOR FOLLOW-THROUGH - The pitcher should finish low with a bent back and slightly bent front leg. The pitcher should strive to finish with the throwing arm outside of the knee and chest over thigh. The emphasis should be on achieving a smooth and proper follow through on every pitch.

Coaching Point - The proper finish is a low finish with the back foot lifting higher than the pitcher's head. The pitcher's throwing arm elbow should finish the pitch outside and below the knee on the pitcher's stride leg. The common saying that you hear coaches say is "bend your back" and "follow through". These two actions are simultaneous and they are both correct.

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4 Common Youth Baseball Pitching Flaws

"4 Common Pitching Flaws
of Young Pitchers"


1. NOT SEEING THE TARGET - Teach pitchers to "lock in" on the chosen "target spot" during the delivery. I call these target "anchor points" . They may be the mitt, catchers knee, catchers mask, umpires mask, and other visual points. The "anchor points" vary with the pitch being thrown. When runners are on, make sure the pitcher "refocuses" on the target after checking the runner/runners and before throwing the pitch.
2. LANDING ON THE HEEL - Landing on the heel of the stride foot will cause control problems and excelerate fatigue. The pitcher should land softly on the "ball" of the stride foot. Landing on the front half of the stride foot reduces the "landing impact" to the pitcher's body thus helping to improve body control and pitch control. Control the body; control the pitch!

THROWING ACROSS THE BODY - This is caused when the pitcher strides to "closed" to allow a smooth delivery and follow through. The pitcher must throw across the body causing a "front hip lock" that prevents proper and adequate front hip movement and rotation. The pitcher should stride into "center zone" toward the plate to prevent this flaw.

3. POOR FOLLOW-THROUGH - The pitcher should finish low with a bent back and slightly bent front leg. The pitcher should strive to finish with the throwing arm outside of the knee and chest over thigh. The emphasis should be on achieving a smooth and proper follow through on every pitch.

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