Baseball Pitching Tips - How to Communicate With Your Teammates is Critical For You!

By Larry Cicchiello

I can write forever about the necessity of good communication for a pitcher with all his teammates. It's not something that's taught very often but it can affect the outcome of the baseball game.

What can be more frustrating than losing a game because a catcher got crossed up and missed a pitch because he thought the fastball was being thrown and was surprised by the curve ball? Or losing a game because an infielder throws the ball away when throwing to a base where he had no chance of getting the runner anyway? Those are just two examples of breakdowns in communication.

Talk on the baseball field and then talk even more!

A pitcher can be MOST helpful to his catcher and infielders. On popups or fly balls, he should both yell and point. On pitches that get away from the catcher, yell and point.

Speaking of balls that get away from the catcher and the catcher can't find the ball, here's what happened back in 2005. My son was playing in a game and the catcher on his team could not find a pitched ball in the dirt that he had blocked. He looked left, right, in front of him and behind him. Some loud mouth spectator, standing on the side of the backstop yelled, "Left foot, left foot." The catcher then looked down by his left foot and there was the ball, just about an inch from his left heel. Neither of the two runners on base was able to advance.

The man who yelled loudly will remain anonymous. It's someone I know very, very well. (Okay, okay, I couldn't help myself from yelling.) My big question is why weren't the players on his team yelling that to him instead of me?

Probably because kids are not taught the value of communicating with their teammates.

Some Examples Of Communication For Pitchers:


Your fielder makes a great play. If he's an outfielder, point to him, give him the thumbs up sign, and let EVERYBODY see you doing this.
Your infielder makes a great play. Walk half way toward him and point to him and tell him how great he is. Say something like, "You are the best third baseman I've ever seen."
Your fielder makes a terrible play. At the end of the inning, he very well may be hanging his head. Walk over to him and tell him, "Don't hang your head Johnny. You make 20 great plays for every one you have trouble with. You're the best around."
Your first baseman or third baseman is going near the fence to catch a foul popup. Tell him something like," You've got room Johnny, you've got room."
A slow roller down the first base or third base line and your catcher and fielder don't know who is going to pick it up. You be the one and shout out the name of the player who you think should field the ball. What's more frustrating than have them both come to a halt because each of them thought the other one was going to field the ball?

Communicate with your teammates. It is a huge part of successful baseball!

Larry Cicchiello is the successful author of several very user friendly eBooks covering 320 topics on playing or coaching excellent baseball. ANY player, coach or parent who wants to help their child will be fully equipped! Check out some FREE baseball tips on hitting and FREE baseball pitching tips at LarryBaseball.com.

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4 Baseball Pitching Drills For Little League Players

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4 Baseball Pitching Drills For Little League Players
By Nick Dixon
Teaching, training and developing young baseball pitchers takes a lot of time, patience, and practice repetition. Many young pitchers need to practice pitching skills daily. To keep the interest level high, it is best to use a variety of drills on alternate days to prevent boredom. Here are 4 baseball pitching drills that can be used to train youth and beginner pitchers.

Drill #1 - Up & Out Foot Drill Objective - To help pitchers perfect the proper back leg action. The purpose of this drill is to stop foot drag and prevent over striding.

Equipment Needed - A brick, block or wood or other suitable object. The object will be placed at a location just in front of the pivot foot of the pitcher. The pitcher will be working out of the stretch. The pitcher should be reminded to roll and pick his back foot up so that it clears the object.

Procedure - The pitcher throws using his normal motion and delivery. If the pitcher fails to clear the object, then his back foot is "dragging" or he is over striding. Young pitchers should be coached to step out of the "hold" and up and over the block.

Drill #2 - Dot Spot Drill Objective - The purpose of this drill is to build confidence, to teach young pitchers to hit their spots and to teach young pitchers to have great control.

Equipment Needed - Good balls, Catching equipment, and glove.

Procedure - The catcher has 4 dots on his gear. The 4 dots or spots are different colors or they each have a number on them. The dots are taped to each knee on the shin guards and one to the left shoulder and right shoulder. The catcher or coach calls a color or a number. The pitcher must hit the dot called. The pitcher has 6 pitches to hit all 4 of the dots. All dots should be called in different orders each time. If the pitcher fails to hit 4 dots correctly, the pitcher must do 10 push ups. Two pitchers can compete to see which finishes first. The dots may be placed lower on the catcher to stress keeping the ball low or down in the zone.

Drill #3 Long Toss - Power Building Drill - Pitchers should long toss several times a week to build strength and endurance. The two players should warm-up as usual and then move back a few steps after each 4 throws. Pitchers should be able to increase their strength and extend their distances within weeks. Pitchers of all ages should work out to a distance at least 3 times their normal pitching distance. Some coaches allow players to "crow hop" at the farthest distances. That is up to you.

Drill #4 - Front Side Drill Objective - This drill is used to teach and reinforce the proper front shoulder action during delivery.

The drill is performed as the pitcher kneels on the pivot-leg knee. The pitcher will begin the drill with the throwing arm in the "T -position" and the stride foot aimed at the plate. The pitcher begins the throwing motion by pulling and tucking his front arm and glove. At the same time he is bringing his throwing arm and shoulder around and toward the plate. The drill should be performed many times to give the pitcher the feel of proper mechanics and front shoulder movement. The front elbow should be used as the guide for the front side. The glove should be extended out and tucked as the pitcher rolls his lead shoulder and pulls it in. This deceptive move is used to distract and deceive batters. The drill should be finished with the throwing arm in proper finish position outside the stride leg knee.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon

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Visit the Baseball Coaching Digest for daily post and articles on every aspect of coaching baseball. The Baseball Coaching Digest Blog. Check out the Bat Action Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty. Check out Baseball2u.com/Coachesbest.com for all of your coaching and training equipment needs. Visit the Baseball Dealz Ebay Super Store to purchase top quality baseball training equipment at discount prices.