It's the time of year now when players, coaches and teams get into the softball groove and it's all about league games, tournaments and long, hot days at the ballpark. But even when it seems like there isn't enough time to practice, we cannot lose sight of working on the fundamentals of the game, especially pitchers. We have to be sure to keep the focus on form as much as possible and find just a few minutes during warm-ups, in-between games or on an off day to get back to pitching basics.
The Rope Drill – this drill forces pitchers to focus on driving through their power line and creating momentum through their wind-up with the correct posture. And it's a great challenge drill as well – I love to see girls get over the rope!
The Flamingo Drill – any athletic move in any sport takes balance, including pitching. The flamingo drill is another challenge for all pitchers, especially the younger ones, to keep their weight back and stay balanced through the entire pitch.
The Noodle Drill – as pitchers work to stay balanced with the correct posture, inevitably they can come off the power line. This drill works on keeping the glove up, keeping it straight and bringing it down to create that power and momentum for the pitch. Grab an assistant coach, mom, dad, brother, sister or friend and go through a few reps with the noodle drill – it makes a big difference!
We'll talk about simple spin drills in an upcoming post that can be done anywhere – in the dugout, in the car on the way to the games or just hanging out at home. No matter where we are, we always need to keep the focus on form.
Work Hard, Play Hard and Have Fun! Christie A.