Softball Pitching - Confidence Conditioning for Pitchers

When I work with a brand new pitcher, a very young pitcher, I want to immediately start to help them build at least some small level of confidence right from the start. I want them to experience some level of accomplishment and success immediately.

Every pitcher, even a very young beginner, should set short term and long term goals for themselves. Reaching a short-term goal gives a feeling of accomplishment and helps build confidence. Always keeping the long-term goal in mind, combined with achieving short-term goals, builds excellent work ethics. Every short-term goal achieved is one more step towards achieving the long-term goal.

I like to start teaching beginners with correct foot placement on the rubber, the power line and the correct windmill arm motion. I then start them throwing VERY close and throwing slowly.

I like to start them throwing to me at around 12 feet. I have marks on the ground, or tape on the floor, every 2 feet, all the way back to the regulation distance.

Their first short-term goal is to be successful throwing 7 out of 10 pitches for a strike, two times in a row, from 12 feet. Their first long-term goal is to be able to throw 7 out of 10 pitches for a strike, two times in a row, from their regulation distance.

Now we do the exact same thing from 14 feet, then 16 feet, and so on. You do this all the way back until you reach the regulation distance. At some particular distance the young pitcher will struggle to reach or hit the strike zone. When they have reached a point, (and they will reach a point), that they are unable to reach/hit the target 7 out of 10 pitches, 4 times in a row, then bring them up closer by 2 feet, the next marker closer. The pitcher may have many setbacks along the way to successfully throwing at the full distance. Make sure they understand this before you start.

When they have to move up 2 feet they learn that you experience some setbacks along with progress and success. They will realize that they have already thrown successfully at that shorter mark at least once before. They now have experience at that distance to do it successfully again. If it doesn’t happen immediately, they will get even more determined. Their desire to return to the farthest point in their progress will help to start building the good work ethic a successful pitcher must have.

If they cannot do it again at that mark, move them closer to the next mark. At that mark they will have even more desire and determination because they will help to start building the good work ethics a successful pitcher must have.

If they cannot do it again at that mark, move them closer to the next mark. At that mark they will have even more desire and determination because they have already proven they CAN throw successfully at the mark farther than that one.

With every time they progress and move back 2 feet, they will also be building muscle memory and slowly increasing their ball speed to reach the target. They will also, slowly but surely, be required to increase their concentration and focus to reach/hit the target.

This method stresses accuracy first, then speed.

After a while, if they have to move up a mark, it will really irritate them because they will know moving up is a step backwards in their progress. When they hear the instructor say, “Ok. Move back to the next line”, they will look at it just as you and I look at a promotion at work.

If at their first session they have thrown successfully from a distance of up to, let’s say 24 feet, start their second session at 20 feet and go from there. Treat every move to a farther distance as a victory and remind them when they have a little set back, they did it once and they can do it again.

A simple piece of graph paper can be used to chart the pitcher’s progress. Make each line a 2 foot move, either up or back, as they progress towards throwing at regulation distance. Make a mark at the distance they started at and put a star at the distance that is their first long-term goal.

Make a mark at the appropriate spot on the graph for every set of 20 pitches they throw per session. Make a mark for every move they make, forwards or backwards. When the session is over, show them the graph and let them take it home and bring it with them the next time.

When they see the chart they will see the progress they made, where they want to be and even the set backs that happen on the way to reaching a long-term goal. Mom will certainly want the first one of these for the pitcher’s scrapbook, so be sure to date and sign it.

This is also a good way to get the idea across for a good warm up before throwing hard. Start off close and throwing easy, then gradually increase the distance and speed.

Have the parents make an identical graph for their in-between sessions catching their young pitchers. Have them bring that graph to the next pitching lesson. This is the pitcher’s “Homework”. This not only lets the instructor see the progress between sessions, it lets them know exactly how hard the pitcher is working between lessons, how often and exactly how many pitches per workout.

Once the pitcher has reached and can consistently throw from the regulation distance, this type of charting can still be used to show how many throws per 20 hit the strike zone for each different pitch the pitcher attempts to work on.

When you show a very beginning pitcher progress and success at the very start, their desire and confidence will grow in leaps and bounds.