Fantastic drill to develop a Pitcher's Toughness
By: Cindy Bristow
Being a dominating pitcher
requires a lot of different skills. Things like control, speed and movement
are all vital to a pitcher's success. But what about mental toughness?
It plays a HUGE role in a pitcher either bearing down under pressure or
breaking down as a result of it. Learn a great drill to help your pitchers
practice their mental and physical toughness.
We all know that pitching
isn't easy, but what things make it so hard? The motion itself isn't that
complicated, although we sure teach it like it is. To me, what makes pitching
so challenging are the conditions under which you pitch. It's the pressure
of the moment, the need to be excellent on EVERY play and not just most
plays, and the ability to be tough. Practicing toughness is something we
often leave out of our pitcher's daily routines, so check out a drill that
can change that.
If you're looking for a way
to improve your pitcher's mental and physical toughness then this Pitch
Back Drill should really do the trick:
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The pitcher and the catcher
each start with a softball
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The pitcher does this drill
from 35 feet no matter what distance she usually pitches from
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The pitcher pitches her ball
to the catcher, who immediately throws her ball back to the pitcher
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The pitcher then catches the
ball from the catcher and quickly pitches it back, while the catcher catches
the ball from the pitcher and immediately throws it back
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This rapid-fire type pitch and
catch happens for 2 minutes
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After 2 minutes, the pitcher
gets a 40 second break while she either does push-ups or else holds the
plank position for 40 seconds
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Then repeat the Pitch Back Drill
for another 2 minutes followed by another 40 seconds of either push-ups
or the plank, and drill is complete
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Eventually work up to 3 minutes
of Pitch Back and 3 sets
NOTE: The Plank position
is when you lie down flat on the ground, face first. Then prop yourself
up on your forearms and your toes keeping your body flat like a plank of
wood. Holding this position requires a lot of stomach and torso muscles.