Pitching is a complex area of the game. It was never a matter of "just throw strikes!" But while the new talk is about keeping it simple, that only works for the young journeyman pitcher who throws an occasional inning or two, and for the coach who can only devote some of his time to pitching, because his team's hitting and fielding and baserunning also need work.
For the young pitcher committed to his craft, with aspirations for college or pro ball, the level and detail of instructions has to notch up. Difficult enough. Plus, it seems there are as many pitching theories as there are pitching coaches.
In an effort to break down the science, yet leave room for some discussion of alternatives, this section of WebBall has been split into aspects of mechanical delivery, practice routines, pitch selection, etc. We will continue to add new discoveries as they are tested and proven where it counts - on the diamond.
Lesson Plans - Mechanics and Beyond
Way back in 2003 WebBall launched into a re-education on how we pitch and how we instruct. What began as a page of random thoughts continued in 2005 and beyond into a complete lesson program to break down mechanics with many new ideas. We continue to add, enhance, evolve that lesson series with every new discovery made.
But pitching is more than throwing, so in mid-2009 we begin our new lesson series on Batter Deception.
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For the longest time, we put the priority in pitching instruction on mechanics. In the process of rebuilding the site and a review of all we knew - or thought we knew - we realized that there are some pitching essentials that must come first, even before a detailed breakdown of mechanics. You can, of course, go to mechanics first but we think you should start with the pages on the right.
These are the events which inspired our own re-education on pitching. 3 times we invited leading proponents of conflicting pitching styles to share their opinions with WebBall visitors who would then get to vote for the approach they most agreed with. The voting is done, the results are in ... not that popularity is always the best barometer of what's right or wrong. All challenge articles express the opinions of the authors (and voters) and do not necessarily reflect the approach recommended by WebBall.
(Note: the 2007 event went beyond mechanics or training; it deals with pitcher-hitter match-ups.)
Coaches Corner
A collection of essays on pitching strategies and mechanics from guest authors, reprinted with permission.
Wolforth Unleashed
Coach Wolforth changed the pitching paradigm back in 2002. That's when Ron was given a platform in our first Pitching Challenge. His ideas on pitcher training have been a part of our teaching approach ever since. Now, with the introduction in 2009 of a new series of articles, we have created this portal to his ideas past and present.