Here are just some of my favorite Drills.
DROP BALL DRILLS
1 Drop ball drill.
This activity will give you the feel of the rotating ball using different grips and releases. Experiment with the finger grip, using various locations and different numbers of fingers until you find what is best for you. Hold the ball in your pitching hand using one of the drop ball grips, snap the ball off the end of your fingers in a peeling motion while rotating the ball forward, using fingers wrist and arm action.
As your ability improves try to bring in more wrist action and increase the rotation speed. I would carry out this routine daily for around 15/20 minutes until you can rotate the ball with complete control. For instance flip it the same height every time without dropping it
2. ONE-LEG DRILL.
This places you in the exact position you will land where you set your stride foot. You place your stride foot under yourself with all your weight over the leg. You bend your knee slightly so that your stride leg accepts the weight but is still flexible.
Your head should be slightly over your front foot and allow your back foot to touch the ground lightly for balance.
You can move around a bit at first to get comfortable on the mound in this position. From this position you carry out a full circle maintaining your position and releasing the ball a knee height, after release the body will follow through forward in the direction of the ball.
You should not worry too much about balance at this stage if you are in the correct position and manage to hold it all the way through the pitch you will see almost instant results when you release the ball at the correct position.
I would suggest doing this drill at half speed at first.
This is about body awareness at this stage you can add the step as you gain more success with this drill.
You should try and get back into the starting position as quickly as possible IE the one leg drill position. As with most drills stay at a pace that you can start at with success and then gradually add speed.
3. MOUND DRILL.
For this drill you can use a pitchers mound or if one is not available construct a mound out of the way of the diamond using any materials that is available to you.
You start in the one leg drill position first, and then bring in the step and the arm speed.
Throwing from a baseball mound off of the incline this will give you the muscle memory from the angle that you are pitching from.You must remember to land with your stride leg under your body to enhance the drop release.
4 THE ROPE DRILL.
If you position a rope 1.5 to 2 metres in front of the plate and at around middle strike zone level. You have to pitch your drop ball to the catcher with the ball passing over the top of the rope.
If the pitches are correct then the ball should be below the rope by the time the catcher can make the catch.
The best thing about this drill is the visible gauge you get to see how much and how early or late that your pitch breaks.
Find the height that the pitch comes down at before it breaks and adjust the rope height accordingly.
You can also use different positions of the rope for many useful training aids, For instance! If you are ahead in the pitch count then you can lower the rope so you practice the low end of your drop ball zone.
If you are behind in the count and you need a higher break of the ball then you higher the rope to give you a more believable strike before the break.
Re positioning of yourself by leaning a little more forward over your upright position or getting on to your stride foot earlier to see what differences you can make in the time of your ball breaking.Always remember to get your catcher to move with the batter as he changes position in the batters box ,you do not want to leave your catcher with a stretch.
5. LOW NET THROWS.
From a distance of about 3 metres place a safety net in front of your pitching mound. The object is to throw your drop ball into the bottom of the net using your proper grips but exaggerating the release. This will help you to keep your drop balls low and help with the proper release.
6. BASKET THROWS.
As with the rope drill this will give you a good visual aid to see how your drop ball is going.
You throw from the mound and try to drop the ball into a large basket similar in size to a laundry basket.
Using your drop ball grips you have to try and drop it into the basket ,obviously if it knocks the basket over then it is not dropping in, do not expect the basket not to move at all it will but it will show you how far inside the basket your drop ball can go.
CURVE BALL DRILLs
1 CURVE BALL DRILL .
This activity will help you learn the correct wrist action for the release of the curve ball. Take a comfortable grip for the curve ball pitch. Advance your stride foot to simulate the delivery position and drop your pitching hand to your side. Allow your pitching hand to swing easily back and forth about 60cm in front and behind your hip. Relax your arm completely and let it swing like a pendulum. Each time the pitching arm comes past your hip snap your wrist like you would for a slow release.
Start gradually at first until you get the feeling that it feels good and natural. .
2. CURVE BALL DRILL .
This exercise is done to promote wrist and finger action when you release the curve ball pitch. The focus here is on ball rotation, Take a comfortable grip for the curve ball and hold the ball out in front of you with your elbow bent and your palm up. Twist the ball using a strong side snap of the wrist with a twisting action of the fingers.
Repeat this trying to increase the side rotation of the ball with each attempt. This should be practised every day until you can spin the ball rapidly every time.
3. CURVE DRILL .
As far as drills go for the curve ball one of the most useful is having the pitcher throw from the slingshot position. You have to concentrate on the position of the hand at the hip. Instead of the ball facing the batter at the hip the hand should be palm up to the sky and the ball in your hand that if you were to stop the ball would simply stay in your hand.
Once you start the push off the pitchers plate you should concentrate on bringing the hand around the hip and peeling the ball off the side of the hand. The grip should be with the forefinger along the seam and the index finger directly under the forefinger. Which is basically the same grip as the rise ball.
The forefinger will peel the ball off by using the seam, having the effect of spinning the ball. You have to be careful not to get under the ball as it will cause it to rise. If you want to get it to go in or out you will have to experiment with different release points and find what works for you.
As with all practice the more you throw this the more accurate you will become if your mechanics are right.
4. ROPE OR NOODLE DRILL.
There are many different ways to gauge the movement on the curve ball. One way is to hang a rope down from the ceiling if you are indoors. Another way is to use a sponge swimming noodle anchored to the ground. The placement for them is around 1.50 metres to 2 metres in front of home plate. And width wise where you would like the ball to be when it reaches that location. The object is to make the ball break around the noodle, so for instance a right-handed pitcher would have it pass the noodle on the right and be caught on the left of the noodle and obviously for a lefty it would go the other way. This drill is also an effective way to practice stride foot placement. You should have your stride foot crossing the power line to the pitching arm side of the noodle as this is where the ball is supposed to start.
CHANGE UPS
CHANGE-UP DRILL #1.
This drill will help you learn the correct wrist action and realease of the change up.
Once you have got a comfortable grip for the change up.Advance your stride foot to simulate the release position.Drop your pitching arm to your side and again let your pitching arm swing forward and back around 50 cm in front and behind your body
Try to be relaxed while swinging your arm,as your pitching hand comes past your in the forward swing ,snap your wrist sideways as for the slow release.
Continue this until you are happy with it and you are used to the movement.
2. CHANGE-UP DRILL #2.
This activity is a little more complex and cannot be done on your own.
Take the ball and get into the desired grip for this change up drill.
Have your teammate stand facing you around 3 to 4 metres away .As with most practice drills allow your arm to swing forward and back and stay relaxed.
This time when your arm passes your body release the ball very softly to your teammate.This drill is not about speed it is for you to get used to the release and the grip.
3. SHOVE CHANGE DRILL.
You start this drill close to the home plate,Begin slowly and steady with your arm speed.
You will not start with a full rotation of the arm ,instead you will start in a position where your elbow is bent and your hand is in front of your elbow.You draw your elbow back and push the ball forward,A similar action to using a ski pole.
To release the ball you simply open your hand in the front of the shove,If done correctly the ball will have little or no spin.Back up a metre at a time and try to release it without spin.
When you get to around 6 metres start to use a full arm circle but still concentrating on the release with no spin.As you get back to full distance remember not to let your wrist snap when you release or the ball will regain its spin.
Do not be in a hurry with this drill it can take even the best pitchers a long while to master.
5. KNUCKLEBALL DRILL.
Most of the work that is needed to master this drill can be done sitting down.Simply put the ball in the knuckle ball grip and see how it feels some people find it quite uncomfortable at fist so try to become accustomed to it.So once in the grip position simply toss the ball upwards to yourself getting used to the feeling of releasing the fingers and thumb and getting the ball up in the air without spin.
This is the basic requirements to the knuckle ball.After mastering the self toss with no spin get the help of your catcher and with a lot of drills you start close with little speed and no full circle of your arm ,then you back up as you learn to master the no spin release until you are full distance with full rotation.
RISE BALL DRILLS
SPINNER DRILL
There are many ways to learn to throw the rise ball this spinner drill is one of the most effective ways to master the backward spin.It is hard for you as the pitcher to see the backward spin develop and some times even your coaches have trouble in seeing it.
The flat spinner will show you how much spin you are achieving.Start first by spinning the spinner to yourself where you can see close up the spin.
When you are getting a good back spin enlist the help of your catcher,start at around a metre distance,By this time you should start to rock your arm back and forward to release to your catcher.Concentrate on a smooth release and rocking action,at around 3 metres from the plate If the spin and release is going well return to a short distance and bring in the full arm rotation.Again make your way backward towards the pitching plate and when you can throw the spinner at full distance and full power go back close and start using a regulation ball.
. OVERSIZED AND UNDERSIZED BALL SPINS DRILL
. The use of under size and oversize balls have the advantage of helping you to get the correct movement and ease of grip.
The smaller of the balls will allow you to have more flexibility in your fingers and allows you to have the right movements with less effort.The other advantage is to make it easier at the beginning to create muscle memory for the correct spin movements.
The oversize ball is useful in speeding up the wrist snap because the hand has to pass under more area of the ball in the same amount of time.It also helps you if you are struggling with the concept of the backward spin.The 14 inch ball is about perfect for this drill as you can still hold on to it comfortably while doing your full circle and during your wrist snap release.
I would use the same routine when starting on this drill as with many others by starting up close and moving back with success.
ONE-KNEE DRILL.
For this drill you will need to be on your knee of your drive leg with your stride leg out in front of you,do not put any weight on the stride leg if possible it is there to emulate your pitch position for the rise ball so you need your weight to be back behind the stride leg so any weight going forward will stop the rise.Now you are in this position you have isolated your upper body your posture should be slightly laying backward.
Using your usual rise ball grip pitch to your catcher at around one third distance and go backwards as you realise success.
FLAT SPINS DRILL
. For many of us to spin the ball backward with any speed means we have to release the ball high and so the rise goes to a height that is not a believable strike to the batter as it starts to rise too far out in its path.The reason for this is the later you release the ball the more time you have to get under the ball to make it spin.
The biggest mistake made by pitchers is to learn to release the ball too high and then it is hard to correct at a later date.The aim here is to release the ball early at around knee high and do not worry at this moment about the upward angle.Releasing the ball at knee high will force you into getting a quicker spin and release as you do not have so much time as with the higher release.
Once you have mastered the release and spin at knee height the spin will come very easy when you add in the later time of release to the pitch.
ROPE DRILL
The rope drill is a great gauge for how your rise ball is going and when it is breaking.If you put the rope at about waist height of the batter and around 3 metres in front of home plate your pitch should go under the rope and be caught over it at the catcher.
If you move the rope further back to the halfway mark toward the pitcher to show you where the ball is when the batter is deciding to swing,and if it is above the rope at this stage you will need to get your release earlier to make it more believable to the batter.
When practising the rise ball I like to have my catcher sitting on a ball bucket to get the feeling of keeping my release early enough to make it go under the rope and then break.
DROP BALL DRILLS
1 Drop ball drill.
This activity will give you the feel of the rotating ball using different grips and releases. Experiment with the finger grip, using various locations and different numbers of fingers until you find what is best for you. Hold the ball in your pitching hand using one of the drop ball grips, snap the ball off the end of your fingers in a peeling motion while rotating the ball forward, using fingers wrist and arm action.
As your ability improves try to bring in more wrist action and increase the rotation speed. I would carry out this routine daily for around 15/20 minutes until you can rotate the ball with complete control. For instance flip it the same height every time without dropping it
2. ONE-LEG DRILL.
This places you in the exact position you will land where you set your stride foot. You place your stride foot under yourself with all your weight over the leg. You bend your knee slightly so that your stride leg accepts the weight but is still flexible.
Your head should be slightly over your front foot and allow your back foot to touch the ground lightly for balance.
You can move around a bit at first to get comfortable on the mound in this position. From this position you carry out a full circle maintaining your position and releasing the ball a knee height, after release the body will follow through forward in the direction of the ball.
You should not worry too much about balance at this stage if you are in the correct position and manage to hold it all the way through the pitch you will see almost instant results when you release the ball at the correct position.
I would suggest doing this drill at half speed at first.
This is about body awareness at this stage you can add the step as you gain more success with this drill.
You should try and get back into the starting position as quickly as possible IE the one leg drill position. As with most drills stay at a pace that you can start at with success and then gradually add speed.
3. MOUND DRILL.
For this drill you can use a pitchers mound or if one is not available construct a mound out of the way of the diamond using any materials that is available to you.
You start in the one leg drill position first, and then bring in the step and the arm speed.
Throwing from a baseball mound off of the incline this will give you the muscle memory from the angle that you are pitching from.You must remember to land with your stride leg under your body to enhance the drop release.
4 THE ROPE DRILL.
If you position a rope 1.5 to 2 metres in front of the plate and at around middle strike zone level. You have to pitch your drop ball to the catcher with the ball passing over the top of the rope.
If the pitches are correct then the ball should be below the rope by the time the catcher can make the catch.
The best thing about this drill is the visible gauge you get to see how much and how early or late that your pitch breaks.
Find the height that the pitch comes down at before it breaks and adjust the rope height accordingly.
You can also use different positions of the rope for many useful training aids, For instance! If you are ahead in the pitch count then you can lower the rope so you practice the low end of your drop ball zone.
If you are behind in the count and you need a higher break of the ball then you higher the rope to give you a more believable strike before the break.
Re positioning of yourself by leaning a little more forward over your upright position or getting on to your stride foot earlier to see what differences you can make in the time of your ball breaking.Always remember to get your catcher to move with the batter as he changes position in the batters box ,you do not want to leave your catcher with a stretch.
5. LOW NET THROWS.
From a distance of about 3 metres place a safety net in front of your pitching mound. The object is to throw your drop ball into the bottom of the net using your proper grips but exaggerating the release. This will help you to keep your drop balls low and help with the proper release.
6. BASKET THROWS.
As with the rope drill this will give you a good visual aid to see how your drop ball is going.
You throw from the mound and try to drop the ball into a large basket similar in size to a laundry basket.
Using your drop ball grips you have to try and drop it into the basket ,obviously if it knocks the basket over then it is not dropping in, do not expect the basket not to move at all it will but it will show you how far inside the basket your drop ball can go.
CURVE BALL DRILLs
1 CURVE BALL DRILL .
This activity will help you learn the correct wrist action for the release of the curve ball. Take a comfortable grip for the curve ball pitch. Advance your stride foot to simulate the delivery position and drop your pitching hand to your side. Allow your pitching hand to swing easily back and forth about 60cm in front and behind your hip. Relax your arm completely and let it swing like a pendulum. Each time the pitching arm comes past your hip snap your wrist like you would for a slow release.
Start gradually at first until you get the feeling that it feels good and natural. .
2. CURVE BALL DRILL .
This exercise is done to promote wrist and finger action when you release the curve ball pitch. The focus here is on ball rotation, Take a comfortable grip for the curve ball and hold the ball out in front of you with your elbow bent and your palm up. Twist the ball using a strong side snap of the wrist with a twisting action of the fingers.
Repeat this trying to increase the side rotation of the ball with each attempt. This should be practised every day until you can spin the ball rapidly every time.
3. CURVE DRILL .
As far as drills go for the curve ball one of the most useful is having the pitcher throw from the slingshot position. You have to concentrate on the position of the hand at the hip. Instead of the ball facing the batter at the hip the hand should be palm up to the sky and the ball in your hand that if you were to stop the ball would simply stay in your hand.
Once you start the push off the pitchers plate you should concentrate on bringing the hand around the hip and peeling the ball off the side of the hand. The grip should be with the forefinger along the seam and the index finger directly under the forefinger. Which is basically the same grip as the rise ball.
The forefinger will peel the ball off by using the seam, having the effect of spinning the ball. You have to be careful not to get under the ball as it will cause it to rise. If you want to get it to go in or out you will have to experiment with different release points and find what works for you.
As with all practice the more you throw this the more accurate you will become if your mechanics are right.
4. ROPE OR NOODLE DRILL.
There are many different ways to gauge the movement on the curve ball. One way is to hang a rope down from the ceiling if you are indoors. Another way is to use a sponge swimming noodle anchored to the ground. The placement for them is around 1.50 metres to 2 metres in front of home plate. And width wise where you would like the ball to be when it reaches that location. The object is to make the ball break around the noodle, so for instance a right-handed pitcher would have it pass the noodle on the right and be caught on the left of the noodle and obviously for a lefty it would go the other way. This drill is also an effective way to practice stride foot placement. You should have your stride foot crossing the power line to the pitching arm side of the noodle as this is where the ball is supposed to start.
CHANGE UPS
CHANGE-UP DRILL #1.
This drill will help you learn the correct wrist action and realease of the change up.
Once you have got a comfortable grip for the change up.Advance your stride foot to simulate the release position.Drop your pitching arm to your side and again let your pitching arm swing forward and back around 50 cm in front and behind your body
Try to be relaxed while swinging your arm,as your pitching hand comes past your in the forward swing ,snap your wrist sideways as for the slow release.
Continue this until you are happy with it and you are used to the movement.
2. CHANGE-UP DRILL #2.
This activity is a little more complex and cannot be done on your own.
Take the ball and get into the desired grip for this change up drill.
Have your teammate stand facing you around 3 to 4 metres away .As with most practice drills allow your arm to swing forward and back and stay relaxed.
This time when your arm passes your body release the ball very softly to your teammate.This drill is not about speed it is for you to get used to the release and the grip.
3. SHOVE CHANGE DRILL.
You start this drill close to the home plate,Begin slowly and steady with your arm speed.
You will not start with a full rotation of the arm ,instead you will start in a position where your elbow is bent and your hand is in front of your elbow.You draw your elbow back and push the ball forward,A similar action to using a ski pole.
To release the ball you simply open your hand in the front of the shove,If done correctly the ball will have little or no spin.Back up a metre at a time and try to release it without spin.
When you get to around 6 metres start to use a full arm circle but still concentrating on the release with no spin.As you get back to full distance remember not to let your wrist snap when you release or the ball will regain its spin.
Do not be in a hurry with this drill it can take even the best pitchers a long while to master.
5. KNUCKLEBALL DRILL.
Most of the work that is needed to master this drill can be done sitting down.Simply put the ball in the knuckle ball grip and see how it feels some people find it quite uncomfortable at fist so try to become accustomed to it.So once in the grip position simply toss the ball upwards to yourself getting used to the feeling of releasing the fingers and thumb and getting the ball up in the air without spin.
This is the basic requirements to the knuckle ball.After mastering the self toss with no spin get the help of your catcher and with a lot of drills you start close with little speed and no full circle of your arm ,then you back up as you learn to master the no spin release until you are full distance with full rotation.
RISE BALL DRILLS
SPINNER DRILL
There are many ways to learn to throw the rise ball this spinner drill is one of the most effective ways to master the backward spin.It is hard for you as the pitcher to see the backward spin develop and some times even your coaches have trouble in seeing it.
The flat spinner will show you how much spin you are achieving.Start first by spinning the spinner to yourself where you can see close up the spin.
When you are getting a good back spin enlist the help of your catcher,start at around a metre distance,By this time you should start to rock your arm back and forward to release to your catcher.Concentrate on a smooth release and rocking action,at around 3 metres from the plate If the spin and release is going well return to a short distance and bring in the full arm rotation.Again make your way backward towards the pitching plate and when you can throw the spinner at full distance and full power go back close and start using a regulation ball.
. OVERSIZED AND UNDERSIZED BALL SPINS DRILL
. The use of under size and oversize balls have the advantage of helping you to get the correct movement and ease of grip.
The smaller of the balls will allow you to have more flexibility in your fingers and allows you to have the right movements with less effort.The other advantage is to make it easier at the beginning to create muscle memory for the correct spin movements.
The oversize ball is useful in speeding up the wrist snap because the hand has to pass under more area of the ball in the same amount of time.It also helps you if you are struggling with the concept of the backward spin.The 14 inch ball is about perfect for this drill as you can still hold on to it comfortably while doing your full circle and during your wrist snap release.
I would use the same routine when starting on this drill as with many others by starting up close and moving back with success.
ONE-KNEE DRILL.
For this drill you will need to be on your knee of your drive leg with your stride leg out in front of you,do not put any weight on the stride leg if possible it is there to emulate your pitch position for the rise ball so you need your weight to be back behind the stride leg so any weight going forward will stop the rise.Now you are in this position you have isolated your upper body your posture should be slightly laying backward.
Using your usual rise ball grip pitch to your catcher at around one third distance and go backwards as you realise success.
FLAT SPINS DRILL
. For many of us to spin the ball backward with any speed means we have to release the ball high and so the rise goes to a height that is not a believable strike to the batter as it starts to rise too far out in its path.The reason for this is the later you release the ball the more time you have to get under the ball to make it spin.
The biggest mistake made by pitchers is to learn to release the ball too high and then it is hard to correct at a later date.The aim here is to release the ball early at around knee high and do not worry at this moment about the upward angle.Releasing the ball at knee high will force you into getting a quicker spin and release as you do not have so much time as with the higher release.
Once you have mastered the release and spin at knee height the spin will come very easy when you add in the later time of release to the pitch.
ROPE DRILL
The rope drill is a great gauge for how your rise ball is going and when it is breaking.If you put the rope at about waist height of the batter and around 3 metres in front of home plate your pitch should go under the rope and be caught over it at the catcher.
If you move the rope further back to the halfway mark toward the pitcher to show you where the ball is when the batter is deciding to swing,and if it is above the rope at this stage you will need to get your release earlier to make it more believable to the batter.
When practising the rise ball I like to have my catcher sitting on a ball bucket to get the feeling of keeping my release early enough to make it go under the rope and then break.
CONDITIONING DRILLS - PITCHER
1. ARM CIRCLE & STRETCH
Rotate pitching arm in full circles stretching your hand as far from the shoulder as possible.
Keep your arm loose but straight during the rotations.Carry out this task at moderate speed around 1 second per rotation.
2. SPEED CIRCLES.
Rotate the pitching arm in a complete rotation at full speed and with full effort.
3. WRIST SNAP.
Hold a weighted softball in the pitching hand and move wrist back and forth and in circles taking care not to move the arm in any way.
Change the rotation of your wrist and continue till you feel tired but make sure there is no pain.Another great way to strengthen your wrist is when you are at home,open a newspaper flat on a work surface and every time you pass it put your hand in the middle of the page and lift a single page up and try to screw it up using just the one hand until it is all in your hand.Believe me this is harder than it sounds.
1. ARM CIRCLE & STRETCH
Rotate pitching arm in full circles stretching your hand as far from the shoulder as possible.
Keep your arm loose but straight during the rotations.Carry out this task at moderate speed around 1 second per rotation.
2. SPEED CIRCLES.
Rotate the pitching arm in a complete rotation at full speed and with full effort.
3. WRIST SNAP.
Hold a weighted softball in the pitching hand and move wrist back and forth and in circles taking care not to move the arm in any way.
Change the rotation of your wrist and continue till you feel tired but make sure there is no pain.Another great way to strengthen your wrist is when you are at home,open a newspaper flat on a work surface and every time you pass it put your hand in the middle of the page and lift a single page up and try to screw it up using just the one hand until it is all in your hand.Believe me this is harder than it sounds.