When you talk about baseball pitching fundamentals you have to start with the baseball pitching basics: the Fastball. These fundamentals are vitally important and must be learned quickly and early on. Hands down your success as a baseball pitcher is directly related to your ability to locate a fastball.
The baseball plate is 17 inches wide and the strikezone extends from the hitters’ knees to the letters on his jersey. You must develop the ability to throw baseball pitches everywhere within this zone, especially with the fastball.
This is one of the most essential pitching lessons that you will ever learn. Command of the fastball will determine if you dominate or if you get dominated. Keep these things in mind as you develop this crucial pitch.
Pitching Tips: The Fundamentals of the Fastball
1. You will throw 70-75% fastballs in any given baseball game that you pitch. Think about that when you are working on this pitch in practice and give it the attention it deserves.
2. Know what your average speed is. This will help you determine if you can challenge certain hitters you may face.
3. Know how much it moves. You’ll know exactly where to start the pitch out to get it to the desired location.
4. Learn a two-seam fastball. You don’t lose pitching velocity with it and it moves, becoming a tough pitch for hitters to square up.
5. Learn how to locate the fastball a few inches off the plate. Learn to do this when you’re ahead in the count 0-1, 0-2, and 1-2 and watch the strikeouts pile up.
6. Learn how to locate the fastball right down the middle of the plate. Learn to do this and you’ll challenge more hitters and walk fewer, making hitters earn their way on base.
7. Learn to throw your fastballs low in the strikezone and at the knees. Hitters hate to hit pitchers that throw at the knees and they’ll hit a lot of ground balls which turn into double plays.
8. Know where you locate your fastball best. You have to know where your strengths lie.
9. Know where you locate your fastball worst. You have to know where your weaknesses are.
10. Work hard enough on your weaknesses so they eventually become strengths.
There is one constant when it comes to pitching and you find it at every level of the game. The fastball is the best pitch in baseball and it always will be. There is no pitch that is thrown more than the fastball.
Have total command of your fastball and your off-speed pitches don't have to be spectacular. If you can show early on that you can put the ball where you want to, it will make your off-speed look that much better and give you more margin for error when you miss.
You want to dominate as a pitcher? Follow these baseball pitching fundamentals and develop the ability to locate your fastball wherever you want to, whenever you want to. Click here to learn 7 Easy Ways To Improve Your Command
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