This Thing Can Ruin Your Pitch

As a kid, it's fun to watch women on TV performing dope pitching wind-ups and copying a favorite player. Usually, imitating the greats is a good way to improve skills. However, be wary of incorporating someone else's premotion. Athletes could be setting themselves up for failure and ruin your accuracy and speed.

The best pre-motions, or "take-aways" as I call them, are simple ones.  Pitchers prepare themselves for success by performing a take-away that doesn't result in mistakes later in the delivery. When making up for a mechanical mistake during the motion, such as a crooked arm circle, the price she pays is a loss of speed.

Do you want a better chance at good command? Have a simple pre-motion. As you know, accuracy comes from repeating the same release point every time. What's the easiest motion to repeat? A simple one! Every complicated movement you make, the longer it takes to learn. 

This is why it's crucial to have an effective set-up for her pitch.  Compare the photos below.
 

Maggie shifts her weight back better - left

Maggie Gets in reverse postrue - Left

A pitcher winds up her body, much like pulling back a rubber band to give it the potential for momentum. Then the body shoots forward with the same amount of power it's given in the pull-back.

A big mistake a new player can make is not rocking, or loading, her entire body onto her back foot. Instead, she swings her arms and waist backwards and her nose forward.  Then, instead of pushing forward with her right leg towards the target as the first movement, she either swings her upper body upwards first. She might also remain in the forward-leaning position, never able to get into reverse posture at 12 o'clock. The cost? Speed and accuracy.

Powerful pitchers first move their body towards the target, not towards the sky.  They then tilt their head back and stretch their stride leg out, creating a “k” position, with their head behind their belly button. They are able to get into a reverse posture (see above).

Although pre-motions can be personalized, pitchers want to do so only to the degree that it helps her, not so it becomes a liability.