Pitchers and Defense

[dan]

You're a pitcher, and you've just released the perfect pitch.

Your pitching form is picture-perfect, your follow-though is stunningly choreographed and breathtakingly beautiful, and . . . and suddenly the ball is flying toward your face at a hundred miles an hour.

What should pitchers do immediately after they have thrown their pitch?

This short (3 min) program gives you some tips on avoiding injury, predicting where the ball will be hit, and why you should never stay behind the pitching plate after you've released the ball.

Listen at http://thesoftballcorner.com

[laverdt]

good stuff here... pretty basic but good for those first timers

[softballer24]

back the hell up

[Jabroni21]

I think I am a worse pitcher now....

[yjzep]

Dan, while I appreciate what you do, I think that anyone who needs instruction on how to not get killed while pitching should not be pitching. I know my reflexes and am very comfortable with my ability to read a ball off the bat and field, as well as just plain avoid those crazy shots. Unless it is co-ed or rec/E ball, nobody with any trepidation about being hit should pitch (maybe even not play at all). It just seems to me that every time somebody is afraid of the ball they get hit. When I pitch I hope they try to come back at me because I'm a competitor and trust my glove above all else. When I am more concerned with being hit than I am with pitch location, it's time to stop. Although you give very solid info, you cannot teach reflex and that is the number one skill necessay here, imho. I spent years being a hockey goalie, and no matter what any of these mashers tell me, I have yet to have a shot hit back at me that hit me without it being my fault (like getting in front of a sick one hopper to try to field it instead of sidestepping it) Having 100+ mph slapshots taken without warning and having to stop it is much harder than avoiding a line drive that is being hit after a slow underhand pitch, with your full attention on the swing, especially after a series of quick passes with weaving defenders, oh all on skates. Not something that can be taught in my opinion!

[timyoung]

will have to give a listen when the boss isn't in the room...

thanks dan

[dan]

Originally Posted by yjzep

Dan, while I appreciate what you do, I think that anyone who needs instruction on how to not get killed while pitching should not be pitching.

Agreed!

Unfortunately, there are a lot of clueless pitchers out there, like the guy I described who was virtually running toward the batter as he released the ball.

I've seen rec league ball (and especially church league ball) where I wanted to grab the pitcher and scream in his face.

Maybe one of two of those guys will listen to this show, and maybe I'll have helped prevent a serious injury.

Hey, I can dream, can't I?

[AverageJay]

Originally Posted by Jabroni21

I think I am a worse pitcher now....

I had you pegged as someone who loves to catch.

[akedogg007]

Good instruction and help for the un informed Dan. In the age of Juiced Bats and Juiced bodies even the goofy guy in Church league could get lit up. Good lookin out

[yjzep]

Originally Posted by dan

Agreed!

Unfortunately, there are a lot of clueless pitchers out there, like the guy I described who was virtually running toward the batter as he released the ball.

I've seen rec league ball (and especially church league ball) where I wanted to grab the pitcher and scream in his face.

Maybe one of two of those guys will listen to this show, and maybe I'll have helped prevent a serious injury.

Hey, I can dream, can't I?

No doubt man, I'm an info junkie myself. I just doubt that any of the rec/church league guys (only, meaning 1 league, no tournies, not church AND 4 other teams...)would do much internet reading about pitching, and lol would not last long on this board. Anyone mashing in rec league SHOULD know better than to hit at the newb pitcher. My point was that if a guy needs advice on how to field his position he maybe should catch or play RF. A ball traveling at 100 mph reaches 60 feet in roughly .42 seconds. If you need to realize that the ball is coming at you then you are done, it needs to be a gut reaction. I just don't want to encourage the weak hearted to pitch (mainly because if everybody else did it I would be out of a few jobs..) I do enjoy the podcasts tho you do a great job on them!

[TastySalami]

Originally Posted by yjzep

Although you give very solid info, you cannot teach reflex and that is the number one skill necessay here, imho.

yep, only rookies and ******* get hit by balls. NO FEAR!

[yjzep]

Originally Posted by TastySalami

yep, only rookies and ******* get hit by balls. NO FEAR!

That's how Lackey got that thing on his face!! Cmon baseball pitching and softball pitching are 2 COMPLETELY different things. The time from relese till ball back at you in baseball is 1 second or less, while softball can be many seconds. You try cutting a slider in on the hands, following thru (while stepping downhill), and then getting down to field.

[TastySalami]

But this is exaclty why the video was there, to teach those points to people who don't know the difference or what to do. I play with inexperienced guys every week, not everyone is a softball god.

[dan]

Originally Posted by TastySalami

But this is exactly why the video was there...

YOUCH!

It's a RADIO show!

No video!

Oops......

[riotact]

Did I hear you say "do you want to field the ball"? Seriously, if you don't want to...don't play in the INFIELD anywhere but catcher!