Pitching Techniques

By Steven Ellis, former Chicago Cubs pitching pro

Applying proper baseball pitching techniques is key to pitching injury free, improving velocity and increasing control. Baseball pitching techniques can be taught. But it's important to practice the right technique the right way to get the most out of your body. Here are examples of proper techniques for the various phases of the pitching motion.

Examples Of The Cocked Position

Head in the top center of the body, chest thrust out and shoulders pulled back for torque and a full range of motion.

Lead elbow-shoulder AND shoulder-throwing elbow level and aligned to the plate. Both elbows are relatively the same height horizontally.

Front shoulder closed to the plate; eyes, shoulders, and hips level and ready to rotate to square off to the plate.

Hand high in the cocked position, fingers on top of the baseball, wrist extended back, forearm beyond a 90-degree angle from upper arm.

Stride foot firmly planted and stable, toes pointed in slightly.

Stride leg flexed, pivot leg (foot) beginning to roll over off the mound to release the hips.

Jon Leiber

Beltran Perez

Roy Oswalt

 

Examples Of How Big League Pitchers Stride

Stride length is at least 90% of height.

Sideways stride.

Lead with the front hip.

Stride foot a few inches from mound as body moves forward.

Hideki Okajima
(He's a lefty, so he strides with the side of his front foot
facing the target and his toe pointed toward 1B.)

Hideki Okajima

Gary Majewski
(He's a righty, so he strides with the side of his front foot
facing the target and his toe pointed toward 3B.)

Ricky Nolasco

Curt Schilling

Carlos Silva

Kip Wells

 

Examples Of Proper Foot Plant (Landing Position)

Stride "foot plant" plays an important role in both the hip action involved with accelerating the baseball toward home plate ... and the slowing down of the the body and throwing arm once the baseball is released.

Stride out and land with toes pointed toward home plate or slightly closed (turned inward toward third base for righties or toward first base for lefties).

Land flatfooted (heel and ball landing at roughly the same time), which keeps the hips from opening up, so you can then brace up over a flexed front leg.

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