Breaking Up Home Plate

Though the course of a season, there are going to be games when a pitcher feels “locked in” or “in the zone” and other times when he struggles to find the strike zone with any consistency. While confidence plays a big role, if you are in a slump, how do you get out of it?

Depending on how long you have been pitching, it’s likely you have heard the expressions “quit trying to be too fine” or “quit aiming the ball.” Both are meant to remind pitchers their job is to throw and not aim.

Home plate is 17 inches wide so you do not have to throw a perfect strike on the very last inch of the outside corner. Though some pitchers think if they don’t hit the very edge, the baseball will be hit 400 feet and that is the problem.

When pitchers are scared of what will happen if the batter actually makes contact that is when it seems the walks start to pile up.

Here is some advice I used when I played to focus on the batter, home plate and cut down on my walks. Break up home plate. Focus on certain areas and pitch to the area, not to the inch. The count will dictate how many areas to focus on and the numbers of areas change almost every pitch of an at-bat. Let me explain.

At the start of an at-bat, break home plate into five sections – the inside and outside corners, down the middle, middle-in and middle-away. Each section is roughly three inches wide and now gives you a target to throw to rather than a corner to aim for.

If you throw a strike, stay with the five section plate. If you throw a ball, shrink home plate into four sections – down the middle makes up two, the outer fourth and the inner fourth. You have created a four inch area to target.

Say you throw a strike on the one ball, no strike pitch (1-0), stay at the four sections. If you throw another ball and the count is now two balls and no strikes (2-0), shrink again to three sections – the outer third, inner third and down the middle. Each area is now roughly six inches wide.

Falling behind to three balls and no strikes (3-0) really eliminates any zones as your focus should simply be throwing the ball over the plate.

I don’t want to confuse anybody, so here are rules to remember.

If you are even in the count (meaning there are an equal number of balls and strikes), use five zones. If you are ahead in the count (you have thrown more strikes than balls, 0-1, 1-2, 0-2), use five zones. If there behind in the count by one ball (you have thrown one more ball than strike, 1-0, 2-1), use four zones. If you are behind by two balls (2-0, 3-1) or you have a full count (it is important to throw a pitch over the plate rather than issue a walk), use three zones.

These suggestions aren’t written in stone. In fact, I often suggest to some of my current pitchers to shrink the zone after a walk. If you just walked a batter and don’t feel like you have the control you need or want, start out with three zones. Developing confidence in the middle of a game is important. Maybe in the first inning you start each at-bat looking at three zones, but by the third inning, you feel more in control and are back to four or five.

As you probably already know, we want to stay out of the middle of the plate at all times. Pitches thrown in the middle of the plate are typically hit the hardest and the farthest. The only time it’s alright to pitch in the middle zones is if we have fallen behind three balls and no strikes as discussed (though as you progress up the baseball ladder, hitters will swing on 3-0 counts, so you have to be careful).

If you struggle with control problems regularly or in the middle of a game, ask yourself if you are focusing on certain areas of home plate or are you aiming to an exact spot.

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Should I Use Weighted Baseballs?

One of the ongoing arguments among baseball coaches and instructors is whether or not to use weighted baseballs for training purposes. And while I'll give you my opinion, as always, it is up to you to make your own decision.

The exercise scientist in me say that it is a bad idea for a two main reasons. The smaller shoulder muscles that you rely on to throw aren't used to handling a six or seven or ten ounce ball (a regulation ball is five ounces). By putting more stress on your shoulder, you increase your risk of injury.

The other aspect you need to look at is the difference between fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles. In order to throw faster, your arm has to move faster. When you throw a heavier ball, your shoulder moves through the pitching motion slower.  And when you consider muscle memory (which is your body adapting to performing a motion over and over), it isn't out of the question that if you throw a heavy ball too much, you will actually decrease your velocity.

So when you throw a heavier ball, your pitching arm is slower and you are putting a heavier load on the smaller, stabilizing muscles of the shoulder.

You are better off to work on proper mechanical development and correctly using your body. By using your entire body, you can generate power you weren't aware of and throw harder. It isn't the quick fix, but it is a better solution.

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What's The Difference Between a 4-seam and 2-seam Fastball?

If you have ever wondered about the different types of fastball you hear about, I'm here to help.

There are several different varieties of fastballs, but two are the most common - the four-seam and two-seam. What is the point of each? Why is it valuable to learn both? When should I throw them?

All good questions (and there are probably more, but these are the most basic - let me know if you have any others).

The biggest difference is movement. A four-seam fastball will stay straight and a pitcher will have more control. It is also usually thrown a little harder than any other pitch. A two-seam fastball "runs away from you." If you are right-handed, the ball should run back towards the right-handed batters box. A two-seamer for a lefty, moves back towards the left-handed batter's box.

Four-seam fastballs are used whenever a pitcher needs to pitch to a certain location. A good example is a 2-0 or 3-1 count when you can't afford to miss out of the strike zone.

A two-seam fastball is a better pitch because of the movement, but you have to learn to harness the movement and use it to your advantage. If you are a lefty and are trying to throw to the right-handed corner of home plate, you have to be aware that a two-seamer may very well end up over the middle of the plate. Any pitch over the middle has a good chance of being hit hard.

So you have to get used to how much your ball moves. Now, in the above situation, to hit that same corner, you have to throw outside of the strike zone and hope the pitch moves back and catches the corner for a strike.

A four seam is easy to throw. Get a baseball. Hold it so the seam looks like a horseshoe. Place your index and middle finger across that horseshoe so your finger tips are on top of one seam. Your thumb should also grip the seam underneath. Try to keep your ring finger off the ball, but this will depend on how big your hand is.

The two-seam is a little trickier. Position the ball so the seams are close together. Now this is where you are going to have to experiment. There are different ways to make the ball move and you have to figure out which way works for you.

Some players can put their index finger on one seam and the middle on the other. I put my middle finger on the right seam (I am a righty) and my index was in between. I also put pressure with my middle finger. Other pitchers use their index finger as the pressure finger and that can work from either seam.

Experiment with finger placements and applying pressure and see what works best for you.

To answer my final question from above, it is important to throw two types of fastballs - a four-seam and something with movement. And the quicker you can control and understand a two-seam fastball, the better off you will be.

Visit our complete online resource for instructional baseball videos, which includes Around the Mound that features an entire chapter on the correct grips and release points of 10 different pitches,  and eBooks at www.ToTheTopPerformance.com.

Keeping a Runner at First Base From Stealing

You must think of every runner that reaches first base as a potential run. As the runner moves around the bases, the chances of him scoring significantly increase. This makes it important to do your best to keep any base runners at first base.

From an offensive point of view, a runner at first is not in what is considered scoring position. Scoring position means that a runner has a chance to score on a single to the outfield. Coaches are more likely, especially with a fast base runner, to try and steal second base.

In addition to getting into scoring position, there are several other reasons a coach would have a runner try to steal second. One is that second base is a longer throw for the catcher than third base. A second, and maybe bigger reason, is that a pitcher cannot fake a move to first base without stepping backwards off the pitching rubber. Another common reason to try to steal second base occurs when your opponent has two outs. Most coaches are more willing to risk making the third out at second, even with a slower runner, in an effort to advance a runner into scoring position.

So how does a pitcher slow down runners from first and decrease the likelihood they will try to steal first base?

The easiest way is to mix up your timing from the set. Remember, if you are playing in a league where a runner is allowed to take a lead and steal on the pitch, you are going to have to pitch from the stretch position. After you receive your signal from the catcher and come to the set position, you have to vary the amount of time you spend in the set position. For example, if you always hold two seconds before throwing your pitch, your opponent may notice this. Base runners will potentially count to two and take off, getting a good start and increasing their chances of stealing second base. You have to keep base runners guessing by holding in the set for one, two, three, four and even five seconds before delivering your pitch.

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Pitching Low in the Strike Zone

No matter which pitch you throw, your chances of success are greater if you work low in the strike zone. Low in the zone is below the middle of the hitter’s thigh. Hitting a low pitch, especially with power, is harder for a hitter than hitting a pitch above the mid thigh.

A pitch low in the zone and on the outside corner is the hardest pitch for a hitter to hit because it is the farthest away from them. Even if the hitter can reach the bottom corner of the zone, he will not be able to hit the ball hard. You also have to be prepared for the possibility that the hitter will hit it off the end of the bat for a single, but if he swings at this pitch, he will get out more times than he will get on base.

You also have to get used to and comfortable with throwing pitches out of the strike zone, just below the hitter’s knee. There are certain counts that favor the pitcher – no balls and two strikes, one ball and two strikes - and a hitter is more likely to chase a pitch out of the strike zone in these situations.

Your off-speed pitches – curveballs and changeups especially – are typically a little harder to control. When you throw them, you have to attack the lower part of the strike zone. If you do this and miss your location, you will probably miss down and out of the strike zone low for a ball, which isn’t a bad option.

Pitching high in the strike zone increases the hitters’ chances of success. Hitters love pitches up, because they can hit them harder and farther. Your chances of success with off-speed pitches also decrease when you leave them up in the strike zone.

As you continue to progress to higher levels, it becomes much more important to pitch low in the zone. Your success will depend on it.

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Struggling After the First Inning

I’ve been around and coached players who look and perform great in their first inning then struggle in the next. Confidence is typically the biggest culprit.

You have to constantly build and gain confidence from anything you can. If you are a starter, and you have a good first inning, you have just pitched well against your opponent’s best hitters. Use this fact to your advantage.

Understand that a team will put its best hitter in the top four spots in the lineup. Though you cannot lose your focus and assume that the rest of the hitters will be easy outs, if you keep the same focus as the first four, you should have smoother innings.

If you are a reliever, you may be brought into the game in a situation with runners on base. If you are able to get out of this situation, you must gain confidence from it. If your coach allows you to start the next inning, you will be starting fresh with no runners on base. Take the confidence from the last inning and know that you have the ability to pitch well.

I coached a player who was a relief pitcher for our team. He had the tendency to look dominant in his first inning, regardless if he was facing the heart of the order or the bottom. In the first inning, the same dominance held true regardless of whether he was starting an inning or coming in with runners on base. The second inning of work, however, was a different story. Something was causing him to struggle and his dominance was shattered by his lack of confidence.

After witnessing this pattern three times, I sat down with him and asked him for a glimpse of what was going through his head. He said that when he entered the game from the bullpen he was so focused on getting outs, that he didn’t feel nervous. But once he got out of the first inning, while in the dugout, he was able to relax and had time to get nervous from sitting around. He lost focus and wasn’t as confident as he was in his first inning of work.

No matter what happens through the course of a game, you have to remain confident in your abilities and stay focused on pitching your game. This will lead to success on the mound.

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Pitching With A Large Lead

There is a certain way to pitch when your team has built a lead, especially a big lead. Walking guys is never a good idea, but through the course of a game, walks will happen. When pitching with a lead, walks can be damaging because they could potentially allow your opponent back in the game.

You must control and attack the strike zone with a large lead. You cannot continually fall behind in the count as a result of throwing balls. Hitters may not be as aggressive when their team is behind, and you can take advantage of this by getting ahead in the count. Doing so will allow you to take control of the at bat while increasing your chances of success.

Do not mistake my advice as an invitation to lose your focus. Each hitter should still be looked at as a threat to getting on base and the start of a big inning. You can’t simply throw fastballs down the middle of the plate. The hitters are still competitive and are still trying to get on base. However, you should slightly shift your focus.

With a big lead, your concern is simply to get outs. If a run or two scores, it is not a big deal. You should gladly trade runs for outs. But what you have to avoid is a big inning. If I were the coach of the opposition, I would tell my team to chip away at the lead.

If we were down by eight runs, I would tell my team to try to cut the lead in half and make it a four-run deficit. If we could do that I would be happy, assuming we still had additional at bats.

Preventing the big inning by getting ahead in the count, and staying aggressive and making your opponent put the ball in play is the key to pitching with a large lead.

Visit our complete online resource for instructional baseball videos and eBooks at www.ToTheTopPerformance.com.