Watch the Youth Baseball Pitcher - Pitchers give it away
coachtrev writes "Why do coaches and parents tell players to watch the hitter? Pitchers can, and do, give signs about what they are about to pitch. Read more to find how how pitchers can give away the pitch and what to do about it.
I have heard it. I have even said it. Tell the players of our team to watch the pitcher. Why do coaches and parents tell players to watch the pitcher? Many do not know. They have heard it somewhere, and youth baseball has a lot of vocals in it, so it is repeated. There is a reason our kids should watch the pitcher. If parents and coaches know why, it is more likely the players will be watching instead of goofing off in the dugout.
Most pitchers give something away. Most do not even know it unless they watch many videos of themselves, and someone brings it to their attention. Even then, the youth baseball pitcher may not see the hintshe his giving away to youth baseball hitters and coaches. I remember a certain MLB hitter said he could always hit certain MLB pitchers, because he would just wait on the fastball. The pitcher always stuck his tongue out just a little bit when he threw a fastball.
As youth baseball pitchers develop, the mental aspect of baseball becomes more important. Attitude, mound presence, and.. don’t give the pitch away. Not giving the pitch away is a goal probably never achieved 100% of the time. There are too many variables coming from a pitcher, and too many hitters to be 100% successful. But, there are things a youth pitcher should be aware of as he develops in trying to avoid the hitter knowing the pitch.
Timing- The amount of time your pitching hand is in the glove and the angle of the wrist can give away a pitch. A bent wrist means a breaking ball could be coming. A straight wrist means fastball. How long your hand is in the glove can be a tip off for the pitch you are about to throw. Almost everyone knows, or will know, a 2 seam or 4 seam ball is the first grips taught, thus the easiest to grip in the glove. If you have an abnormal pause while your hand is gripping the ball (finding the seams), this could alert base coaches and the batter an off speed pitch is coming. This gives the opposing team the opportunity for bigger leadoffs and steals even if the ball is not hit.
Stretch position- Many youth baseball pitchers tend to raise their hands a little higher to try and gain more leverage and speed (I disagree with this too), fact is they do. Hands not going as high (pitchers want their off speed stuff to be low in the strike zone) could be a tell that an off speed pitch is coming and presenting an opportunity to steal with a good leadoff.
Pickoffs- Some kids have different footwork when they are going to check a runner or attempt a pickoff.
Youth baseball pitchers will take years to develop the skill of not giving away the pitch. It will not be done in a season. As youth baseball pitchers abilities develop so will the need to disguise their pitches. However, as coaches and parent coaches, we can start making them aware that someone is watching, and incorporate this into their education. Pitchers never always hide their tells, but if we teach our youth pitchers that they do have them, they will not only be able to conceal them more, but maybe even use them to their advantage sometime in the future. View all youth baseball topics at Coaching-Youth-Baseball.com
