PLAYING MORE CATCH, BUT WITH ANOTHER REASON.....

I remember playing catch with my dad growing up.

 I also remember my first black eye from not turning my glove over with the ball around my face.

If you smiled, you probably know that feeling. If you don’t know the feeling, then this might not make sense to you. But you might or might not know about the feeling of pitching.

After the blog I did on” Pitching is as easy as catch.....when you learn how to do it correctly” I remember something my father told me about feeling the ball out of my hand. I remember thinking he was a little crazy, he did have an amazingly funny sense of humor.  Over the years, and lots of playing catch, it made a lot of sense.

I have been away from playing the game for almost ten years, I find myself talking a lot about feeling with the Pitchers and coaches that I work with. It’s not just about pitching, but it does apply in a big way.

It’s something I hope kids really understand how important it is to pay attention to what you feel when you throw.

I still remember the first year of pitching when I knew as soon as the sinker left my fingers, if it was a strike or not.  I knew how it felt when I had great movement.  The same is true when I was way off as well.

While at practice last month, I remember throwing balls in from the outfield, not on a line; with arch. My arm is nowhere near what it used to be. (Dad was right, arch is our friend.)  But I could still feel when it left my hand of it was right there, or oops.

So a couple questions popped up that I want to ask, and talk about.  Especially, if you’re a pitcher. 

1.       Can you feel the ball when you release it?

2.       Can you feel the ball out of your hand?

3.       Can you feel the ball roll off your fingers?

4.       Can you feel the seams roll off your fingertips?

This is a very hard thing for pitchers to do. Some will have the feeling of what they’re doing right down to the fingertips.

 Others can’t feel. But you should still have an idea of.

1.       Where your release point is.

2.       Where your body, head, and chest are at release.

3.       Do you control your body, or are you out of control?

4.       What are your keys, are you a feel guy or are you an area guy?

5.       Do you do the same thing every time, or does it change from pitch to pitch?

6.       Is your timing the same?

7.       Can you feel you weight get over your front knee?
8.    Are you tense, or relaxed when you throw?

   If you haven’t started thinking about this already, it’s time to start. Once again it starts with catch. Start to understand that the faster you learn what you have to do to get the ball where you want it, the faster you will be successful at any position.  

If you’re reading this, give it a try. The best time to get to know what you’re doing is now. Its winter time and you have 6 weeks before you start throwing again. It’s time to find what you need to improve on before you start throwing and going back to old habits.

Work from the ground up, start with the feet, and go all the way through your motion. You don't have to throw to make corrections, especially trying to feel with the body first. Sometimes throwing can get in the way when your over thinking the outcome. Start with the body first, learn that before you start with the ball. Just like throwing a fastball, before a change up.

 It’s not just about how many reps of anything you’re doing to get better in the off season, it’s about the quality and the intensity of your reps. Build your foundation, crawl before you walk, and improve something every time you work. Learn to be a student of the game, and what makes you successful.