Pitching starts with one foot on the rubber and ends with a throw. Between is the most important part: the balance position, where the front knee is lifted and the body is balanced over the back leg. If the kid can’t hold the balance, every pitch will be off.
What you need: A pitching mound or a flat marker for the rubber. No ball needed for first reps.
Setup: Kid stands with the throwing-side foot on the rubber, glove-side foot in front and to the side.
How to run it:
- Cue: Set, Lift, Stride, Throw. Today the focus is Set and Lift.
- Set: feet together, foot on the rubber, hands together at the chest.
- Lift: the front knee comes up to belt height or higher. Body stays balanced over the back leg. Hold for 3 seconds.
- Reset. Do 10 reps of Set and Lift.
- Last 5: hold the balance for 5 seconds each. The longer the hold, the harder it is.
What to watch: Is the kid leaning forward or backward during the Lift? Balance means the body stays straight over the back leg. If they’re falling, they have no platform to throw from.
If they’re struggling: Lower the front knee to thigh height. Or hold a wall for balance during the Lift.
If they’ve got it: Add the Stride. Lift, then stride out (front foot lands toward home plate). Hold the stride landing for 3 seconds before resetting.