The stride is what makes a pitch travel. The front foot lands toward home plate, the back leg pushes off, and the body weight transfers forward. Pausing at the stride landing forces the kid to feel the position before the throw.
What you need: A pitching mound or flat marker, 10 baseballs, a catcher.
Setup: Pitcher on the rubber, catcher 46 feet away (Little League distance).
How to run it:
- Cue: Set, Lift, Stride, Throw. Today the focus is Stride.
- Set, Lift the front knee, then Stride out and PAUSE with the front foot landed.
- Hold the pause for 2 seconds. Body should be balanced, glove arm pointing at the catcher, throwing arm cocked.
- After the pause, finish the Throw.
- Do 10 reps. The pause should make the next pitch feel slower and more controlled.
What to watch: Where the front foot lands. It should land in line with the rubber and the catcher’s glove (a straight line). If the front foot lands open (toward third base for a right-hander), the throw will pull to that side.
If they’re struggling: Drop the throw. Just practice the Stride and pause without releasing.
If they’ve got it: Cut the pause to 1 second. Or do the drill at full speed with no pause, just focusing on the stride direction.