How do you hit spots?

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Mar 12, 2016
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Left Coast
This is very similar to what I've got DD doing. If you want to move the pitch, "think" about moving it but mechanically do everything the same. It's surprising, but her results have been really good. Actually trying to change something in order to move location has always resulted in too big of a change. In all reality, moving a pitch by 4" means changing the direction of the pitch by approx .5 degrees from 43ft.

Mmeece, HighStrung and Joe720 hit their spots. 🤭 After a pitcher can precisely repeat hitting the center of the strike zone within an inch or two, then the spot can be moved by "thinking" or "visualizing" the ball going to the spot you want to hit (Mmeece & HighStrung). I too have found intentional changes in mechanics result in huge changes of location, otherwise known as loss of control.

The best tip I ever heard from a pitching coach that I have passed on to young pitchers with great success is this: Make sure your front foot lands in the same spot (Joe720). He stressed the foot shouldn't just land in the same hole. That's not precise enough. If you are truly landing in the same spot then each cleat on the shoe should land in its clearly defined mini hole. If there are 5 cleats on the ball of the shoe then there should be 5 distinct holes for each cleat to land in every pitch. The cleat holes shouldn't move around.

Why does this work? I have concluded kids have an amazing ability to let their bodies figure out mechanics when you simply tell them where you want them to end up.

During pitching lessons I have seen pitchers go from being "effectively wild" around the strike zone to putting it down the middle of the plate every pitch by focusing on the precise landing. After the pitcher knows the ball will be down the middle every pitch (like there is a magnet pulling the ball to the center of the plate) then visualizing the ball away from the center of the plate in a certain direction is relatively easy.
 

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