Is it an achievement when you can cross your line? It also happens when you play softball and look for an enhanced pitch. The faster you can pitch, the more motivation you can get. If you need some suggestions for improving your pitch, let’s take a look at the tips below as they can help you achieve your target.
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Basic technique
For every sport you play, the importance is to follow precisely the basic technique. Scientists have researched a lot to set standard moves that can optimize performance.
In softball, there are steps to make a fundamental pitch:
Stand: You need to start your pitch by moving your body forward a little bit. However, the capacity of your body should focus on the first leg. In this position, you will hold the ball right next to your waist. It would be best to keep your breath calmly to set your mind for the next move better.
Step: The next move is a step. It would help if you stopped by your preferred leg to make the movement steady.
Using the hands: At the same time, when you step, you will raise your hand, following the circulation with your frozen shoulder.
Throwing: When your hand is over your head, you need to draw your left leg. When you draw the portion next to another, your hand also moves forward and throws the ball with the maximum force.
Advanced technique
You need to understand the basic technique before knowing the advanced one. If you are not a beginner, let’s check the part below.
Accuracy stand: As you know, whenever you want to make things better, you need a good start. Therefore, you should pay attention to your first posture. At first, you need to focus your body’s capacity on the first leg, and it shouldn’t be your preferred one. The reason is that you need a step to burst your throw.
Powerful step: A good step is necessary as it provides a lot of force to your arm. When you step forward, the foot will impact to ground and create seismic energy. This force type will affect the arm to increase pitch speed.
A key waist: All your arm and shoulder cannot maximize the force if you don’t take advantage of the waist. It is likely a connection between your lower and upper body. Also, the seismic power is delivered well or not, based on how you turn your waist exactly or not.
Shoulder: For a perfect fastpitch, you need to understand how your shoulder works. It is a fixed point for the circulation of your arm. Therefore, you should warm up carefully to protect it from strain.
Arm’s height: When you throw, if the arm is too high, you will miss the fastpitch. Therefore, make sure its height is enough. The best position is equal to your chest.
Touchpoints: When the ball leaves your hands, the touchpoints appear. They are just the fingers, and you will use the touch exactly to maximize the pitch speed. Your finger posture should open flatly when the arm reaches maximum position. If you grab your hands, it affects both the speed and the direction your ball flies.
Practice: After understanding all the techniques, both primary and advance, you will need to practice. There is no instant success, so practicing will help you achieve it faster. The suggestions below are a sample for you to know great exercises to improve a pitch.
- Step: You need to get used to stepping. The ideal exercise is to step 30 times every day. You will do it five rounds with six times per round. Especially in every step you make, please pay attention to the technique, force, and waist.
- Throwing without step: You will need to control your hand before combining it with action. A great exercise is to throw at a stand position. It is advisable to do it three rounds with 10 times per round.
- Practice the finger touch: It is a sub-exercise to maximize performance. You can feel the finger and the final touch through it. It is an easy exercise, and all you need is to move your hands based on the basic technique. When it reaches the maximum distance, try to release your finger and feel the touch. You should do it three rounds every day with 5 times per round. Just practice this exercise after you finish the step and throwing without effort.
- Practice the combination: When you have trained for days, you can decrease the capacity of each activity above to increase the variety. However, it is recommended to practice combination after 4-5 days when you start to train. The capacity of this exercise is based on your effort. Just do it as hard as you can try.
Key point: To pitch faster depends on many factors. Two main things you should know are your force and your correct technique combination.
- Improve your strength: Training every day is necessary. It strengthens your body, especially the arms. The flexibility and balance feeling are also essential to make your pitch steady with faster speed.
- Focus on the combination of techniques: Every move is necessary. Without any movement, you can maximize your performance. Therefore, a fluent mix of strategies is essential. With a powerful force from your arms, you can easily make a perfect pitch with the best speed.
Conclusion
The softball pitch is as different as the baseball pitch. However, both require the same recommendations to improves the rise. All our exercises are a sample, so you can modify them to make them suitable for your case. For example, your strength is not enough for 5 rounds, so you can reduce it to 3 games or reduce the capacity of each round.
As we always remind softball players, a strict mind and perseverance will help you achieve. If you can practice as we recommend, you can reach your target easily.
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