As you could probably tell had you read the first two blogs posted on this site, arm safety is of paramount importance when developing as a young pitcher and learning how to take your pitching game to the next level. We emphasize arm safety for obvious reasons, the primary one being that it keeps your child on the field of play for the longest amount of time, both in a single game and over the length of a career. This is key in learning how to take your pitching game to the next level
In order to make the jump from good to great, however, pitching requires more than good form and a strong core. Pitching is a mental game, an everlasting tug-of-war between pitcher and hitter, a game of chess that often ends in one player making the other look like an amateur.
The earlier you, as a young pitcher, learn how to take your pitching game to the next level by outsmarting a hitter instead of relying on pure velocity of a fastball (or 12-6 action on a curveball), the better positioned you'll be to compete at the next level, and to adapt quickly to better competition.
It comes with practice, preparation and most of all, faith in your stuff on the mound. The more confidence you have in each of your pitches on any given count, the better chess player you’ll be. If I’m a hitter, and the count is 2-0, I’m expecting a fastball. But if you, the pitcher, has the ability to throw a curve in the zone for a strike on 2-0, it may make me second guess my own approach.
The more you can keep a hitter on his toes during the course of an at bat, the better chance you’ll have of declaring “checkmate!”
