The Best List of Tips and Tricks to Learn to Pitch Fastpitch Softball
I’m gonna start this off by saying I’m not a coach. I do not work with anyone other than my own daughters. BUT, I will say I’m really good at researching and diving deep into the information to find what I’m looking for. When my daughter decided to learn to pitch, we first met with someone who could at least show her the basics. It wasn’t actual lessons, just more or less someone (with a LOT of experience) taking time to help us out at no cost. Those “lessons” helped her get her foot in the door, but ever since that day I’ve researched a whole lot about pitching and have come up with some really great information over that time period.
I’ve decided I’d love to help out some of the future pitchers coming in that don’t know a single thing about softball pitching. I would love to share some of these links that I’ve come across while doing all of our research in hopes that it will save you a bit of hassle. If mom and dad don’t know a whole lot about pitching, then this page will be a great resource to help you out!
I would like to add that you will hear people mention “hello elbow” style pitching. I’ve been highly recommended by instructors that know a heck of a lot more than me to NOT do “hello elbow” and instead focus on more of an inner rotation (or IR) style of pitching. You may also hear IR called “Forearm Fire”. Almost everything you will see here will be along the lines of IR-style pitching.
You may find these links helpful in understanding the differences:
https://youtu.be/sliPdOpKddk
https://youtu.be/OpMtgkGjwWU
https://www.discussfastpitch.com/threads/hello-elbow.10170/
Good luck with learning to pitch! My daughter and I are still learning and watching videos and studying the great college pitchers to continue her path of being the best pitcher she can be.
NOTE: Even though it’s not always feasible, a pitching coach is highly recommended to help ensure bad techniques are not being picked up. Just make sure you vet the coach as well before committing to them.
With that, here is my list of favorite links that will help you along your fastpitch softball pitching journey.
– For a beginner that doesn’t know much at all about pitching in fastpitch softball, I highly recommend watching this video first. It is the most basic, easy-to-understand video that I have come across showing the pitching steps accurately in a way that even a child can pick up on it.
Softball Pitching Instruction Progression Drills from Mike G
https://youtu.be/krWu2uRAJaU
After the recommended video above, these videos are great for diving deeper into the softball pitch.
– Amanda Scarborough (Slow Motion)
https://youtu.be/0NzVhPQOT3Y
– Foundation Comes First Amanda Scarborough
https://youtu.be/88WNGW8KBbQ
– I/R Drills/Tips from Mike M
https://youtu.be/5T4Jd7GKg5Q
– Beginner Tips from Mike M
https://youtu.be/cqNnDS2YYzc
– A Google Document on Pitching with Internal Rotation (IR) compiled from posts on Discussfastpitch.com by Boardmember
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rGzBWiCNXorH7sv5lvbAkB_u9WDTfuQMBPUn-fv0t9Q/edit
– Explaining Adduction in the Fastpitch Motion
https://youtu.be/2sZ-pR3gotA
– Fastpitch Softball Pitching Lessons Bill Hillhouse
https://youtu.be/-JlxPmklJDs
– How to Throw Consistently as a Softball Pitcher Amanda Scarborough
https://youtu.be/RIpCI6FZmjI
– Brush Contact and Softball: How to Throw Like Yukiko Ueno
https://youtu.be/_-CRpObFKa8
– The Release Point Rich Balswick
https://youtu.be/xNZvixM4mO0
– Rich Balswich Pitching Videos 1, 2 & 3
https://youtu.be/ijHqW1ZpcV8
https://youtu.be/pneyOd2LG_Q
https://youtu.be/1WJ7V02T8DE
– Rick Pauly Deceleration Brush Contact Drill
https://youtu.be/dSc-1_xs00o
– Softball Pitching – Online Lesson Drill Example Softball Rebellion
https://youtu.be/XS1VjlNuLx4
– Softball Pitching Mechanics: The Glove Hand and Wall Work Phil Schonberg
https://youtu.be/L0HPNqYw6_4
– Softball Pitching Mechanics: Breaking Down Forearm Fire Phil Schonberg
https://youtu.be/eluplP2Akvs
– Stages of the Pitch Phil Schonberg (4 Separate Videos)
The Load – https://youtu.be/AJS0zp4sTTM
The Reach – https://youtu.be/7IishZ7kXOE
The Track – https://youtu.be/vaaSgGCRJwc
Fire & Drive (Delivery) – https://youtu.be/LN_fRHxFrsQ
Fastpitch Pitchers in Action
If you just really want to watch some pitchers in action here are a few to research.
TIP: You can slow the speed of YouTube videos by going to Settings<Playback Speed<0.25
Women:
Monica Abbott
https://youtu.be/7F6vR6X0wuc
https://youtu.be/3YyHL5wgaU8
https://youtu.be/FfXxTuNStyc
Amanda Scarborough
https://youtu.be/avcEmdxuc30
Yukiko Ueno
https://youtu.be/6W4xzF-Ht_4
https://youtu.be/SmMJkhmXFBc
https://youtu.be/yf3bEQsENg4
https://youtu.be/cTHJtv30IhI
Cheriden Hawkins
https://youtu.be/foVCRKZva38
Michele Smith
https://youtu.be/h5IWETOtNJI
https://youtu.be/-iCvXlA6yo8
Danielle Lawrie
https://youtu.be/00GZsXpd9iw
Don’t forget that there are some men that are amazing fastpitch pitchers as well
Men:
Mike Piechnik
https://youtu.be/-g7Q-aHmUJc
Bill Hillhouse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_GNfa5RYyo
Random Pitchers
https://youtu.be/HJVlMNsjsqM
Online Fastpitch Softball Pitching Lessons
Another good option to getting better as a pitcher is taking advantage of online pitching lessons and courses. At least with some of the online lessons, you can have an experienced eye critique your movements and make sure you aren’t doing anything wrong (not available with all courses). A few of the ones you may want to look into are listed below.
DR3 Pitching – dr3pitching.com
Pitching Angel – pitching-angel.com
Paisleys Pitching – paisleyspitching.com
Fastpitch Power – fastpitchpower.com/virtual/
Virtual Softball Academy – virtualsoftballacademy.com
Breakthrewfastpitch – breakthrewfastpitch.com
Fastpitch Softball Pitching Aids
Lastly, I want to mention that there are some things that come in really handy when training to be a pitcher. Below is a list of items that you may or may not find useful for your practice.
You can also attempt making your own mat by following a video such as this one – https://youtu.be/idzxERxjGdQ
CANNONBALL – Weighted Training Softball – Fastpitch Softball Pitching Training Tool Aid
Pocket Radar Smart Coach / Compatible with Pocket Radar App
Hopefully, you will end up an AMAZING pitcher! We wish you the best of luck with your learning process!!
-Softball Galaxy
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