If you are a pitcher, one of the most important things for you to do is to become a student of the game. Study the greatest pitchers that have ever played the game. Study the greatest hitters so that you will be able to identify any weaknesses they have. Learn which pitches are the best pitches to throw in any given situation. The best pitchers in the game just dont have a great understanding of pitching, but they understand the game in its entirety. Here are just a few pitching tips for you to take to the mound this year.

You have to understand that all of your momentum has to go in one direction, and one direction only; toward home plate. If your head is moving up and down or side to side you have a problem with your balance. This complicates pitching and you should simplify your approach and get down to the basics of throwing mechanics. Your momentum needs to continue to go toward home plate until release of the baseball.

A common mistake among many pitchers is having a stride that is too short. In order to have explosive power as a pitcher, you have to get your butt out there and explode to foot strike. Your stride should be as long as you are tall, meaning 100% of your height. Make sure you stay closed to foot strike and you dont cheat yourself by shortening your stride.

If you want to learn how to throw the ball faster, it is imperative that you lead with your hips. This means that your hips lead the way. Many pitchers will take more of a step as opposed to a true stride. A true stride is one where a pitcher leads with his hips and explodes toward home plate.

Some additional advice I would give you is to not listen to a pitching instructor who tells you to shorten your stride or to change your arm slot to a ninety degree angle. Only a couple pitchers in history have ever thrown with a ninety degree arm slot and have been successful. Coaches often make the mistake of seeing someone succeed and feel they have to help their players mimic the same movements the successful pitcher makes. Everyone is build differently and therefore throws differently. An instructors job is not to clone every pitcher they work with.

The main point in this article is for you to take some of this information and apply it. We want you to learn as much as you can about Baseball so you will be ahead of your competition and stay there.