"Coaching Pitching with limited time to address the pitching staff"

Hello and welcome to my first blog from the Pen. The focus of this blog is to provide a unique point of view, while adding your questions and feedback, making this one immeasurable mass of baseball knowledge. Here we go…
 
The topic of my first blog is inspired by a conversation I had this week with Shane, a sophomore pitcher on my staff at Purdue University North Central (PNC). Shane is going to be one of our top pitchers this year. On his free time, Shane is going to periodically help Portage High School's pitching staff this spring.
 

The Question from Shane's Rocky Voyage of Ultimate Wisdom:
 
"What can I do with a group of high school pitchers drill work wise, and what can I talk about with them about their pitching mechanics knowing I can only be there every once in a while?"  -Shane
 
Now, for my cliff notes version of an answer:
 
"Anytime as a coach that you are not able to be there full time, in this case helping with pitchers, your goals should stay simple…

A. Don't try to change their entire mechanics. In giving pitchers mechanical adjustments without always being there, you run the high risk that the pitcher will struggle the next game he pitches. You will not be there to fix it or tell him what he's doing mechanically right and wrong to work through it. Start with a few basic drills and keep it simple.

B. Shoot up their confidence through positive reinforcement and talk philosophy. From the moment you show up on the field, either at a practice or a game, make sure you give them compliments and any positive information you have seen or heard since being there. Always stay positive even when dealing with any faults you see.

C. Give them pitching drills to do. Go through the list of any pitching drills you have done yourself or any referenced YouTube pitching drills you have seen and bookmarked. Drills give pitchers the chance individually to work on their athleticism in pitching motions without any real altercations to their mechanics.
 
After this advice, the final outcome should result in gaining respect from the players. The positive environment you've created around yourself and the team, along with the help you've given through your drill work and talks of philosophy, will give the pitching staff confidence in their abilities. This can give the team a positive objective and set of goals while only being there periodically."  

Thanks for reading...

- Alan Myszkowski
 
*See Pitching Drills to run through a few drills Shane may use.

Hopefully this blog helps anybody that may have this situation coming up. Remember that your responses, questions, or any additional advice to give Shane are welcome. Email TrainDK@sbcglobal.net to give your experience or how this may have helped your situation.

*To book individualized pitching training with Alan, Call Diamond Kings at 219-558-2273