Switch Pitching 101

Pat Venditte who signed with the Oakland A's continues to be featured in the press, but Angel Macias who threw a perfect game in the 1957 LLWS is by far the most popular post about a switch pitcher. In the offseason, weighted ball programs and increasing velocity is a big focus of readers. Enjoy the list. Top Ten Posts Angel Macias pitched a perfect game in the 1957 Little League World Series Baseball Glove Options for Switch Pitchers Learn to Throw a Cutter like Mariano Rivera Why are switch hitters rare? Warm-up Exercises for Pitchers Ambidextrous baseball gloves Has there ever been a switch pitcher in Major League Baseball? Weighted Baseball Training Programs How to throw a cutter How to increase throwing velocity in six weeks Recent off-season posts ... Pitchers Glove Rules - Size and Color Weighted Ball Program for a High School Pitcher Weighted Baseball Training Programs Thower's 10 exercise program for pitchers Active Switch Pitc

Do a little, a lot A little practice, everyday will help you improve your pitching – Ken Knutson, former ASU pitching coach Start off easy throwing and work your way up to pitching Remember, to become good at any sport, you have to practice with focus. Ten to fifteen minutes a day of practice is all it takes for young players. A good dynamic warmup before picking up a baseball, and then five minutes of throwing with each arm works well. Alternating throwing days with each arm is a good strategy. This process allows you to focus on the mechanics of one side and make small adjustments each day. After band exercises, stretching and warming up throwing, 20-30 pitches  on flat ground is plenty - that's equal to two innings of pitching. Throw hard daily Primarily work on throwing the ball straight using the 4-seam fastball grip. Throw the ball hard with a complete follow through on every throw. Throw long toss twice a week. Work on throwing a change-up and two-seam fas

The majority of ambidextrous throwers are naturally right-handed.  Kids under three often throw with both arms, but only 1% of the population is naturally ambidextrous . Scrappers' pitcher highlights rarity of ambidexterity Here are a few reasons why a player might start throwing with both arms: •  Just for fun   • Natural ability to throw with both arms • Kid wants to throw like switch pitcher Pat Venditte  • Gain an advantage over the hitters   (Pat Venditte) • Shut down the running game • Prevent overuse  (Henry Knight) • Improve coordination and balance  (Yu Darvish) • Arm injury  (Billy Wagner, Tony Mullane, Ed Head) • Tommy John Surgery motivates the player to start throwing with the other arm • Baseball dad always wanted a lefty pitcher  (Ryan Perez) • To see if it could be done  (Greg Harris, Pat Venditte) • A lefty wants to play shortstop but the coach says no  (Brandon Berdoll) •  A lefty wants to play catcher, so they start th

Baseball Beyond Borders 2014 Annual Film: Bridging the Gap Baseball is a beautiful game. It teaches you a lot about life. – EC Parker, coach Support Baseball Beyond Borders  >> Watch the cameo  appearance  by switch pitcher Henry Knight - throwing long toss. ..

Coaches typically don't have a good strategy on how to use a switch pitcher in games – since they are so rare. It's easy to develop a strategy if you treat an ambidextrous thrower like two different pitchers . Here are a few strategies for ambidextrous pitchers that will work in games. Little League Switch Pitcher  ... Throw Strikes ... A young ambidextrous thrower should be able to throw at least 50% strikes with both arms before pitching in a game. I prefer the 60% strike average. Remember the goal is to get outs, not to walk the bases loaded. Game Strategy Pitch from one side only in a game to gain experience and maintain a rhythm. Use a standard fielding glove for pitching (ambidextrous gloves are too large and heavy for young pitchers). This strategy keeps things simple and allows the pitcher to focus on throwing hard and in the zone.  If the pitcher struggles to throw strikes or get outs, then they could try switching to the other arm (if their head is s

Why use weighted balls? Weighted implement training is a proven way to increase arm strength and throwing velocity. Many college baseball teams use weighted ball programs to prevent arm injuries and add velocity. Now elite high school players are learning how to safely train with weighted balls to become stronger and healthier throwers. Oregon State freshman Drew Rasmussen pitched a perfect game . Rasmussen uses weighted balls and long toss as part of his workouts.   Average high school pitchers who do regular workouts – using overload-underload training – can increase their throwing velocity by 5 mph in six weeks. This 2 minute video highlights a few exercises to build strength in the arms, shoulders and back. This was the first training session for  Henry Knight – a  switch pitcher –  who does equal reps with both arms. Strengthening the decelerating muscles will improve your ability to accelerate a baseball. Switch pitcher weighted ball workout.  Over six months,

Pat Vindette, the famous major league switch pitcher, uses a custom ambidextrous baseball glove made by Mizuno in Japan. Custom-made glove are very expensive and usually take four to six weeks for delivery. In college, Vindette used a custom Louisville Slugger TPX Ambidextrous glove ($400). The  leather glove has 6-fingers, with 4-finger holes plus two thumb loops. It looks cool and was easy to change from one hand to the other. See the video: Double-Handed Pitcher How to order a Ready-made Ambidextrous Glove: Akadema Pro Soft Ambidextrous Glove - ABX00 Akadema, based in the USA, makes the only ready-to-order ambidextrous glove on the market. You can order the Akadema ABX00 online: Order the Akadema Ambidextrous Glove for $100 with free shipping from Amazon.com (List price: 119.99) Order directly from Akadema for $135  plus shipping (Dec 2014) prices are subject to change How to order a Custom Made Ambidextrous Glove: Louisville Slugger Ambidextr