Switch Pitching 101

No. I don't think so. My son's pitching from the right-side actually improved after he started throwing left-handed. He only walked two batters in 25 innings of play. His velocity and location seemed to get better during the season and his power arm was rested for tournament games. When I started pitching left-handed, my pitching right-handed also improved. Switch pitching seems to be really good for balance. Tip: Make sure that you have good throwing mechanics before starting to throw with the non-dominant arm. Blocking the glove side will help to improve control. ..

In the big leagues, a left-handed reliever is sometimes brought into the game to neutralize a left-handed batter. Lefty hitters tend to do well against right-handed pitching. Think of great lefty hitters like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Ichiro. In youth leagues, there usually aren't many left-handed hitters on the opposing team - maybe one or two. Sometimes they are good hitters, but a lot of times they aren't. Once in a while, there is a switch hitter on a team, but they tend to have a regular side they hit from during a game. Switching pitchers, or pitching arms, between batters at this level isn't necessary and can dissrupt the rythm of a young pitcher. So I suggest alternating right-handed and left-handed pitching by inning. Start with the weaker arm, then switch to the stronger arm the following inning. During a game, my son would usually start out pitching left-handed , then pitched the next inning right-handed after warming up in the bullpen during his team's tur...

Ask the coach if you can try pitching with the non-dominant hand in practice. Warming up the late arriving players by playing catch is a good strategy. Next, offer to help pitch batting practice - to the best hitters - left-handed and right-handed. Some coaches don't like players to pitch BP, but it can work. The coach can throw five pitches to a batter, then let a player throw five pitches. Alternating with coach/player pitching works well in my team practices. Sometimes I have a righty and lefty alternate pitching to give players valuable experience. Try switch pitching in a scrimmage game. After all, there is nothing to lose and it can be a lot of fun for the team.

Is there a baseball glove for a switch pitcher? Yes , there is a six-finger glove made for ambidextrous pitchers, but you don't need a special glove to start switch pitching. Tips for throwing with both arms   Try throwing a tennis ball against a wall or play catch with a friend. Use your bare hands to catch the ball or try using a batting glove for catching. Switch throwing hands while you practice. It might feel weird at first, but it doesn't take long to learn to throw with both arms. Throw from a short distance. Practice in slow motion. Break down the steps of throwing. Keep practicing. It takes a lot of practice to get good at ambidextrous throwing.  Once you feel comfortable making throws with the opposite hand, you can buy an inexpensive glove for practice. It helps to have a different color or style glove to avoid picking up the wrong one. Young players don't need a custom glove.  Some leagues allow you to put an extra glove behind the mound (like a r...

CAN YOU THROW BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT HANDED? Being able to throw a baseball with both hands is cool, but it only means you are an ambidextrous thrower. Lots of kids can throw with either hand. It takes a lot of practice to become a switch pitcher. What is a switch pitcher? The switch pitcher is an ambidextrous baseball player who can consistently throw strikes from both sides - right-handed and left-handed. Switch pitchers are extremely rare .  Ambidextrous pitchers in College, High School and Youth Leagues Pat Venditte is an ambidextrous pitcher in the big leagues who pitched at Creighton University and was drafted twice by the NY Yankees.  A few switch pitchers played for Division I colleges. Two successful switch pitchers played for Harvard University.  I recently put together a list of  College Switch Pitchers . A handful of high school players are ambidextrous and can pitch with either arm. Drew Vettleson, a top high school player from Was...