Switch Pitching 101

Throw fastballs low and away. Throw first pitch strikes to get ahead in the count. Take a little off the speed of the throws to have more control of your pitches. Use the four-seam or two-seam grip with the same arm angle and velocity. The two-seamer will sink and have more movement. Add an occasional change-up to keep the hitter guessing. Spend extra time in practice working on a change-up, since it can help to neutralize good hitters in games. Young players often try to throw as hard as they can - trying to blow the ball past the hitter. It's fun to strike out hitters with the heat, but often it is better to back off a little on the velocity and throw strikes. The pitcher should aim to keep the hitter off-balance and mess up their timing. They can do this with pitch location, movement and changing speed. Slow it down An experienced umpire shared this tip:  It's better for a young pitcher to throw 5 miles an hour slower and locate the pitch in the strike zone than to ...

Short Distance Pitching Try pitching from a shorter distance when working on new pitches - like a change up.  Players who are learning to switch pitch can work from a short distance using their non-dominant arm. Make sure to use the 4-seam grip and focus on throwing fastballs. Good pitching mechanics are essential so make sure to take lessons from an experienced pitching coach. Pro players successfully use short distance throwing: Roger Clemens' repertoire between starts includes a day of 35-40 pitches at 75-80% velocity.  The day after this workout, he throws a "short session" - throwing from 55 feet instead of 60' 6".  This helps Clemens to keep the ball down, and he feels this work transfers to his regular mound throwing. (baseballfit.com) Long Distance Pitching Just like playing long toss can strengthen the arm and improve accuracy, practicing "long pitching" can help pitchers to develop a stronger arm and more accurate throws. Try adding 1...

Learning Long Toss with Mike Scot t Short instructional video discussing the proper way to throw long toss during warm ups. Long Toss Training - Steve Ellis The way to develop big league arm strength is simple: throw. Covers high school long toss program - 12 minutes of throwing long toss - twice a week in the off-season.   Steve Ellis strongly encourages all players to take at least two full months off every year to allow the arm, body, and mind to fully rest and recuperate.

In baseball, a  switch - hitter  bats right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers.  Most switch-hitters are right-handed throwers. This is the case since the vast majority of players are right-handed.  Switch hitters are rare in baseball. In youth leagues, there might be two or three players out of 100 who regularly switch hit. At the college level, there are only one or two switch hitters on each team (3 to 6%). Only one of 33 players on the UW baseball team is a switch hitter. Two players on the top ranked Arizona State baseball team are switch hitters. Two players, out of forty, on the 2010 Seattle Mariners roster are switch hitters. Switch Hitter Changing Boxes A batter may switch to the other box after every pitch if he so desires until the pitcher is set. He may switch from one box to the other on any ball strike count. One of the oldest myths in baseball is the one that says you can't switch boxes ...

Busting Baseball Myths: Scientist Throws Big Curveballs  livescience.com 20 April 2006 Your Little League coach probably didn't know it, but every time he sent you to the plate with the instructions "keep your eye on the ball," he was giving you an impossible task. And if you followed the coach's advice of positioning yourself directly under a popup, you probably struggled to catch balls in the outfield, too. Myth: A left-hander shouldn't play catcher I have seen a few left-handed all-star catchers in youth baseball. They had no trouble throwing out runners trying to steal second base. In fact, their throws were often better than right-handed catchers. They had  no problem catching a runner trying to steal third base. Catching the low outside pitch was easier for the lefty, who is catching with their right hand. A righty has to catch the outside pitch backhanded, which a number of kids drop or miss.  You may not see a lefty catcher in the big leagues or college...

By  Patrick Newman NPB Tracker    18 January 2009 It’s not often you see a switch-pitcher come along, but we have two such ambidextrous prospects to watch in  Nippon Pro Baseball ( NPB). Both pitchers were  selected in the 2008 draft and will make their debuts this season. Natural lefty  Kazuki Miyata  was selected in the 4th round  by the Seibu Lions. Miyata started throwing right handed in high school as an exercise in balance, and kept it up in junior college as it helped him alleviate back pain. He hasn’t thrown right handed in an official game, but is still working on his right handed pitching and has learned to throw a curve. Yakult instructional draftee  Rafael Fernandez  is also a natural lefty, but throws right handed all the time.  Sponichi explains  that when Fernandez started playing baseball in Brazil when he was 10, he thought that the ball must be thrown with the right hand. Fernandez threw lefty in Yaku...

Nick "Bo" Bohannan Hometown: O'Fallon, Missouri Team:   New Melle SABERS  14U Positions : RHP / LHP ( 65 MPH with both arms) Glove:  Mizuno custom made six-finger glove Dominant hand: right Nick Bohannan is a hard throwing ambidextrous pitcher from Missouri. The online video shows that he has good mechanics and control from both sides. Nick has a unique glove that was custom-made by Rawlings and signed by players from the local St. Louis Cardinals. Visit Nick's website "I'm more controlled with my right hand, but I throw harder with my left hand," says Nick, who adds, he usually stays with one hand for an entire inning or even a whole game. "They are both fun." Why he started pitching with both arms Nick was about two years old when he started throwing wiffle balls playing catch with his dad. Over time he learned to throw the balls back with both hands for fun. His dad said that his son liked to catch the ball with his d...

Brandon Berdoll Born:  Oct 14,1982 Hometown: Cedar Creek, Texas Height:  6-3  Weight:  195 Positions:  LHP / RHP / SS Bats: Left High School: Westlake High School in Austin, Texas (Chaps) College:  Temple College (Leopards); Texas A&M University MLB Draft:  Selected by Atlanta Braves in 27th Round (817th overall) of 2003 amateur entry draft Glove: used a custom made six-finger glove with two thumbs ($325) Dominant hand: Left Brandon Berdoll - a natural lefty - learned how to throw with both arms, at age 10, after his coach would not allow him to play shortstop. At Temple Junior College, he threw 89 miles per hour with his left arm, and 85 miles per hour with his right arm. He threw a sharp curveball with both. The Atlanta Braves picked Berdoll, a 6-3, 195-pounder from Austin Westlake, as a left-handed pitcher, though he has pitched with both arms and was a part-time designated hitter for the Leopards (...

Tony "The Count" Mullane -
 Baltimore Orioles/Chicago White Stockings (1882) Mullane was baseball's first ambidextrous pitcher and a talented ballplayer who played every position in the field except catcher.    Mullane who turned pro in 1880, would go on to win 285 career games.  The Count  won 30 games in five consecutive seasons.  According to reports, it was on July 18, 1882, that Mullane first pitched with both arms in a game - bare handed!  More about Tony Mullane Larry Corcoran - 
Chicago White Stockings (1884) Corcoran pitched using both arms in a game between Chicago and Buffalo. He alternated arms pitching, for four innings, before switching positions to shortstop. More about Larry Corcoran Elton "Icebox" Chamberlain -
 Louisville Colonels (1888) Chamberlain threw with both arms during an American Association game between Louisville and Kansas City on May 9, 1888. He pitched only two innings in the game.  More about Icebox Chamb...

How Baseball Is Rigged For Lefties livescience.com 07 July 2008 In the general public, about 10 percent of people are left-handed. In Major League Baseball, about 25 percent of players are lefties. Any serious fan knows some of the reasons why certain positions favor lefties, but David Peters has come up with a laundry list of reasons to explain this anomaly. Why Are Some People Ambidextrous? lifeslittlemysteries.com 02 April 2010 It is generally understood that there are four variations of handedness. There are people who are right-handed, left-handed, mixed-handed (when people prefer using their left hand for some tasks and their right for others), and people who are truly ambidextrous. According to a study that was published in the January issue of Pediatrics, approximately one –in-100 people are ambidextrous, meaning they can use either hand for various (but not necessarily all) tasks with ease. Lefty hitters can produce extra runs in youth baseball In youth baseba...

William Edward Wagner  "Billy the Kid" Born: July 25, 1971, Tannersville, Virginia Tazewell High School, Baseball Player of the Year in 1990 Ferrum College , Ferrum, Virginia Position:  LHP, relief pitcher Batted: Left Threw: Left  (ambidextrous; natural right-hander) Height/Weight: 5' 10"  180 lbs 135 lbs as a senior in high school MLB Draft: Wagner was selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft in June 1993 by the Houston Astros, and he played exclusively as a starting pitcher in minor league baseball. Teams: Houston Astros, Philadelphia Pillies, NY Mets, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves All-Star  ( 1999 ,  2001 ,  2003 ,  2005 ,  2007 ,  2008 , 2010 ) Pitcher Billy Wagner goes from right to left sportsradiointerviews.com (March 12, 2010) Billy Wagner’s Journey from 5′3″, 135 pound, Right-handed, High School Football Player to Left-handed, 16-year Major League Clos...

Articles News articles about ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte who plays for the NY Yankees in the minor league 2010 The Secret of Venditte By Jed Weisberger, April 1, 2010 Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte delivers thrill for New York Yankees  nydailynews.com, March 31, 2010 Although many view Venditte's talent as a gimmick, the 20th-round pick in the 2008 draft from  Creighton University  knows that his ability to throw from both sides is the only reason he's still pitching professionally. "I don't have overpowering stuff from either side, so I think I need this to continue pitching," Venditte said. "I understand where it's coming from, and it's my job to go out and prove that I can pitch. People are going to have their doubts, so it's my job to prove that I can do it." Pat Venditte throws with both arms in appearance for Yankees Yahoo! Sports, March 30, 2010 Ambidextrous pitcher throws with both arms for Yankees SI.com Marc...

A list of inexpensive training aids for practicing baseball. Kid tested, and coach approved. Remember to keep baseball practice safe, fun and simple. THROWING Taped Baseball - for learning the four-seam grip Throwing a taped ball to check for four-seam grip. Throwing with a four-seam grip will result in straighter throws that will hit your target. It's easy for a coach to see from a distance if the taped ball was thrown with a four-seam grip. Wrap a new baseball, around the four seams, with black electrical tape. Use this ball to teach players the four-seam grip with the proper throwing motion. When thrown well, you will see a black line as the ball spins. If the grip is off, or the arm twists, then the ball will appear to wobble. A tight fast rotation will result in higher velocity (faster) throws. Try throwing the ball with a two-seam grip to get familiar with the ball rotation and movement. Player holds the ball with the 4-seam grip, so the black tape runs parallel...