Switch Pitching 101

Ambidextrous pitcher, Ryan Perez, from Westminster Christian is dominating on the mound. Ryan Perez has become a spectacle for fans and scouts to witness at Westminster Christian, a school of 350 students in Chicago's suburbs. Perez can throw a fastball, changeup, cutter and curveball with both arms, and he's been clocked at 90 mph right-handed and 87 mph left-handed. Perez's two arms have been no match for the local competition this season. He has a 9-1 record with a 1.56 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 63 innings this season. He's pitched predominately left-handed (44 innings) because he also plays at shortstop and third base right-handed when he's not on the mound.  (source: Scott Powers,  ESPNChicago.com) Read article ..

Pat Venditte, 25, is professional baseball's only ambidextrous pitcher. When right-handed batters step up to the plate, Venditte throws right-handed. When lefties are at bat, then Venditte pitches left-handed, mainly throwing sliders. What happens when he faces a switch-hitter such as Flores, as was the case in the sixth inning Thursday? Baseball created a rule to address the situation. Venditte is required to declare which arm he will use before the switch-hitter enters the batter's box. As Flores approached the plate, Venditte raised his right arm, indicating he would pitch right-handed. "Whatever he wants. Doesn't matter to me," said Flores, who batted left-handed and struck out. Trenton's Venditte shows Richmond his switch-pitching ability By JOHN O'CONNOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch Published: April 29, 2011

  Chicago teen can switch hit and pitch High school pitcher Ryan Perez is a southpaw and a righty, too. The Chicago-area junior can throw strikes with either arm. Major colleges are interested in him. But Ryan isn't sure what the fuss is about. He says he's been throwing with both arms of all of his life.  He hopes to become the first switch pitcher in the major leagues in two decades. But Ryan isn't just a switch pitcher. He's also a switch hitter, with .418 average for Westminster Christian School in Elgin, Illinois. (Source: AP, May 2011) CHICAGO WHITE SOX ACADEMY 2010 FALL EXPOSURE CAMP  TOP 25 LIST 2) Ryan Perez – P, Westminster Christian, 2012  Switch pitcher that has a chance to dominate with both throwing arms. FB was 87-88 topping 91 right handed and sat 84 left handed topping out at 86. CH was straight, 79, RH while 76 with fade LH. RH breaking ball was tight with late break at 67.  Ambidextrous pitcher Ryan Perez evaluated by Tampa Bay R...

It's a good idea to establish a regular routine before pitching in a game. Get the advice of a pitching coach and follow it before pitching. Pitchers on the local Koufax team start with this warmup sequence: Run, stretch, throw, then warmup pitching in the bullpen with a catcher and work on the game plan Go over signals and figure out which pitches are working that day Make sure that the next pitcher in the rotation has time to warm up an inning before they go into the game.

A warning on overuse injuries for youths Personal Health: A look at how some school-age competitors develop serious overuse injuries, and what can be done to protect the young athletes. By  JANE E. BRODY The New York Times Just as warming weather brings millions of young athletes back onto sports fields, a major athletics association has renewed this warning: Some school-age competitors who are inadequately prepared, or improperly coached, continue to develop serious overuse injuries.  Read More National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement: Prevention of Pediatric Overuse Injuries "Proper training and conditioning, both before and during the season, may prevent overuse injuries," the athletic trainers' association said. The group recommended starting a fitness-improvement program at least two months before the sport's season begins. --- Switch Pitching can help to prevent overuse injuries by alternating the use of throwing arms. For youth pitcher...

Amazingly, slow pitching works well against big hitters. Slow pitching worked great for Jamie Moyer in the big  leagues, so it can also work well in youth leagues. At a recent 13U tournament, the small guys locating slow pitches in the zone kept big hitters off balance and swinging early. The big power pitchers over threw, hitting the backstop or bouncing the ball in front of the plate. No pitchers dominated the game, but the slow pitchers forced pop ups and easy ground balls to get hitters out without much effort. Most hitters spend a lot of time practicing to hit the fast ball and don't spend much time working on hitting  slower pitches. In game situations, they slow down their swing trying to make contact with the slower pitch. Swinging a bat slowly will result in a weakly hit ground ball or popup for an easy out. Remember to locate pitches in the strike zone. Work in some off speed pitches including the change-up. Rely on your fielders to make the outs. Keep moving...

Start with developing a good fastball. Ball control and movement is more important than velocity. The aim is to keep batters off balance and mess with their timing. It's nice to be able to blow the ball past the hitter, but pitch location helps to get hitters out. Fastball 4 -seam fastball is the primary pitch (two fingers across the seams, thumb on bottom) 2-seam fastball uses the same arm motion and speed, but with a different grip (with the seams) 4-seam and 2-seam fastballs Change-up The change-up uses the same arm motion of the fastball but the grip is with more fingers causing additional friction on the ball. Young kids often use the claw grip. Older kids tend to use a circle change. Bonus Knuckleball pitches Short video instruction talking about the basics of throwing a knuckleball.