Warm Up Drills
Cartwheel Drill
Start in a cartwheel position with weight balanced on your drag leg. See how in the video my right arm is just as back as my stride leg is up. We always need to make sure we have balanced movement on each side of the body. If you have unbalanced weight or unbalanced movement on one side of the body in relation to where the feet are/foot is, you will have issues moving effeciently.
Thumbs should be up (do not force your palm up as thumbs up and pointing at you is always the most relaxed position for the body).
Shoulder blades should be back.
To move forward, start by tipping the xiphoid forward and letting the arms fall. You can also imagine that someone pushed you from your hip that is over the leg you are standing on. DO NOT move your arms first or reach your head and shoulders forward first. I also see pitchers try to move their stride leg forward first. We are trying to get MOMENTUM. We have to shift our body weight to do this, which again, is in the xiphoid.
Jump and Switch the Feet Drill
This is everyone’s favorite drill! It helps us feel how we have to get off the ground and how the throwing side of the body has to go backwards in our pitch.
Cartwheel Drill Part 2
Start facing forward like you would be on the mound. You Shouldn’t do a full take off, just start nice and relaxed as if you were about to walk forward.
Swing the ball arm out in front of you (make sure your pitcher doesn’t cheat and skip the first part of the pitching motion/arm circle).
Pause in the cartwheel position as a check point and repeat the steps in the first part of the cartwheel drill above.
Backstroke Drill
The arms need to counter rotate each other just like they do when we throw over hand or when we run. The arms need to move in opposite directions. Make sure your shoulders are really turning!
Down Leg Swiss Ball or Bucket Drill
This drill is best for down legs. We should feel like we are getting up off a chair or bucket when we backswing or load.
Up Leg Swing the Leg Drill
This drill helps up leg pitchers feel how their stride leg needs to swing forward. Think heavy, long leg. You do not want to lift or reach your stride leg.
Curtsy Drill
The legs work the same in running and jumping as they do in pitching. When we watch someone run and when we see good pitchers, their heels are in line with each other (in line front to back, not side to side) under the head and the toes are pointed out somewhat - like a curtsy. Think heels in, toes out.
Turning & Orientation
See explanation on ‘Most Important Concepts’ page, but make sure you work on really feeling the body turn in your warm ups. Again, we want to think about turning the xiphoid or the shoulders.
Long Toss
Long toss is one of the best things for pitchers. It also helps to build confidence. If you throw about 10 pitches from 60 feet and then go to 43, 40, or 35 feet, it will feel like a piece of cake.
Warm Ups – Design Your Own. Slow Is Smooth. Smooth is Fast.
Warm ups should not be complicated and should always translate directly to pitching. You’ll notice I don’t use a lot of tools in my lessons. The best thing to do to warm up is just pitch nice and slow and smooth and feel all the “check points” of your pitch.