In today’s video blog post, we are discussing a softball pitching drill that will help your athletes work on establishing and maintaining a powerful push-off and drive into the target.
Softball Pitching Drill: The Flamingo Drill
- Start on the non-glove side foot
- You’ll need a little bit of rock to generate the forward motion
- Drive the leg out towards the target
- Focus on a strong push off to add pitching velocity
- One thing to think about as you do this drill, is that the average pitcher (5 ½ plus feet tall) can have a stride of 6 to 6 ½ feet, from the push off foot to the plant foot as it goes forward. (Shorter pitchers may have a 5 to 6 foot stride)
- As you do this drill, remember the “open door, close door”. You should open as you reach release, and you should start to close shortly after your front foot plants.
- Keep in mind as you drive forward that you need to get your feet in line. We refer to this as a power line. If you draw a line from yourself to the catcher, to your target, you want to be sure to perform your mechanics on that line. You want to make sure you have your shoulders, hips, feet, glove and throwing hand in line on that power line.
This drill should be performed for 3-5 minutes or 25 repetitions.
Want more great softball pitching drill ideas? Then check out my Youth Softball Throwing and Catching Skills series! And don’t forget to Become a Fan on Facebook, where I will be sharing more great softball pitching drill tips and techniques.