The Fastpitch softball pitching form is one of the most difficult movements for the body to learn. It is a very complex motion that requires years of study and practice to perfect. I started pitching my sophomore year in high school, but it took me three years of throwing year-round to truly grasp an understanding of the motion.

As I practiced the motion with my body, I started to learn the science of the motion by studying physics and human movement. I followed that up with college courses in biomechanics and started applying what I was learning about movement and the human body to my pitching. You would be surprised what a difference it made. That knowledge, combined with lots of practice, greatly improved my performance. I hope by sharing that knowledge, I can help you in your journey to become the pitcher or coach that you are destined to become!

The human body moves in patterns. The more efficient the movements, the more power we can harness from our body. Power is important because the movements in fastpitch softball should be quick and explosive. Think of an old engine that has not been tuned. It will be inefficient, burning more fuel and producing less power. A new, tuned engine will burn less fuel while providing more energy. Obviously, we want our bodies to perform like that new engine, greater energy output with less fuel consumption.

The legs are the strongest part of a woman’s body. Therefore, if you are going to get the most out of your pitch, you need to use your legs correctly. Your legs should be used to create an explosive stride on the straight line of force that runs perpendicular from the rubber to home plate. When pitching, your stride leg should land on that straight line of force or “power line.” Your stride leg, which is the left leg for right handed pitchers and the right leg for left handed pitchers, should land at about a 45-degree angle on that power line. This will protect the knee and help with proper hip movement. It is also important to land with your heel making contact before your toe. Pitchers who land on their toe will end up throwing with their weight too far forward and will lose a good amount of power. The length of the stride will vary depending on the age and height of the pitcher. My stride is about 7’ long. But I am also 5’11” inches tall. When I first started pitching, my stride was probably about 5’ long. Regardless of your height, make sure your stride is aggressive and explosive.

As the stride leg lands, you want to build a wall with that side of your body. This is sometimes called blocking. I refer to it as throwing against a “hard opposite side” or a “firm right side” for lefties and a “firm left side” for right-handers. Blocking is a movement pattern used in many sports. It is defined as “using opposite sides of your body to create energy.” It is commonly seen in throwing sports, but a good example of blocking in a non-throwing sport is a high jumper who blocks on one side of her body to create force in an upward direction to propel her body over the bar. The block in the fastpitch motion creates a lot of force, as well. That is important because that force is transferred to the ball in the form of speed.

The proper hip movement is one of the most misunderstood parts of the pitching motion. The hips should be at a 45- to 52-degree angle at release (the hips should NOT be closed at release). The arm should pass in front of the hips as the snap on the ball is delivered. Many pitchers are incorrectly taught to snap their hips forward at release. The hips need to stay open and the back leg should drive or “pinch” into the front leg. This pinching action will put your legs into a “figure 4” position at release.

Along with your hips, your belly button will also be at 45 to 52 degrees. If your belly button is facing the catcher at release, your hips are over-rotated and this will cause a loss of power. More importantly, it puts your shoulder joint in a compromising position. Young, flexible pitchers may not realize their hips are over-rotated and in a bad position at release. But, after years of pitching incorrectly, they will almost certainly have damaged their shoulder joint. When your back leg pinches in behind your front leg, it should create a dragline on the ground that looks like a stretched out inverted letter “S.” (The picture of me shows the proper form at release. Notice the angle of my hips, the direction of my belly button and the drive of my back leg.)