Pitching seems to be a valuable commodity at all levels of the game. From Little League, to the Major Leagues, teams are almost always looking for more pitching.
At the early levels, however, many young pitchers think pitching is about trying to throw a 4-seam fastball as hard as you can. As you progress, and adapt to seeing plenty of fastballs, you will learn that for most hitters the 4-seam fastball is the easiest pitch to hit (with the possible exception of the rare talents who can throw upper-90's or Little Leaguers who throw close to or above 70).
Pitching success for most pitchers can be found by concentrating on two aspects: a) location (where you throw the pitch) and b)changing speeds.
If you only throw one speed, and your goal is to simply throw it for a strike, the batter only has to make one adjustment: time the fastball.
If you can throw just two speed variations (fastball and change-up) and learn to locate your pitches, the batter has to make six adjustments: time the fastball, time the change-up, adjust to a high-inside pitch, adjust to a low-away pitch adjust to the fastball when anticipating the change-up and adjust to the change-up when anticipating the fastball.
A simple early theory to follow is: hard stuff in, soft stuff away. When you watch Major League baseball, pay attention to where pitchers throw certain pitches. This theory is often used successfully at every level!
A possible exception to throwing hard stuff in as you progress is the advanced fastball hitter with shorter arms and a strong body.
You can strategize how to pitch to batters who you have never faced based on their body-type. A short, muscular frame, for example, could be better at hitting inside fastballs because their arms have less motion to create when pulling the hands in for an inside pitch. However, a shorter, stronger batter who hits the inside pitch well often has a weakness for hitting the low-away part of the zone.
The opposite may be true for a tall and lanky batter. Often times these batters struggle with inside location but can handle the outside and low-away parts of the zone.
Pitching requires additional conditioning and physical precautions to prevent injury. Conditioning is required, in basic terms, to increase you ability to effectively throw multiple innings. Since you use your whole body to pitch (with proper mechanics you will be using your legs and your core as your source of power when you pitch, as opposed to using primarily your arm to generate torque). For a closer or setup man, a mile may a sufficient running distance after you have thrown in a game or practice; 2 miles for a middle relief pitcher; and 3 miles for a starting pitcher(minimum distances; it may be advantageous for some individuals to run further). Running regularly will assist with increasing your endurance capacity and will assist with removing lactic acid after you have pitched.
You should always warm-up effectively before you pitch. If you have just performed a drill where you are running and throwing, you will be close to warm enough to pitch. Throw 5 pitches at 75% maximum velocity from 75% of your league's pitching distance, followed by 5 pitches at 85% maximum velocity from 100% of your league's pitching distance before you throw. Throw all of your pitches when you warm up (if you have more than 5 pitches including your fastball, you will need to throw more than 5 pitches).
Always ice your elbow and shoulder after you have completed your running. Ice your arm (with a thin cloth or paper towel protecting your skin) for 20 minutes after you have pitched. Even if you are a young pitcher and you have no discomfort in your arm, the wear can build up over time, leading to arm problems in the future. Also, if the temperature is below 80 degrees, you should wear a long-sleeved shirt under your jersey or tee-shirt when you pitch; if the temperature is below 60 degrees, it is recommended to wear multiple long-sleeve layers (the under layer will most likely need to be of the form-fitting variety in order to allow you enough movement to maintain your mechanics.
