"Set" position from the windup. Your feet should be on the rubber with your hands out in front of you. Hand position can vary (some pitchers like to have the glove fingers pointed to the side as opposed to pointed upward as in this picture. *If you tend to have the ball miss off of the sides of the zone, try adjusting your starting hand position so your glove fingers are pointed upward.

Your shoulders should be level, with your eyes on the catcher's mitt and your body upright and balanced.

Step back with your "glove" foot (your left foot if you are right handed) and bring your hands upward as you rock back slightly on your throwing heel.

Some pitchers prefer to bring their hands to their chest, while some pitchers prefer to bring their hands over their head.

Keep your body facing the plate while you rock back on your throwing foot.

Turn your throwing foot away from your body, so the outside of your foot is resting on the rubber.

From this position, your hips and shoulders will prepare to "load" for the pitch.

your hips and shoulders will begin the rotation away from the plate as you bring your glove foot up toward your chest following this footing.

Bring your throwing side knee up (some pitchers prefer waist level, while others bring the knee up to touch the chest; at or between either position is recommended). Bring your hands back to chest level.

The rotation of your hips and shoulders should be placing your weight on your back leg. Your hips and shoulders should remain "loaded" with no wasted potential energy.

As your knee is at its highest point, your hands should split above your knee (some pitchers think of this as breaking an egg over their knee as their hands spread apart. Your throwing arm should get as long as possible, with your thumb pointed toward the ground and your glove-side elbow moving toward the target.

There are two theories of instruction in the pitching stride: one theory is to "push" off of the rubber with your back foot and fall toward the plate; the other theory is to "pull" toward the plate with your glove-side hip and your glove-side elbow. Feel free to try both theories to find what works best for you.

As you stride, your hips and shoulders should remain "loaded" until your front foot plants, allowing for the kinetic chain (movement series) of the pitch to occur. Similar to the swing, the kinetic chain of the pitch begins at your feet followed by: hips, shoulders, arm and hand.

Just prior to release, the hips and shoulders are continuing the rotation toward the plate, as the front elbow/arm is driving directly toward the plate (with your lead elbow to tuck as you release).

Your eyes should remain on the catcher's mitt, with your elbow leading your arm toward the target.

There are multiple theories and mixed research regarding arm angle. This picture shows a standard delivery with the upper arm parallel to the ground and the lower arm perpendicular to the ground. Sidearm and other alternate arm angles could possibly lead to injury; you should use your standard (proper) arm angle mechanics used when fielding when you begin pitching.

As you complete the delivery, your hand and wrist will complete the kinetic chain as your momentum carries you forward.

Your lead elbow should have tucked toward your hip as you release, with your back foot (throwing foot) coming off of the ground.

Your throwing hand should finish just to the outside of your glove-side knee as you complete the throwing motion.

Be sure to maintain balance, with your eyes fixed on the hitting zone to anticipate contact.

As you anticipate contact and follow the ball to the hitting zone, your back foot should now come forward. Also, place your hands in front of your body as shown to prepare yourself for a fielding position.

There are two reasons for getting set in a fielding position. The first reason (and most common) is to field a bunt, soft line drive or ground ball coming toward you. If you are in a good fielding position, you give yourself a better chance to react quickly for the play. The second reason for getting in a fielding position is to react to a sharply hit line drive where you can catch, block or duck the ball depending on location and velocity. It is recommended to practice reacting to a simulated situation (such as wiffle balls hit hard at you from 15-20 feet away) so you can learn to protect yourself.

A stretch position refers to having the outside of your throwing foot (right foot if you are a right-handed pitcher) against the rubber when you are in the "set" position. The set position is the position from which you begin your delivery.

You always want to be in the stretch position with runner on base (unless you are in an early league that doesn't allow "leading-off"). If you accidentally get set in the windup with runners on base, step back off of the rubber with your throwing foot to remove yourself from windup position and get in the set position.

If you are a right-handed pitcher and there is not a runner on 1st base, you can use a leg kick from the stretch. From this position, it is possible to step toward third or pivot toward second base once you have lifted your glove-side knee; if there is a runner on 1st, however, they will be able to get a great "jump" toward stealing second if you use the leg kick.

For a left-handed pitcher, you can use a leg kick with runners on base if you can learn to pivot to second base well and if there is little to no chance that the runner on third would try to steal home or get a great jump on a squeeze play. Left-handed pitchers also have the advantage of possibly fooling baserunners on 1st base who try to read their leg early and read it incorrectly, resulting in a "pick-off" probability.

The stretch position is used with runners on base.

The stretch and slide-step combination should be used for a right-handed pitcher with a runner on first base and for a runner on second base if you are not skilled at pivoting toward second base on a pick-off attempt.

A slide-step is simple in concept, but take some practice. Think of the hip and shoulder load you use for your swing. A slide-step is very similar in timing.

Your hip and shoulder will turn away from the plate (without your knee kicking toward your chest); followed by the rest of the kinetic chain as you pull or push toward the plate.

Practicing the timing of your load and release will be crucial toward obtaining this skill. Use pitching mechanics similarly from the windup once your hands break. The main difference is that your hands and lead leg have less pre-pitch movement. Your hands will break apart as your knee briefly pushes away from the plate; then, begin your drive/pull toward the plate.