Phases to Pitch Speed

There are 3 key things that need to happen when throwing your fastball to maintain your pitch speed.

• Explosive drive off the rubber
• Weight back on the downswing
• Pushback on the stride leg

When you want to have explosive drive off the rubber you really need to focus on "exploding" just like a sprinter does in track. It is how fast a pitcher comes off the rubber that really will tell you how fast her pitch is going to be. A lot of pitchers have been told the longer step they take the more velocity they will have. That is not true, the more explosive the harder you will throw.



When reaching back in the downswing it is crucial to reach toward second base. Although in this picture the pitcher isn't reaching back yet you can still see the conscious effort she is making by keeping her arm straight all the way through to keep good velocity. 

The last step is to finish with a good pushback resistance. Just as a batter does when they are batting a pitcher needs to keep her weight on her back leg to really be able to release and downswing successfully.