Understanding the Stride and Glove Hand in Pitching

 

The Stride

The primary purpose of the stride is balance and controlled momentum.

A proper stride keeps the pitcher stable, aligns the body for delivery, and efficiently transfers momentum toward the plate—setting the foundation for power and consistency.

The Glove Hand

The glove hand guides the body and orchestrates delivery.

The glove hand helps maintain balance, guides the throwing arm, and steers the ball toward the target.

Precise glove-hand action reduces unnecessary movement, tightens the release window, and improves accuracy and command.

Ideal Synergy

When stride and glove hand work together, the stride flows seamlessly into the delivery, the glove hand guides the body and throwing arm toward the target, momentum transfers efficiently through the kinetic chain, and velocity and accuracy improve without added effort.

Repeatable mechanics, exceptionally consistent glove-hand behavior, are essential for reliable performance.

Our Guarantee

Practice these techniques, and you will improve both accuracy and power.

We’re so confident in our instructions that if we can’t help you consistently deliver the ball to your target, your instruction is free—no questions asked.

 

Coach Skip Fast
“Command by Choice, Not by Chance”
https://propitchinginginstitute.com
856-524-3248
skip@propitchinginstitute.com
#ElitebyChoice

Copyright © 2025, Pro Pitching Institute.

Weight Distribution: The Secret to Consistent, Accurate Throws

The Problem: Too Much Weight in Front

When your weight drifts forward, your throwing arm is forced to work overtime to compensate for poor balance, you lose your natural ability to aim, and you pull your throws.

Because your lower body can’t contribute fully and your arm ends up doing all the work, your power production drops, and you increase stress on your shoulder and elbow.

This “weight-forward” mistake creates inconsistency and makes accurate throwing feel harder than it should.

The Solution: Keep Weight on the Back Leg

The foundation of consistent, powerful throwing is centering your weight between your feet with a slight bias toward the back leg, keeping your body stable, and allowing your throwing arm to move freely and efficiently.

To store energy and stabilize your upper body, you stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your weight favoring your back leg, and, as you begin your throwing motion, maintain that back-leg emphasis.

You shift your weight forward only as you throw, letting your legs and hips power the movement rather than your arm, and you land on a balanced front side with a relaxed follow-through.

Our Guarantee

Practice these techniques, and your accuracy and power will improve, or we’ll work with you to consistently hit your target, no questions asked.

Top of Form

Coach Skip Fast
“Command by Choice, Not by Chance”
https://propitchinginginstitute.com
856-524-3248
skip@propitchinginstitute.com
#ElitebyChoice

Copyright © 2025, Pro Pitching Institute. 

Mastering Glove-Hand Activity for Unmatched Pitching Control

Your glove hand initiates your upper-body sequence, maintains balance, and helps transfer energy cleanly into the throwing arm.

The Pitfalls of Passive Glove-Hand Activity

An inactive glove hand derails your delivery.

When your glove hand fails to engage, the connection between the lower and upper halves results in reduced velocity and effort-based throwing.

An inactive glove side changes how your throwing arm accelerates, leading to poor accuracy and unpredictable misses.

Without an active glove side, your body struggles to stay aligned through foot strike and release.

Achieving Optimal Glove-Hand Activity

To maximize glove-side efficiency, start with a balanced leg lift.

Merely, keep your front side stable while your throwing hand faces second base and your glove hand faces home plate.

As you move into the stride, rotate your glove hand to bring your elbow from facing up to facing down. Your controlled inward rotation activates your kinetic chain and syncs your upper body with the lower half.

Your engaged glove side anchors the torso, promotes a repeatable stride and consistent drives the ball to the target with remarkable regularity.

Our Guarantee

A properly trained glove hand unlocks robust, accurate, and repeatable pitching.

We’re so confident in our system that we offer a simple guarantee: If we can’t help you throw to your target consistently, send your video to us and we’ll tell you what to fix.

Coach Skip Fast
“Command by Choice, Not by Chance”
https://propitchinginginstitute.com
856-524-3248
skip@propitchinginstitute.com
#ElitebyChoice

Copyright © 2025, Pro Pitching Institute.

Mastering the Starting Stance

The goal of the starting stance is to enable a controlled, forward weight shift into the back hip.

Proper Stance or the Balanced Load

Front Foot Position is placed parallel to the rear foot allowing the weight during the leg lift to naturally shift down and into the back hip.

The pitcher achieves a "stacked" position where the head, torso, and center of gravity are vertically aligned over the bent drive knee.

This creates stored elastic energy in the back hip and leg, which is required for the explosive forward drive down the mound.

A visual: Imagine loading a spring by pushing down on it to create maximum linear momentum which is transferred up the kinetic chain.   

Improper Starting Stance or the Momentum Killer

Front Foot Position is placed too far back, often positioned behind the plane of the rear hip/foot which forces the weight to prematurely shift backward as the pitcher begins the leg lift.

The center of gravity moves away from the target, and the pitcher loses the feeling of being “stacked."                                                            

The pitcher generates a slower delivery and inconsistent velocity because the arm must compensate for the lost lower-body energy.                    

A Visual: Imagine trying to load a spring by pushing the spring sideways.

Let's hear from you!

By following these tips and seeking guidance from Coach Skip Fast, you elevate your pitching game and achieve your full potential.

Coach Skip Fast
“Command by Choice, Not by Chance”
https://propitchinginginstitute.com
856-524-3248
skip@propitchinginstitute.com
#ElitebyChoice

Copyright © 2025, Pro Pitching Institute. 

Breaking Free from "Feeling" Your Pitch

Inconsistent command and frustration result from relying on feeling rather than executing a proven process based on sound mechanics.

The Problem with "Feeling"

An unreliable feeling relies on intuition and makes delivery unpredictable.

Inconsistency struggles to maintain a high level of performance.

The Power of Mechanics

True pitching is about understanding and executing the correct movements, following a proven process.

The lower body is critical for generating power and accuracy by efficiently and consistently transferring energy.

A restricted movement that limits power and control is to land the front foot and then start the throwing motion.

The Pro Pitching Institute's Approach

The Institute's instruction focuses on creating a repeatable delivery by correcting movement and sequencing.

Proper mechanics and body awareness ensure a repeatable delivery.

Harnessing lower body power generates more speed and accuracy.

Target precision develops the ability to hit your target with precision and consistency.

Let's hear from you!

By following these tips and seeking guidance from Coach Skip Fast, you elevate your pitching game and achieve your full potential.

Coach Skip Fast
“Command by Choice, Not by Chance”
https://propitchinginginstitute.com
856-524-3248
skip@propitchinginstitute.com
#ElitebyChoice

Copyright © 2025, Pro Pitching Institute.

Pitching Mechanics!

 

Back Knee Position

Starting slightly behind the back foot to allow for a powerful drive.

Your Back Knee starts slightly behind the back foot and allows for a powerful drive forward.

Weight Transfer

Shifting weight towards the back foot during the stride initiation.

Weight shifts towards the back foot as stride initiates facilitates a powerful drive and efficient energy transfer.

Glove Hand Position

Palm facing the body for balance and efficient energy transfer.

Glove Hand Palm is facing towards your body, helps maintain balance, and ensures a smooth transfer of energy.

Front Heel/Foot Position

Close to the back heel for a compact, powerful stance, with the front foot angled toward the target for stability.

Front stance is relatively close to the back heel, creates a compact, powerful stance, and a stable platform.

Crucial Common Mistakes

Shifting weights too early causes a loss of power/accuracy.

A long stride creates imbalance and decreased control.

Incorrect glove hand position hinders power and balance.

Let's hear from you!

By following these tips and seeking guidance from Coach Skip Fast, you elevate your pitching game and achieve your full potential.

Coach Skip Fast
“Command by Choice, Not by Chance”
https://propitchinginginstitute.com
856-524-3248
skip@propitchinginstitute.com
#ElitebyChoice

Copyright © 2025, Pro Pitching Institute.

The Pitcher's Equation: How Power Meets Precision

The interplay between velocity and command in pitching!

Raw Power

Velocity is the speed of the pitch.

High velocity comes from your core rotating, making it hard for hitters to react.

Art of Control

Command is the ability to consistently throw pitches to specific locations within the strike zone or hit your spots.

Command allows for pitch manipulation and weak contact.

Synergy

Synergy—the combination of high velocity and excellent command —makes a pitcher extremely difficult to face.

Accuracy makes velocity far more dangerous.

Mechanics

Power generation starts in the lower body (the legs and hips), transferred through a strong core for balance/stability, and finalized with smooth, efficient arm action for both speed and accuracy.

Smooth mechanics make the above easy to produce.

Let's hear from you!

By following these tips and seeking guidance from Coach Skip Fast, you can elevate your pitching game and achieve your full potential.

Coach Skip Fast
“Command by Choice, Not by Chance”
https://propitchinginginstitute.com
856-524-3248
skip@propitchinginstitute.com
#ElitebyChoice

Copyright © 2025, Pro Pitching Institute.