What qualities make up a good pitcher? There are several qualities that make up a good pitcher, these being; speed, strength, aggressiveness, grace, coordination, hard work and dedication. The latter being one of the most important, as being a good pitcher, you must have the drive and determination to ask questions, as well as have the drive and enthusiasm to learn and study the event on your own.
Speed and force can go together since they are relative. The more strength you have, the greater your ability to develop speed through various exercises (running, lifting, and technique). Velocity in launch events is both horizontal and vertical (through linear, rotational, and vertical forces). For example, in the hammer, the stronger the athlete, the more force and speed can be applied to the hammer. In the linear sense, when the athlete is moving the ball forward through the first winds and turns in the circle, the athlete is accelerating the ball horizontally through rotational and linear movements. After understanding the horizontal forces, the vertical force on the hammer must be understood, and this is shown by the orbit of the ball along the circle.
While moving the ball in orbit, a 16-pound hammer can produce a ground reaction force of over 700 pounds, which is where the force comes into play, since the hammer now exerts a large force on the pitcher. A 700 pound force that is placed on the ground (Ground Reaction Force) must have an equal force that will be in the opposite direction, so the greater the speed and force you place on the ball of the hammer toward down, the athlete must generate the same force in the opposite direction or up (Newton’s Third Law of Motion). To benefit from this, the release angle of the hammer must be optimal. Thus, by accelerating the hammer through the circle, the athlete gains speed. The shape of the orbit, having both a high point and a low point, creates a great deal of force due to the accelerated nature that velocity exerts on the ball as it moves from high to low. If the athlete cannot control both speed and force in this event, then the attempt is futile.
A second quality that is important to look for when trying to find and develop a good pitcher is aggression and the ability to harness it in the right circumstances. At launch events you would like to sharpen your senses to produce a large amount of reaction to the launch, however you must be aware of the anxiety that also occurs and learn to overcome it. Aggression is also beneficial to a pitcher, as the athlete will hopefully show interest and enthusiasm in getting in the circle and wanting to pitch every day. A pitcher who has that drive and desire is going to be a great pitcher, because the more you put into an event, the more you’ll get out of it. In the first form of aggression which concerned the athlete’s ability to be aggressive during competition situations, it is important to understand how to take advantage of this for the throw.
In the throwing events you should use your speed and agility as mentioned above, to produce better gains in the event. The more gear or velocity you put into the implement the further it will travel, this also has to do with the angle of release; however, a pitcher will not approach pitches passively if they want to make a profit. The second form of aggression comes into play during a track meet; this form of aggression gives the athlete the vision to win. However, with this aggression comes the need to be in control or else the aggressive attitude will get the better of the athlete. Emotional control of the athlete will raise the anxiety level to a positive range in which the athlete can perform positively. With the visualization of the perfect throw or the throw sequence, the athlete can run a track meet in his head and prepare to throw and be aggressive in the circle. In the next paragraph we will talk about imagining the launch.
The last attribute that makes a track and field athlete a good pitcher is an enthusiasm to learn the event and become a student of the art. By becoming a student of the event, the athlete chooses to make athletics a way of life. By having as much understanding of the pitches, the individual can provide the coach with much-needed feedback that may be lacking from an observation standpoint. The athlete becomes a student of the event by learning outside of practice, gaining knowledge of the subject through books, videos, magazines, newspapers, and first-hand experience. The ability to provide such feedback to the coach is important, as coaches may need to know how a pitch felt, so that corrections can be made. Also through study of the event the athlete can become aware of what a perfect throw will feel like as mentioned above, however this time both in reality and through visualization which can help with emotional control. The athlete may be a student enthusiastically participating in practices; This is accomplished by listening to the coach, watching other athletes perform the task, and questioning and challenging the coach in an inquisitive manner that can benefit both athlete and coach.
In conclusion, after reading this chapter, one can see that there are many qualities that make up a good pitcher. One quality alone is not good enough to make a pitcher exceptional, however, all of these qualities working together will benefit the athlete, the coach, and the program. As stated, the athlete should not only rely on speed, as strength must also be involved, nor should the athlete rely solely on being a student of the sport, as they may overthink the throw and lose the necessary aggressive demeanor. in these events. Ultimately, if the coach can help the athlete add all of these qualities into his or her experience, the athlete and coach will see success. Be honest, set goals (short and long), visualize and work hard, a pitcher with these qualities will go a long way.
