Why Softball Pitchers Should Long Toss and How To Add It To Your Routine

This is a great drill for any intermediate pitcher to help develop speed and control. Can be used with fastball, change up, and rise ball.

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There is a rhythm to it. For Right handed pitchers:
1) Start standing normally, not in a pitching motion, with hands by your side and feet side by side. Ball and hand and glove on.
2) Step forward with left foot and bring both hands in front and over your head in a long sweeping motion.
3) Then with the right foot bring the arms behind you without crossing in front of your body also in a big sweeping motion. Focus on keeping arms long and make BIG motions that make you feel like you are stretching out.
4) Now, with right foot in front and arms back, start your stride like a normal pitch with your left foot kicking out. Also, keep in mind to make big motions with the arms throughout the entire motion.
5) Finish the pitching motion with a long stretch all the way down the right side of your body but remember this is a "TOSS" not a pitch. Really exaggerate the follow through up and high over your head and the pitch should be like a rainbow.


Key points to remember:

• This motion should be an exaggeration of your normal pitching motion and focusing on stretching out the arms with big motions taking bigger steps.
• The beginning should feel like you are doing a normal walking motion with bigger steps. You don't walk like a robot so your steps should not look mechanical.
• This is not intended to be full speed and should feel about 75% effort.
• Really focus on the definition of "Toss" and make sure you are tossing the ball and not trying to muscle it or throw it as hard as you can.
• The goal is to pitch from a long distance not throwing it as hard as you can.

GOALS
Be able to hit your catcher in the chest every time. If you throw it over their head, that is ok, move back. Throwing it in the ground is not the point.


IF done correctly, arm speed should pick up and leg drive should develop. Also, if you can hit your target from 80+ feet away, you can do it from your normal distance. From being far away, it makes little mistakes that you may not notice at your shorter distance, look a million times worse than they really are so you pay more attention to the details.


You can do this with your change up. You may not be able throw the change up form the same distance as your fast ball and that is expected. The goal here is to maintain the same arm speed through the motion with both pitches. You don't want to train you change up to be high anyway... High change ups get hit hard!!


Start at a modest distance between 50 and 60 feet from your target. Get 3 pitches in the air and take 3 big steps back. Repeat that until you can not get the ball in the air within 5 tries. This will be your maximum distance. Pitch 10 from your max distance and then work your way back to the mound as a cool down. This is great to do when you are sore to help stretch out, or at the end of a long practice day.

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