Demonstrating The Best Pitching Drills For Youth Pitchers

Baseball pitching drills are important for developing better mechanics & velocity. But are you doing the WRONG ones? Are they helping or hurting? ✅ Learn my step-by-step pitching methods here: danblewett.com/pitching-isnt-...
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0:00 Introduction
1:16 THE (BAD) ROCKER DRILL
2:10 CONNECTION BALL DRILLS
3:40 THE TOWEL DRILL
4:11 WRIST FLIP DRILL
5:26 THE FINISH DRILL
8:09 THE LEG HOOK DRILL
9:38 THE (GOOD) ROCKER DRILL
11:37 HEEL-TOE DRILL
12:44 FAST SHUFFLES
14:22 LAWNMOWER DRILL
15:36 SQUARE HIPS DRILL
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🚨 Order a Copy of my pitching books 👉 danblewett.com/books

[@DanBlewett]

✅ Read my new book, Clean Your Cleats: geni.us/clean-your-cleats

[@rolandpellarodriguez2640]

Como lanzar que no me duela el codo

[@right_Chris]

My son is in 9U travel pitching great but walks have been his biggest problem. After hitting two kids in the same game, i found this video. The lawn mower and heal-toe drill have fixed this issue. Pitched 3 innings yesterday, 0 Earned runs, 0 walks, 6Ks. Amazing, thank you!

[@bradydavis11]

Thanks for the drills!

[@Titannurse]

You put out great content but I think this may be my favorite. Went over a few of these with my 9 y.o. and wow I think he got some insight into his own body mechanics. The simplicity of the drills is what makes them great but I grew up with basketball so I didn't know many of these. Thanks so much.

[@lilt504]

Thank you. Helpful. Cleared up several issues with the bad drills.

[@DanBlewett]

Glad it helped!

[@dalessiocw]

These pitching drills are amazing. Started working on these with an advanced 11 year old pitcher and the refinement is terrific! Thank you!

[@Bray_pumps]

Great video. I coach pitching and those last 4 drills should really help me with my players. When I played youth ball, I remember going to camps using some of the bad drills. Thankfully I didn’t use them with my players because I’ve watched many of your videos.

[@IconikCass]

Dan. This was an awesome video. The further demonstration of the rocker is spot on. I love how this is easy and explainable for youth pitchers to understand. And we will replace the towel drill with a water bottle. In Winter we take the baseball away and throw with a football on occasion. Technique and body alignment still apply. I would like to see someone do a complete Winter program for athletes who just finished Fall ball and want to rest their arms but still work on the fundamentals until March with a ramp up timeline. With your network I’m sure this can be packaged into a subscription that most would purchase and follow. Also a weekly Q and A live to answer questions and provide testimony. Really target that 11-18 year old looking to get better. Thank you for your content.

[@DanBlewett]

Thanks for watching - throwing a football is great, good to mix in for sure - good throwers are good throwers. I'll think about the longterm plan!

[@joegeren8929]

Thanks Coach

[@rayherrmann6522]

I really like the way all your drills employ a high short circle and, I think, eliminate most TJ problems in the future.

[@mikechan231]

Great drills!

[@mariothetexan7726]

Thanks! I've been coaching my son since Tball. Now that he is a freshman in HS, it's time to expand our knowledge.

[@DanBlewett]

That is awesome!

[@normanlopez3228]

Thank you for the content and for sharing these drills. I’ll definitely try these outs with my son during the off season while we tweak mechanics. Any suggestions for reinforcing staying behind the ball? I’m going to incorporate a clean fuego ball with your lawnmower drill and see how that feels. Thank you again, I appreciate all your stuff!

[@DanBlewett]

Video on that is coming soon.

[@davidaglio8829]

Great video Dan! There are as you know a ton of pitching drills out there. And it's hard to know which ones are the best. You've got the knowledge and experience. And I trust your recommendations. I plan to work on these with my sons, and also with my kids in the Spring. Thanks so much!

[@DanBlewett]

Thanks for watching! Appreciate the comment as well.

[@davidaglio8829]

@@DanBlewett I enjoy them all. If you're taking requests, I'd like to see a video where you go through the basic pitching mechanics the way you would for very young pitchers. As a coach of 9-10 year olds just getting started, I know we don't want to complicate things. At the same time, I want to get them off to a good start based on solid fundamentals. Keep up the good work Coach Dan!

[@jofar]

Thank you very much this video helped me a lot

[@DanBlewett]

You're welcome!

[@michaelsciortino9506]

Good stuff. 👍

[@johnlukeleonards8074]

it helped me a lot thanks.......

[@DanBlewett]

Glad to hear that

[@cwj9202]

Thank you for those drill demonstrations. The water bottle drill peaked my interest immediately. My friends 10 y.o son's palm on the follow through tends to be facing up, which I believe is called supinated, and not facing down, pronated is the term if memory serves me right. So an hour ago, after just a couple of attempts with the half-filled water battle, he was pronating. Hopefully, that is an OK extension/addition to your water bottle drill. Anyway, decades ago I was told that after every type of pitch, the palm should start facing down so as not to place undue stress on the elbow, and maybe they mentioned the shoulder also.

[@restinpeacekobe2411]

That’s how I used to work on my arm and I didn’t even know it. 😎 all those fake throws to friends with a water bottle will have paid off when I get to 110mph pitches

[@davidboatman925]

I never was a big fan of towel drill. I'm going to try this water bottle drill. Thanks for the pointers on behalf of my 15U team Dan.

[@DanBlewett]

Glad to help

[@cadec3023]

Dude this was awesome!! Made me laugh on some of the bad drills

[@DanBlewett]

Glad to hear it!

[@coltonstrange1003]

At first I wasn’t on board with NOT doing the finishing drill. My young pitchers struggle with not bending at the waste and it’s a good drill to reinforce the proper finishing position and forces them to bend. However the lawnmower/square hips drill are a good substitute. Heel toe is my #3 progression with triple leg lift balance drill being #4. What are thoughts on the Step Back drill? Thanks for the content.

[@darryncampbell9821]

I understand the critiques about the L-drill, but I think a lot of (especially youth) coaches actually use a variation that has the kids starting in more of a T-position, with a much more slight bend in the elbow, baseball starting above the shoulder and facing up and away from the body (but not necessarily towards center field), and the glove out front facing more downward ("equal and opposite") but the glove arm mostly extended. As the baseball comes forward, the glove gets pulled in towards the body and tucked into the armpit while you replace the shoulders. My primary goal in this drill is to break the short-arming habit especially in younger players. As the kids get older, I have them start with the baseball in the glove and work through the full downward break of hands up into that T-position. But for the younger kids I start them there to hammer using their full range of motion. Would either of those still make the list of bad drills?

[@DanBlewett]

drills where the arms are stationary are basically not useful. Having a goal for a drill doesn't mean the drill actually accomplishes that goal. I would not do any L or T drills with young players.

[@deepzone31]

Love seeing the downtown park backdrops in your videos.

[@DanBlewett]

More to come now that its nice out here in the District

[@lucasweiss9151]

Would you recommend the square hips drill for working on a slider

[@DanBlewett]

yes

[@adamturner8732]

Rocker drill (the one you did correct) is good but I like having them throw from what I would call position 2 meaning they've already landed from the set. And they are there statically. Especially for young ones I show them that they still need to be weighted back on the mound shoulder level driving osed shoulder to the catchers nose. I never want them to feel over their front toe until a finish at all. Shoulders level and ripping after position two. That's the finish. I actually have them warm up like this pre game and pitching sessions and they know when they haven't hit it. I don't even have to say anything because they now know the feel.

[@wongfu82]

Connection ball drill is very useful for kids with long extended arm actions that put a lot of stress on anterior shoulder and medial elbow. Helped me fix an 11 year old kid. Maybe saved his arm down the road. Ball under armpit is good for what you said (staying connected) and putting the arm in a more mechanically advantageous position to avoid potential arm injuries. Trevor Bauer swears by connection drills.

[@DanBlewett]

yeah, it can be useful but I find it clunky, awkward, and often just not a good, useful drill for everyone because of it.

[@janetakagigi]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="533">8:53</a> "hey buddy" 🤣🤣

[@KuiperBaseball]

Appreciate this review and approach of good v bad and your reasons for opinions. I agree about the wrist flip for anyone above youth, but I might ask if you have any thoughts about helping the very young kids with getting behind a ball- I would typically lay them on back and flip balls in air to get used to spinning a baseball as an education tool rather than a mechanical drill per se. Thoughts? Also, I like the good rockers as a diagnostic tool for guys who spin off with front side/glove arm too- I think your comment about a drill has to have a purpose is absolutely spot on. Thanks for the content!!

[@DanBlewett]

Good question, thanks for asking it. The majority of kids Ive worked with spun the ball properly, and those that didnt needed a grip adjustment as first potential fix, then mechanical. I just come from the school of thought that it doesnt need to be a standard fundamental teach - why not see if kids can get behind the ball first? More than half can, in my experience. Then trouble shoot and explain to the rest, and its usually about mechanics (front side pulls open, hand gets around the ball and cuts it, etc.) not so much a lack of understanding. Flipping into the air from their back does make sense as an explanation - agree there. Just dont think flips should be a consistent part of any throwing routine. Will do a full video on this.

[@KuiperBaseball]

@@DanBlewett thanks for the two cents. I have coached mostly older kids (HS and college with some 12-14 mixed in) and agree that I don’t like the drill for them. I’m now helping my sons teams at the 9-10y level and finding that most of them have struggled with the concept of getting behind the ball. I do think your water bottle drill can give them a great visual of spin axis whereas most of the kids say they can’t see rotation well. I’d hate for you to do a vid all on a topic that might only apply to very young kids but kind of you to even consider. Appreciate the note and all the content

[@jasoncarter9356]

Coach Dan, first of all that you for all the helpful content. What would you say are the most important considerations for coaches/players to keep in mind for pitchers doing flat ground work vs. being on the mound. It seems like if they execute proper mechanics exactly the same on flat ground then they will throw it higher in the zone, (say 6-10in or the height of a mound?). I hope that question makes sense, thank you.

[@DanBlewett]

Not really. Pitchers aren't robots. Don't forget that it's a human throwing the ball, who has a goal in mind (hitting the mitt or target) regardless of mound vs flat. They'll adjust.

[@jasoncarter9356]

@@DanBlewett Easy enough thank you for such a quick reply.

[@dagruddicker22]

wrist drills are for beginner players only and it is to fix the kids or adults who are throwing a cut fast ball calling it a a fastball. When I see that I put them on the wrist drills. You are correct that it is a waste of time with experienced players.

[@DanBlewett]

no theyre a waste of time with all players, because they dont actually fix anything

[@tgro40]

Love your stuff Dan-come over to Primetime in Alexandria and come help tighten some boys up

[@DanBlewett]

I'm always available for clinics, but I don't do individual lessons; I'm too time-constrained. Email me through danblewett.com if that's something that might make sense.

[@arleighjorgenson7961]

I have a thrower who starts his arm too far out and pulls it forward with his bicep. Water bottle drill helps. Any recomendations?

[@DanBlewett]

I can't really give specifics not working with a player myself, but tinker, see what works.

[@rolandpellarodriguez2640]

Yo hablo español tus enseñanzas muy buenas good

[@DanBlewett]

Gracias!

[@yockel2126]

Hey Dan I am wondering if throwing a tennis ball could be good in practice or good because it would force you to throw harder and faster because it is less aerodynamic than a baseball. Also I am 13 and love your videos

[@DanBlewett]

its fine to do as a fun thing - boucing against a wall for fielding practice, etc. but at full speed, no, it's not really good throw tennis balls full speed. theyre too light

[@peteraphotography]

May be a dumb question here, but is it better to do these from a mound rather than flat ground? Or does it really even matter. My 9yo loves pitching and is getting pretty good at it (threw a 4 inning no hitter two weeks ago and won the game 11-0, sorry just so proud of him I had to include lol). I was a college level distance runner, not a baseball expert, in any way shape or form, so I'm piecing together proper ways to help him outside of practice.

[@DanBlewett]

it's a reasonable question. some could be done from the mound, but none are intended to be done from one. biggest reason is just that most of a pitcher's throwing - warming up, playing catch, etc. - is done on flat ground, usually the outfield. And, the point of most drills is usually independent of the surface, meaning slope vs flat isn't relevant to what the drill accomplishes.

[@pedrovalarezo8353]

¡Gracias!

[@pedrovalarezo8353]

Your book ptching isnt complicates ..is great.fungernauls ideas is 90+ for good Basic mechanic. Tks

[@DanBlewett]

Thank you so much - I'm glad you've liked the book!

[@YCG0326]

Hello, I'm your enthusiastic viewer from Korea and I want to help you to make better Korean subtitles. I want many Korean baseball fans see this and be the best player. And also I'm trying too..

[@DanBlewett]

thanks for the offer, but KZbin doesnt have community subtitle editing as a feature anymore. Thanks anyway!

[@YCG0326]

oh that's so sad... by the way are you running your personal baseball coaching or institute? I really want to fix my pitching style with your coaching.

[@lawrencethomass816]

That rocker drill should be done by lifting up the front foot, and stepping to promote having your heel out in front of your knee. In your demo, your knee goes over your front foot.

[@DanBlewett]

that's just your opinion.

[@FordTough41510]

No big L drill 😮OMG! I learned that drill in college. At all?

[@DanBlewett]

no

[@rahmbo5473]

👍🔥👊

[@jasonlopez8053]

Biggest thing I need help with is trying not to trip while on the mound haha

[@restinpeacekobe2411]

It’s good to practice rolling around the mound. Make some butterflies with your arms as if the mound was made of snow. Then, and only then, will you be one with the mound.....

[@ashton4577]

@@restinpeacekobe2411 do you have any idea what your talking about

[@quaniklp1279]

@@ashton4577 Do you have any sense of humor xD

[@michaelohara948]

I think the towel drill works better for 6-8 yr olds as it is difficult for them to grasp a bottle of water as u ask

[@DanBlewett]

Sure maybe

[@robertlong1333]

I was just thinking. is it throwing baseball, same as throwing football? I think it has same motions.

[@DanBlewett]

similar, but not exactly. similar to how an infielder throws

[@robertlong1333]

I need advice.. I coach 7th/8th grade baseball team.. lot our pitcher's walks lots of batters.

[@lawrencethomass816]

The rocker drill is done better by lifting the front leg . your rocker drill promotes a bent front knee and And the front knee in front of the heel. IMHO

[@DanBlewett]

nah

[@0315Jeffrey]

Korean title suggestion : 다시는 하지말아야할 7가지 bad 투구 연습법 + 모든 연령에 적용되는 6가지 great 투구 연습법

[@DanBlewett]

Inwoong you are the BEST! I really appreciate you being a part of my community here and helping me reach Korean players. I stopped translating the subtitles but the titles are key and I'm thankful for your help.

[@0315Jeffrey]

@@DanBlewett The videos in your channel are very useful so I also hope many baseball players in any level can access them too.

[@YCG0326]

@@0315Jeffrey 충암 야구부세요?

[@lyssword]

What if you want to be a salt bae meme guy? do you still skip the wrist warmup?

[@DanBlewett]

zing

[@jakeandbradydad]

Love all the drills but the bottle drill. The water never moves the right way to get the proper hand movement

[@danielrodrigues2041]

If your not throwing down hill to a catcher 60' 6", or whateverr the distance is from the mound to home plate (depending on age) than its worthless and absolutely ridiculous.

[@DanBlewett]

what in the world are you talking about

[@restinpeacekobe2411]

This guy doesn’t know how to throw at all

[@DanBlewett]

I was an All-Star twice in six pro seasons - how about you?

[@restinpeacekobe2411]

@@DanBlewettdude you don’t know how to throw, that’s why you don’t show where it’s going! Sounds like you are throwing at a leather couch on the field.

[@DanBlewett]

filming a video with one camera alone at a public field. why would anyone care where the ball goes? are you okay? Maybe get a glass of water and sit down.

[@restinpeacekobe2411]

@@DanBlewettbro. I’m just trolling 😎.