| Item | How | Why |
| Difference in text vs. video | The main one at this point is that the elbow should stay above the power line from toe touch through release (and follow through). The video demonstrates what was once thought to be best practice of the hand staying above the power line. Nothing else really changes in the technique because of that difference. The change allows for a more fluid delivery and less stress on the shoulder and elbow and even the back muscles. | Alignment |
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Kirk Walker's Key Principles
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| Alignment - Keep everything moving towards the target. | Alignment is necessary for accuracy but it allows for maximum velocity as well. Everything should line up and be moving towards the target - stride to the power line and keep the elbow on the power line are the obvious items. | Alignment |
| Posture | Standing up straight is critical for great pitching and should be practiced right from the beginning. In throwing from toe touch the important part of posture how much lean (bend at the waist) should be there at release, about 8 - 10 degrees. Leaning over too far will likely get the hand and elbow to not be able to do brush contact just before release. | Posture |
| Spacing | This is creating space for the arm to pass the hip without changing directions and involves two things. The 8 - 10 degree lean is one. The other is the angle of the hips at and just before release. If the hips rotate towards the batter the hand and elbow will have to detour around the hip and come off the power line at release. | Spacing |
| Sequencing | This is everything about pitching and way to complicated to explain fully here. Other sections of the website deal with out. The most difficult part od sequencing for most students is getting elbow flex when the upper arm vertical brushes the side or front of hip right before release. I clocked speed and took video of many high school pitchers and those with a good elbow lead were about 8 mph faster that thos without. An interesting observation is that the opposite holds true at 10U where pitching with a straight arm is ofter faster (and much easier) the those learning proper elbow lead. But don't let 10U success influence the technique of building a good motion. | Sequencing |
| Deception | When Kirk Walker created the 4 key principals of fastpitch pitching there was some resistance to the sequencing one. I suspect that the old school coaches did not like the changes that were very obvious if they actually looked. So he changed the last one to deception. This relates to pitches that move or change speeds or anything else that makes them hard to hit. Not really a technique principal but an important one none the less. | Not really covered in this video
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| Relaxed Arm | Actually all the muscles should be relaxed but the arm is where many students tense up. Let the wrist flop down at the start when throwing from the K position and as the arm moves it will get into proper position for throwing. This helps the student realize that much of pitching technique happens naturally. | Sequencing |
| Elbow Flex | It is important to have the elbow loose and flexed from the K position through the upper arm getting vertical just before release | Sequencing |
| Throw the ball into the glove | The glove needs to be positioned correctly, touching the stride leg with the glove arm fully extended. Doing the drill incorrectly can result in bad habits being formed. Focus on the hand lag and some extra whip just before release. | Sequencing, Alignment |
| Eyes Closed | Pitch from the K position with the eyes closed. This should help with relaxation (after some initial trepidation) and also build trust in the technique. | Sequencing, Alignment |
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