Pitchers: Walks are our enemy!! Sure there may be times later in a game where we might pitch around the batter to set up a DP or force situation but in general they aren’t good. At the end of the day if I’m throwing multiple “ball 4’s” I’m putting myself and my team in unnecessary and unwanted situations. One of our main goals as a pitcher should be to limit them as much as possible. Try focusing on these to help: • Focus better on mechanics and location during catch play. Throw all your pitch types during catch. If you’re all over the place in catch there’s a great chance you’re all over the place on the mound. • BREATHE!! Stay relaxed out there. Don’t let the game speed up on you. The situation is what it is. Remain forward focused and be present in the moment. “What’s the goal with this pitch right here, right now?” • Throw regular weekly bullpens to focus on feel, repeating your delivery and repeating your pitches. • Avoid “3 ball” counts by being better in 2 ball counts. Have an attitude of ending the at bat right now. Force action. Eliminate walks by eliminating 3 ball counts. • Every day is different out there. On the days you’re not as sharp as you would like to be, use the bigger part of the plate. Be careful of trying to pitch to the corners when you don’t have that ability that inning or game. • If your FB command is off, use your other pitches. That’s one reason why we have multiple pitches. Throwing a couple/few in a row can act as a distraction from the negative feelings around our FB in that moment and also act as a reset for our FB release. • Stop giving the hitters too much credit. Hitting is hard!! Yes, sometimes they will win but on average they won’t more often. Challenge them! Pitchers, we need to stay away from those walks. Keep learning and figuring out the little things to help you walk less, throw less pitches and stay in the game longer.

Tough topic but it needs to be talked about… When young players have the habit of looking to the stands at Mom and Dad to see if they are watching, we know their minds are distracted. Whether they are looking for approval, looking to see how they react to a negative moment or maybe even looking to be told what to do, it’s a distraction and a sign of insecurity. We want players confident. We want players all in. We want players so focused on the task at hand, there’s not even a thought in their mind on who’s watching (or not watching). The inconsistencies in their thought patterns (mom, game, dad, game, mom, game, dad, game) will absolutely lead to inconsistencies in their performance. Parents, if this describes your player, it might be time for a talk about this bad habit.