Basic Pitching Mechanics

For players under 12 that are beginning to pitch there are few preliminary items to properly organize and then a small number of basics steps to practice to be able to pitch.

Prelims:
- pitch from the "stretch", you may get some resistance from other coaches or parents, but it is a simple motion to organize for a young player and just as effective
- start with one pitch, a 4-seam fastball, which is the "straightest" pitch in baseball and starting out you want your young pitcher to throw strikes ( love a good 2-seamer, but it can be hard to control early on) ... and the rest of being a pitcher follows from that base.

-- 4seam grip has the index and middle fingers across two seams that look like a "C" and thumb on the other side of the ball... for players with small hands add fingers while maintaining the same grip orientation.


Pitching steps:
0. Standing at the pitching rubber in the "stretch"; i.e. standing SIDEWAYS (RHP faces 3B, LHP faces 1B)
1. HANDS APART - FEET APART
1a. Ball in throwing hand hanging relaxed at side hip/leg, glove hand
1b. This is where the pitcher would look in for the sign from the catcher
2. HANDS TOGETHER - FEET TOGETHER 
(feet can still be wide enough to maintain balance, even shoulder width)
2a. Ball and glove should meet at the chest and hands are UP and ELBOWS DOWN and relaxed

<<< from this point on the pitcher must have eyes on the target >>>
3. LIFT
3a. Pitcher lifts their front knee to above waist level to a momentary balance point
4. STEP and SEPARATE
4a. Pitcher steps/pushes off toward the catcher, hands separate
4b. When hands separate, the arms make a "W" where the throwing hand is pointing the ball to 2B or atleast to the base the pitcher is facing 3B/1B, but the ball must be rotated away from the catcher or the fingers will not be behind the ball to snap it down with the correct spin. (If you see what looks like a spiral, the pitcher is coming around the side of the ball)
Example W: (at least for the throwing hand)

4c. Pitcher must stay sideways(closed) until their step is finished; i.e. the front foot hits the ground
5. FINISH
5a.The finish begins when the front foot hits the ground and ends when the ball is 1/2 way to the catcher
5b. When the front foot lands the arms are still in the "W"
5c. After the landing, weight transfer begins toward the catcher, how the chest and shoulder rotate to be "open" to the catcher as the arm snaps the ball forward  to the release point
5d.  at release the arm will be completely straight for a moment (regardless of arm slot: over-the-top, 3/4, sidearm)
5e. at release the wrist snaps through and brings the arm down across the body
5f. bending at the waist completes the follow through

6. READY TO FIELD (you can skip this step in the very beginning)
6a. after the pitch is thrown the pitcher is an infielder


Mariano Rivera teaching these same basics here
and aside from a freak knee injury has been a Hall of Fame pitcher seemingly forever...

COMMON COACHING ADJUSTMENTS:
1. pitch looks good, but off plate inside or outside
<< check the step - it is probably not toward the catcher, but off to the side... >>
2. pitches are high but on line/target
<< remind them to "snap down the finish" "follow thru" "bend on the finish"
3. spiral spin on the ball
<< point ball to 2B to get fingers behind the ball at finish wrist snap >>
*** I recommend fixing this in basic throwing before allowing a player to learn to pitch ***


***** DO NOT ALLOW INVERTED W: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- elbows are up and Mark Prior had a history of arm problems where as Greg Maddux pitched for ~20 years consistently (there is more evidence, but this is quite enough to start with)