Pitching Tempo
Earlier this year I was out watching a high school playoff baseball game. I make it a habit to pay attention to how each of the players approaches the game. Its fun to watch different patterns, especially on the mound.
This particular evening featured two left-handed pitchers on the pitching mound. This made for a unique match-up as rarely in high school do you see two lefty aces starting a game. Each player as he stepped onto the pitching mound had amazing presence. Presence as I define it is a very deliberate attitude and tempo. Both of the pitchers worked quickly and did not waste time like many pitchers who tend to walk towards the catcher to receive the ball, and other common time wasters like mound-wandering, etc. The added bonus, or maybe byproduct of this pace, was that each was throwing a lot of strikes.
The main point I want to convey in this article is that too many times during games the above pace and tempo does not occur. Pitching tempo sets the attitude of the game, at least for the defense. During the game I watched, the defense was sharp and crisp, and both teams moved quickly on and off the field. Hi-energy filled the air and the game moved along and a pleasing pace.
If pitching is your gig and you are looking to improve in all areas, it is YOUR responsibility to make sure your team on is up and ready to go on defense. Moving into deep hitting counts, and long extended times between pitches only retards the attempts at keeping your defense awake. If you can manage this while pitching, the rest of your team will follow your lead. Next time you have the opportunity to take in a high level baseball game, watch the pace in which the pitchers move and see for yourself what good tempo is like.
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