Am i right?

Bottom line is this- if all a guy has is fast fastball, eventually the batter will start to come around. If they don't know if its a fastball or change or curve, it'll mean a more usccesful day on the mound.

PK, it sounds as though you have a strong grasp of the art of pitching as opposed to throwing. Continue to vary your speeds and save that extra little bit for when you need it. No doubt that a good fastball draws a lot of attention, but so does a good pitcher. Keep working on your fastball while you continue to change your speeds and develop and you will be in good shape. Best wishes this season.

PK,

Let me tell you about my 14yo son, a freshman RHP pitcher. Athletically, he's been in the shadows of his older brother (a sophomore LHP with good speed and who has had great success).

I just got back from the younger boy's game tonight. He was cruising 64-66, that's it. Coach started the game with a hard-throwing LHP (not his brother), a rising star, who gets a lot of K's with high fastballs but tonight he struggled with walks, hits, and hit batters.

Then my RHP son came in in relief. Unlike his older LHP brother, and primarily because of his speed, he has had limited innings. But he pitched a masterpiece. He threw with incredible location, keeping the ball down, mixing speeds and dropping in an occasional curve. He got ground-ball after ground-ball. As a former coach myself, I was amazed!

I'll be honest, I thought he'd get pounded. Instead, when I left, I felt sorry for the hitters. I was really impressed.. and for the first time realized maybe my younger boy can really pitch!

But truly, you have to have a fastball. The higher you go, it's the only thing that'll get you looks.

This off-season, I'm having my younger boy long-toss each day. I hope you do, too. There are a lot of good tips on this website for training and gaining strength and speed..search around.. your success is what you put into it.

Good luck.