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8 replies

Steep Pitcher's Mound

L LadsDad100+ posts
My freshman son had a rough game pitching the other day where he couldn't stay in the strike zone. He is normally very accurate but had a large number of pitches in the dirt in front of the plate. Unfortunately, he couldn't get out of the first inning.

When I asked him what was wrong, he said that the mound had a steeper drop-off than the other high school mounds he has pitched off of. He has a very long stride and said it felt like he was falling down as he pitched. The second pitcher that followed him has a much shorter stride and pitched well and appeared unbothered by the mound.

He has pitched very well this season with the freshman team, with an earlier invite to pitch for the Varsity at a tournament when they had some injuries to the pitchers. He is not one to make a lot of excuses but I haven't heard of this type of problem with the mound.

Is this type of mound problem common with pitchers with long strides and what is the recommended correction? If he has to shorten his stride will that put a strain on his arm? The field was that one of his school's biggest rivals so he will be pitching on the on this field again in the next three years.
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H HighCheese100+ posts
The foot hitting the ground is one of the timing mechanisms for pitchers, so a shorter stride, but more of a drop should be close to the same, like bakstop said, just work on the timing and make the adjustment. A more common HS mound issue is the ones that look like a softball circle with a hole in the middle. Those put a lot of additional strain on the arm,IMHO.
BOFBOF10,000+ posts
I belive this is a common problem for Freshmen pitchers. Most will be playing on more fields than they have in the past and also depending on the program they may not be in the best of shape. I know my son had to adjust to the variations in the various mounds he pitched on during his Freshmen season. Some became his favorites and others he hated...just part of the learning process.
RJMRJMHSBaseballWeb member since 2007
Over the next four years your son will see all kinds of mound and field conditions from wonderful to wondering how they can allow a high school game on the field. The key is being able to make adjustments.

A high mound is usually an advantage as long as the pitcher doesn't outstride the slope. The compensation he has to make is coming down the mound with his arm so he doesn't stay high.

If the mound slope is short as it seems in this case, it's difficult to come down a mound to a flat area. Bakstop has provided the solution. As High Cheese noted, he'll also encounter flat mounds.

Enjoy the ride. Teach your son to make adjustments. He should always look at the mound before the game so he'll know what adjustments are needed in his warmup.
Midlo DadMidlo Dad10,000+ posts
It's kind of in the category of chicken, well, stuff, but you will find that many teams intentionally build the visitors' bullpen mounds substantially differently from the game mound. The home bullpens are groomed to match the game mound.

And many teams build mounds to illegal height. (NFHS specifies 10", but I've seen them up to 18" and no one does anything about it.)

What your son has to learn is that he must be 100% ready when he leaves the bullpen. His on-field warmups (8 pitches) are not to be used to finish loosening up. Those pitches are for one thing and one thing only, and that is to acclimate to the new mound.

It's still hard. But after a while, you accept it as just part of the game.
L LadsDad100+ posts
Thanks to all for your replies. I have always told him that it is his responsiblity to adjust to the mound but sometimes I can be too much of a hard a**.

He said that the drop made him overstride to reach the base of the mound so he will have to be careful to shorten his stride and inch or so at a time during warm-ups to see the result.

He pitched again tonight on the road, coming in relief in the 2nd inning and pitched lights out. He consistently was up 0-2 and 1-2 on the hitters, gave up one hit, struck out nine, walked three in four innings.

Being his dad and his former coach is tough. I try to find the middle ground as I don't want to be making excuses for him when he has a rough night. I try to praise him by acknowledging all that he did well and to try to review any mistakes.

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