What makes a good pitching coach?

I want 4 things in a piching coach.

1. He relates well with players and explains pitching in a way the player can understand it.

2. His #1 concern is arm care. Correct warm-up and stretching routines, correct mechanics, and teaches post game arm care.

3.Can teach the mental part of pitching and knows how valuable confidence is to a pitcher. he know the difference between control and command.

4. He works with what he has. He doesn't try and make finness pitcher out of a power pitcher or visa-versa. Greg Maddox and Roger Clemens are 2 different pitchers but both very successful. It would have been a shame if a pitching coach had forced one to be like the other.

Just some of my thoughts,
Seadog

The choices we make dictate the lives we lead.

What he said

"You should enter a ballpark the way you enter a church." Bill -Spaceman- Lee

What makes a good pitching coach or hitting coach?

This can be answered with one word.

RESULTS!!!

Of course, even the best coaches or instructors have to be afforded the time it takes to get results. But you should start seeing signs of improvement very quickly, in most cases, if you have the right guy.

Good points all around

For me the key is the "comfort zone"--if pitcher and instructor have this then you will see results

TRhit

• The ability to break down a delivery into its component parts and then coach that.
• The ability to impart knowledge of why you do something without getting too complicated.
• The ability to do a variety of breakdown drill not only isolating portions of the pitch but also giving a parent key things to look for.
• The ability to address arm care. Starting from stretching and band work to a complete workout to arm maintenace.
• The availablity of a coach to answer questions should soreness occur.

Not a complete list but should help.

"There comes a time when you have to stop dreaming of the man you want to be and start being the man you have become." Bruce Springsteen

Thanks for all of the advice. It looks as if we have a good pitching coach! He said it would take time to get him to where it was all comfortable. He hasn't pitched in a game since he started, so I guess we will see how much he has absorbed on Saturday.

CoachB25...I like your quote...I am a big Springsteen fan...

I think the number one quality of a pitching coach is teaching the kid to be able to coach himself.

I.E. Being able to realize what the kid is doing wrong if a pitch does this when you wanted it to do that. To be able to recognize what is wrong with a delivery.

I've seen too many people tell a kid do this and the kid repeats it....only to go out to a game, get in a funk and not realize what is wrong.

Like my son's pitching coach tells him, most HS Coaches are glorified Football coaches, and what the heck do they know about pitching mechanics. He needs to be his own coach!!

Keller Dad,

Great point. While self correction is not the first days lesson it should be the eventual goal. My son leaves balls inside and up. His fix.." your not rotating through where I can see you numbers". He needs that knowledge on board to self correct the next pitch.

I like PG's reply of "results". To many times there is misinterpretation of the words "pitching coach" and "pitching instrutor". I feel a coach gets his label as a result of time. In that time he is able to fine tune both the physical and mental parts of a game. An instructor, is a short term teacher in the art of pitching.

With that, I feel that a good pitching coach is dedcated to a pitcher(s) and their individual styles and mental makeup. The instructor, doing for example, the 6-10 lessons, regardless of knowledge, is not worthy of the pitching coach title.

The post may be a bit off base. But, as PGstaff says results are a determining factor, and results in pitching is a step process that cannot be done short term.

One of the things that has to be practiced when coaching is patience. The same goes with a parent who affords their son the opportunity to take lessons. Getting better is a process that is different for every player. For some things click sooner than later and for some for whatever reason it does not click at all.

KellerDad, why am I glad that I have never coached football? LOL! I have won a few games in basketball. The rational of why you do something and the ability to have a "checklist" for a player is essential. Being on that mound is sometimes the loneliest feeling in the world. That was a great point in having an instructor that does that. One thing that I might add is that you need someone that is good at creating situations. Why do you throw this pitch in this situation? What are you looking to do with this hitter here that exibits these traits...

"There comes a time when you have to stop dreaming of the man you want to be and start being the man you have become." Bruce Springsteen

Are we talking about a high school pitching coach or an instructor? With both, we've looked for (and happy to say found):

Both stressed mechanics. Always about delivery, balance, arm slot, etc.

No risking injury. Both always said -- be smart and pitch tomorrow. Our HS pitching coach always counts pitches and sets "limits" for each pitcher. Early in the season he's very conservative; later he knows who can go 95 pitches, who can go 75. In one game, our assistant coach had to physically restrain him from going out on the field during the game when the opposing coach let a kid throw 135+ pitches.

Learn to PITCH not just throw. Our pitching coach told a fireballer (who throws 90) -- you need to learn how to pitch. At some point you'll face guys who can hit 90 -- if you can't pitch you're not going to succeed. He worked with all the pitchers to talk about how to pitch the 1st, 2nd and 3rd time through the line-up. How to set guys up. How to adjust on the mound during an at-bat.

Honesty. A coach who will give an honest assessment of a pitcher's skill and talent, and then work with them to develop the skill but not 'blow smoke'.

An interesting note. Our HS pitching coach is a former major league player who had a lot of success. A flame thrower. Our pitcher is a control guy -- even though his coach was a very different pitcher -- he has the skill and talent to work with all types of pitchers.

Finally, just one humble opinion -- what makes a great coach? Someone who loves the game and and will teach guys to love the game. He also wants all of his players to improve, regardless of skill or talent.

Best of luck!

Say Hey!

Just want to add my two cents...I am a pitching coach in the Chicago area. I am going into the last weekend of private lessons before the high school season starts. When I started with one of my kids about 3 months ago...I had him pitch with his eyes closed...this may sound strange to some of you. First time, he was in a cage, by himself...ball went all over the place, maybe one strike in about 20 throws, maybe. A few weeks later, he threw about 10 to a catcher, eyes closed...maybe 1 or 2 strikes. Last night, we did it for the final time...he threw 7 out of 10 right down the middle, the other 3 were about a foot off the plate. My point being this...1) he gained results 2) I asked what he was thinking about when he was throwing...answer: NOTHING, I just saw the target, nothing else. The thing I did not mention yet is that I had been talking with him over the course of the 3 months about visualization and trusting his mechanics. I fine-tuned the mechanics so now he does not even have to worry about them. Week 1, I asked what he was thinking...too many to list, but say about 20 different things. What I have instilled in him is this...as you get the ball back from the catcher, and as you walk back up to the mound, think about the situation, count, where runners are, where you go with the ball if it comes back to you, where you backup, etc...once you get on the rubber it is simply..what am I throwing? where am I throwing it? and once it leaves your hands, forget it...nothing more you can do about it. Whether that makes me a successful pitching coach or not, who knows. One thing I do know is that the kid has seen obvious results and hopefully he will see more when the season starts in a few weeks.