TABLE OF CONTENTS Why Use this Workbook? Page 3 To the Pitchers: How to Use the Pitching Journal Most Effectively Page 4 Pitching Workbook Terms and Notes Pages 5-6 20 Pitching Workouts Pages 7-26 Pitching Journal Pages 27-29 A team takes on the confidence of its pitcher. She should never show anything on the mound but confidence and a positive, winning attitude. --Jennifer Hogan Jennifer Hogan Pitching Workbook All Rights Reserved pg. 2
Why use my Pitching Workbook? I am a tutor to athletes needing to sharpen their edge, the outside expert for coaches building their bull pen, and I motivate pitchers to reach deep inside to find their very best. As a private pitching coach in the Southeast I have worked with leagues, schools, and individuals to help athletes not only improve their speed and accuracy but learning how to fall back on discipline and training when things aren t going well on the field and in life. If you are a coach, the designed workouts are an effective way to monitor your athlete s pitching sessions. Instead of sending your pitchers off during practice to pitch for a certain amount of time and then return, you designate specific workouts that meet specific objectives. At completion of each workout, she fills in the journal as a record of her training, allowing you to supervise her progress through her record- keeping. Also, the workouts create pressure situations so that the pitcher can practice in an environment which will assist in developing her concentration and preparedness for pitching in a game. Additionally, the workbook is an ideal off-season training tool! If you are a parent, you can give your pitcher planned and disciplined instruction. Rather than pitching for a certain amount of time or throwing the same pitch - one after the other - she will face game-like situations. This will force her to focus on what is required for each different pitch, just as she does in competition. By having the pitcher follow the plan, the source of motivation will be her internal drive to see recorded improvement and do better. It s a goal every parent hopes their children achieve. If you are a pitcher, this is the book for you. You will be able to determine where your strengths and weaknesses lie by reflecting on your own written words about your workouts. While one pitch may seem to be your most consistent your written record may show you are more successful with another. By studying your training journal, you ll get a better understanding of your own mental/emotional/physical performance, allowing you to tailor your workouts for your own peak performance. My pitching workouts add variety to what could be a monotonous workout, provide a way to reflect on training sessions, and create game-like situations to teach focusing under pressure. The journal gives objective feedback and allows the pitcher and coaches to determine strengths and weaknesses. Use the workouts year-round and see remarkable improvement! "Sports ideally teach discipline and commitment. They challenge you and build character for everything you do in life." ---Howie Long Jennifer Hogan Pitching Workbook All Rights Reserved pg. 3
To the Pitchers: How to Use the Pitching Journal Most Effectively Always record your pitching workouts immediately following each workout. Keep the journal in a folder and take it with you to the field. By doing this, you will be able to fill in the comments section with thoughts such as, felt strong, got tired early, throwing fastball high, or other comments that will help you track your progress. Reflect on your journal each week. You may want to do this with a parent or your catcher. If you notice there is a certain pitch you are having difficulties with, you can make that pitch a priority during the next week. Keep up with the number of pitches you throw in a workout. While it is okay to record how long you pitch, the most accurate measurement would be the number of pitches. This way you can check to see if your pace is too slow or too fast. For example, you could be rushing your pitches and not practicing concentration, or you could be taking too much time between pitches and not increasing stamina. Workouts can be modified in the following way: If you don t throw a drop, substitute a low inside or low outside pitch for it in the workout. If you don t throw a rise, sub a high inside or high outside for it in the workout. If you don t throw a curve, sub a high or low inside pitch. If you don t throw a curve ball, sub a high or low outside pitch. This program is designed as a six-week plan. There are no overnight successes. Follow the plan with the six-weeks in mind as the point at which you evaluate yourself. Each week you should look at specific points or areas of strengths and weaknesses. Look at the overall picture after the six weeks have been completed, and make workout adjustments for the next six-week cycle. "The most important thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else--it has to be yours. That is all that will justify the hard work needed to achieve success. Compete against yourself, not others, for that is who is truly your best competition." ---Peggy Fleming Jenkins, Olympic Gold Medalist The workouts in this program are a perfect resource during the off-season. Jennifer Hogan Pitching Workbook All Rights Reserved pg. 4
Pitching Workbook Notes Workouts are not in any special order. Pitchers or coaches and can pick and choose workouts to add variety to pitching workouts. By recording various aspects of the workout, a coach and pitcher can monitor the pitchers progress. NOTE: On the bottom left corner of each workout, you will see the following letters: b, i and/or a. These letters stand for Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Terms used in pitching workbook: Walk-throughs: AFAYC (As Fast As You Can): the pitcher pitches each pitch with as much speed as possible. These pitches are not for accuracy, and the focus is not on placement, but to see how much speed the pitcher can generate. Threes: Pairs: the pitcher tries to get two in a row of the designated pitch for the pair to count. Usually pitcher is given a certain numbers of pairs to complete, such as 5 pairs of fast strike-good change. (Pitcher would have to throw a fast strike, immediately followed by a good change for the pair to count. She would have to get 5 of these pairs to complete the task.) Jennifer Hogan Pitching Workbook All Rights Reserved pg. 5
Around the World: Locations: Always assume a right-handed batter. It doesn t change for a left-handed batter. In this workbook, fast balls are thrown when these locations are noted. Location #1 Low inside Location #2 High inside Location #3 High outside Location #4 Low outside Innings: 1-minute or 2-minute drills: Pitcher has a limited amount of time to complete task, such as throw 3 strikes in a row within time limit. "It is a matter of spirit, not strength. It is a matter of doing your best each little moment. There's never a break. You must have desire, a very intense desire to keep going." ---Janet Guthrie Jennifer Hogan Pitching Workbook All Rights Reserved pg. 6
Workout 14 Date Completed: Catcher: Warm up 10 fast strikes 10 of each: rise, drop, curve, screwball, change 1 minute drills: 3 fast strikes in a row 3 change ups in a row Fast strike, change, fast strike Change, fast strike, change Rise, drop, rise Drop, change, drop Change, curve, change Curve, screw, curve Screw, change, screw Change, rise, change Rise, drop, curve Curve, change, screw Pitcher s choice: Pitcher s choice: Pitch 3 pairs: position #1 & position #4 Pitch 3 pairs: position #2 & position #3 End with 3 fast strikes in a row a Jennifer Hogan Pitching Workbook All Rights Reserved pg. 7
Workout 18 Date Completed: Catcher: Warm up Pitch to Batter #1. Keep a count, see if you pitch 3 strikes to batter before you pitch 4 balls to batter. (If yes, you win. If not, you lose.) W or L? Record here: 5 change ups. 10 change ups. Count how many are good. Record # here: Pitch to Batter #2. Keep a count, see if you pitch 3 strikes to batter before you pitch 4 balls to batter. (If yes, you win. If not, you lose.) Include change-ups this time. W or L? Record here: 10 walk-throughs (start 6 feet behind mound). 5 pitches to position #1 Record number of strikes to position #1. Pitch to Batter #3. Keep a count, see if you pitch 3 strikes to batter before you pitch 4 balls to batter. (If yes, you win. If not, you lose.) Include change-ups. W or L? Record here: 5 pitches to position #2. Record number of strikes to position #2. 10 drop, rise, curve, or screw. (If pitcher doesn t throw one of these, pitch change ups) Alternate previous pitch with AFAYC, 5 each. Pitch to Batter #3. Keep a count, see if you pitch 3 strikes to batter before you pitch 4 balls to batter. (If yes, you win. If not, you lose.) Include previous pitch. W or L? Record here: 5 pitches to position #3. Record number of strikes to position #3. 5 pitches to position #4. Record number of strikes to position #4. Pitch to Batter #3. Keep a count, see if you pitch 3 strikes to batter before you pitch 4 balls to batter. (If yes, you win. If not, you lose.) Include previous pitch. W or L? Record here: End with a strike. b, i Jennifer Hogan Pitching Workbook All Rights Reserved pg. 8