Instructional Pitching Videos

One of the hardest things about sports training is that our bodies don't speak our language. Trying to teach elaborate motions though words is an exercise in futility, and many coaches find that the only way to teach a motion is to show it. However, there are many cases in which a player's needs fall outside a coach's abilities, and the coach must look to other means to teach the player.

This situation most often arises in sports in which there is a wide range of abilities and skills. Track and field coaches frequently have to look to outside sources for help. In addition, baseball coaches usually have just a small group of potential pitchers, and may not be able to fulfill all training needs with their resources at hand.

Instructional Aids

While books about pitching are rarely of use for athletes, instructional videos are a long-standing tradition among coaches. These videos show a professional athlete going through a motion, which is a much more understandable than speaking a description of the movement. In addition, videos usually show a motion from multiple angles, with close-ups and long shots, so that the athlete can get as complete a sense of the motion that he will be imitating.

These videos are especially helpful for pitching. Often, a player will have mastered the basic fast ball, and instructional pitching videos are best for teaching other pitches. Few coaches can throw a proper screw ball or knuckle ball, and seeing it done on video is often the best an aspiring pitcher can get. Many coaches swear by the effectiveness of these videos, and there is a wide selection of such resources available.