Youth Pitching Made Simple is a clear, parent-friendly guide to teaching kids ages 8–12 how to pitch safely and effectively. With simple mechanics, fun drills, and age-appropriate pitch counts, this book keeps the game safe, enjoyable, and confidence-building for young pitchers.

Baseball is built on timeless fundamentals, the “Cardinal Rules” that every player must know and respect. From hustling on every play to always knowing the count and protecting your teammates, these core principles shape winners both on and off the field. This section highlights the essential habits, discipline, and respect for the game that separate good players from great ones.

A pitcher’s glove side is the secret weapon for balance, control, and power. When used correctly, it keeps the body in line toward the target and helps generate more velocity without extra effort. This section breaks down simple, effective cues that teach young pitchers how to use their glove side like a pro, from proper glove positioning to maintaining shoulder alignment through release.

Pitching power and accuracy come from staying, and that connection starts with proper glove side control, upright posture, and a stable spine angle. This section breaks down how these three elements work together to keep the body in sync from start to finish. You’ll learn how to maintain balance, stay aligned with your target, and generate effortless velocity through efficient movement and posture control.

Pitching isn’t just about mechanics, it’s a mind game. The best pitchers know how to stay calm under pressure, focus on one pitch at a time, and bounce back after mistakes. This section teaches simple mindset tools to build confidence, control emotions, and develop the mental toughness needed to dominate on the mound.

Great pitchers don’t avoid pressure — they embrace it. 💪 In Mental Side of Pitching: Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable, you’ll learn how to thrive in tough moments, quiet the noise, and stay focused when the game heats up. Build confidence through discomfort, turn adversity into fuel, and develop the mental toughness to dominate on the mound — no matter the situation.

How to Prepare, Execute, and Dominate Every Start on the Mound

How to Develop, Command, and Strategically Use Every Pitch in Baseball

Most young pitchers think throwing harder comes from arm strength alone. In reality, velocity starts from the ground up — flowing through the legs, core, and finally the arm and fingertips. True power comes from mastering the body’s kinetic chain. If you want to add 5+ mph in 12 weeks, you must understand how energy transfers through your body and train it the right way.

The sinker is a fastball variation designed to generate late downward and arm-side movement, inducing weak contact and ground balls. The key is maintaining fastball arm speed while adjusting grip and finger pressure to create sink.

What Is Lower Half Initiation? The lower half starts the pitching delivery — it generates ground force and sets the chain reaction in motion. It involves: • Driving out of leg lift with the back hip (not just falling forward) • Keeping the torso stacked over the back leg • Leading with the glutes and hips, not the shoulders Cue: “Ride the back hip, lead with the front hip.

The lead leg block is the key to transferring energy from the lower body to the upper body for maximum velocity and control. When a pitcher plants the front leg firmly, it creates a stable base that stops forward motion and drives power up through the torso and arm. This section explains how to master the lead leg block with drills and cues that improve balance, timing, and explosiveness on every pitch.

What Is Arm Path Efficiency? Arm path refers to the route your throwing arm takes from hand break to ball release. An efficient arm path is short, clean, connected, and repeatable. It minimizes unnecessary movement, reduces injury risk, and maximizes timing. Cue: “Short, smooth, connected arc.”

What Is the Kinetic Chain? The kinetic chain is the sequence of body movements that transfer energy from the ground up to the baseball. Proper pitching flow moves energy from: 1. Ground force (legs) 2. Hips 3. Torso 4. Shoulder 5. Elbow 6. Wrist 7. Fingers

If the arm is the whip’s tip, then the legs are the handle. More than half of a pitcher’s velocity comes directly from the lower half. Without strong and explosive legs, pitchers waste energy before the ball ever leaves their hand. The lower body provides both the stability to balance during the leg lift and the force to drive explosively toward the plate. Developing this power is non-negotiable if you want to add velocity.

If the lower body and core are the engines of velocity, the arm is the whip’s tip that delivers the energy to the baseball. To throw harder, a pitcher must learn to move the arm quickly and eþciently, not forcefully. Arm speed isn’t about brute strength; it’s about elasticity, sequencing, and eþciency. A loose, fast arm can generate more velocity than a stiû, muscled one.

Long toss has sparked debate for decades. Some coaches see it as the key to velocity; others call it risky for the arm. The truth depends on how it’s done. When programmed correctly, long toss builds arm strength, speed, and confidence. Done wrong, it wastes throws and increases injury risk. This chapter shows how to structure long toss safely to add velocity, boost durability, and sharpen command.

When it comes to velocity, strength training is often misunderstood. Some pitchers think lifting automatically adds speed; others fear getting bulky or stiff. The truth lies between — pitchers need strength to be explosive, powerful, and repeat mechanics efficiently. When done right, strength training builds velocity, durability, and confidence, helping you dominate the mound with balance and control.

Mobility is one of the most overlooked keys to velocity. Many pitchers focus on strength but forget that power means nothing without freedom of movement. Pitching demands explosive hip rotation, shoulder mobility, and spinal flexibility. A stiff pitcher moves like a robot—limited and inconsistent. A mobile one moves like a cat—smooth, fast, and powerful. Flexibility and mobility are the hidden engines of safe, sustainable velocity.

Strength, mobility, and arm speed create the foundation for velocity, but drills bring it all together. Velocity drills sharpen mechanics, train explosive movement, and build the whip-like sequence that transfers power from the ground up. These aren’t random throws—they’re focused routines that build speed while protecting the arm. The key is intent: every rep must be fast, precise, and explosive to unlock true velocity.

By now, we’ve explored the building blocks of velocity lower body power, arm speed, long toss, strength, mobility, and velocity drills. But the real secret to adding 5 mph or more isn’t just knowing the drills4it’s knowing when and how to use them. Random training leads to random results. Structured progression leads to lasting gains. This chapter gives you a week-by-week roadmap for the next three months. Follow it with discipline, and you’ll maximize velocity while staying healthy and durable.

One of the most overlooked parts of velocity training is measurement. Many pitchers train hard without knowing if they’re actually improving. If you can’t measure it, you can’t grow. Tracking velocity isn’t just motivation—it’s feedback that keeps you progressing safely. This chapter shows how to track your speed effectively, what tools to use, how often to measure, and key benchmarks for steady gains over 12 weeks.

Velocity gains are exciting, but they’re meaningless if you can’t stay on the field. The fastest way to lose velocity is injury, and the fastest way to get injured is neglecting recovery. Pitching is one of the most stressful movements in sports4every throw puts the shoulder and elbow under extreme load. Without proper recovery, the body break down before it can adapt. We’ll cover the essentials of recovery and arm care, giving you the tools to protect your velocity gain and extend your career.

You’ve built strength, sharpened mechanics, increased arm speed, and committed to 12 weeks of training. But all of that hard work means nothing if you can’t bring it to the mound when it counts. Game day is where velocity must meet command, confidence, and execution. This final chapter will walk you through the full game-day blueprint from the moment you wake up to the last pitch so you can showcase your velocity gains and dominate the mound.

How to Develop Mental Toughness, Focus, and Confidence on the Mound

A Complete Guide to Building Lower-Half Power, Arm Speed, and Safe Velocity Gains

Pressure doesn’t break great pitchers — it reveals them. I help athletes master the mental side of the game to perform with clarity, confidence, and control under pressure. Learn proven mental cues, focus strategies, and mindset techniques to stay locked in, manage nerves, and deliver your best pitch when it matters most. It’s not about throwing harder — it’s about thinking sharper.

Welcome to Locos Baseball Skool – Pitching Video Submission Guide! 🎯 This course walks you through exactly how to record, format, and submit your pitching videos for professional feedback. Learn what coaches look for, how to showcase your mechanics, and get the most from every review. Step-by-step guidance to help you grow, improve, and throw with confidence.