How to help a young pitcher throw strikes.

Few things are harder to watch than your child walking batter after batter. The good news is that control is a skill, and it can be practiced. It usually gets better when a young pitcher does less, not more.

Why young pitchers struggle to throw strikes

Most wild pitches at this age come from three things. The delivery changes from pitch to pitch. The pitcher is trying to throw too hard. Or nerves speed everything up after a miss.

Notice what is not on that list: a lack of talent. A kid who can play catch accurately can learn to throw strikes. We just have to make the delivery simple enough to repeat.

Before anything else, check the arm. A tired or sore arm will not throw strikes, and it should not be pitching. Warm up first, follow your league's pitch-count and rest rules, and stop if it hurts.

It also helps to remember what a strike looks like at this age. A pitch the catcher can catch without lunging is a win, even if the umpire calls it a ball. Celebrate catchable pitches first, and strikes will follow.

Build a delivery your child can repeat

Control lives in sameness. If the feet, the balance and the finish look the same every time, the ball goes to the same place more often.

1. Start the same: same spot on the rubber, same sideways setup, every pitch.
2. Balance point: lift the front knee and pause for a quick "one."
3. Stride straight: the front foot lands pointing at the catcher.
4. Glove to target: the glove side points at the catcher until the arm comes through.
5. Finish and freeze: end facing the plate, balanced, for one second.

Try the 80% rule: throw at easy, comfortable effort. Many kids throw more strikes the moment they stop overthrowing. Speed can come later.

Film a few pitches on your phone from the side, at normal speed. Watch for one thing at a time: does the front foot land in the same spot? Does the pitcher finish balanced? Pick the one piece that changes most and work on just that this week.

Then read the misses. Where the ball goes tells you what to work on. Pick one, not all four.

• Misses all over the place: the delivery is changing. Go back to finish-and-freeze until it looks the same every time.
• Misses high a lot: often a sign of rushing. Slow the lift and hold the balance point a beat longer.
• Misses to the same side: check where the front foot lands. Lay a jump rope toward the target and stride on it.
• Bounces in the dirt: often overthrowing. Drop back to easy effort and watch what happens.

One cue at a time. Say five things and your child hears none of them.

Target games that build control

Kids aim better when they have something small to aim at. "Throw a strike" is vague. "Hit the catcher's glove" is clear.

• Towel target: hang a towel on a fence or net. One point for a hit, three for three in a row.
• Shrinking target: start with a big square of tape, then make it smaller after five hits.
• Beat the coach: a strike is a point for the pitcher, a ball is a point for you. First to 7 wins.
• Pick a corner: for older kids, call "glove side" or "arm side" before each pitch.

Start short, on flat ground, and move back toward your league's pitching distance only when they hit the target often. Check your league's rules for the distance. Keep pitch totals light, and count them.

Here is a sample 15-minute target session. Run it two or three times a week, never on a game day, and never on a sore arm.

Slow down: the breath-and-reset routine

After a ball or two, young pitchers rush. They grab the ball, step on the rubber and fire. The miss repeats.

Teach a short routine and practice it at home so it is automatic in games:

1. Step off: walk a step or two off the mound after a miss.
2. One slow breath: in through the nose, long breath out.
3. Say the cue: one word, like "smooth" or "glove."
4. Find the target: eyes on the catcher's mitt before the lift.

It takes a few seconds. Make it part of the target games: every miss means doing the routine before the next pitch. The routine becomes a habit, and a habit is calm.

Once the routine is easy, add a little pressure on purpose. Call a pretend game moment, like "bases loaded, last inning," and have them do the full routine before the pitch. A miss is no big deal. Routine, next pitch. That is the whole lesson.

What to say after walks

Walks are part of learning to pitch. How a parent reacts can make the next inning better or worse.

• From the stands: stay quiet or keep it simple. "Breathe" or "You got this" is plenty. Leave the pitching cues to the coach.
• On the ride home: let them talk first. "I love watching you pitch" works after a great day or a rough one.
• The next day: praise the reset. "I saw you step off and breathe. That's what good pitchers do."
• Skip: counting walks out loud, comparing to other pitchers, or "just throw strikes."

And know what progress looks like, so you can see it. After about two weeks, look for the routine happening without a reminder and more pitches the catcher can catch cleanly. After about six weeks, look for shorter streaks of balls and a faster bounce-back after a walk. Strikes will go up and down from game to game. Grade the routine, not the box score.

For drills by age, the free Pitching Skills Guide has 8U, 10U and 12U progressions and cues. If your child is ready to go further, Command & Composure ($49) is our 16-session Level 2 program built around a pre-pitch routine, one clear target and resetting after a miss.

What to do this week

Hang a towel target and play Beat the Coach twice this week at easy effort. Every miss means doing the breath-and-reset routine before the next pitch.

Sources: MLB and USA Baseball — Pitch Smart