How to teach a kid to pitch.

Your child wants to pitch. That is exciting, and it is also a little nerve-wracking for a parent. The good news: the first steps are simple, and you can teach them in the backyard with a ball, a glove and a target.

Start with a healthy arm, not a fast one

Before any mechanics, set the ground rules. Pitching is the hardest job on the field for a young arm, so we protect it first.

• Warm up every time: easy jogging, arm circles, then short, soft throws before anything from the mound.
• Follow the rules: check your league's rules for pitch counts and rest days, and count practice pitches too.
• Rest days are training days: a fresh arm learns better than a tired one.
• Stop if it hurts: pain is a stop sign, not a toughness test. Check in with your pediatrician.

Effort matters too. At 7 to 12, we want easy, controlled throws. Speed comes later, from growing and good habits, not from trying to throw harder today.

Balance is the first pitching skill

A pitcher who can't balance can't aim. So the first drill has no throw at all.

Have your child stand sideways to a target, lift the front knee to a comfortable height and hold it. Count "one-two-three" out loud. If they wobble, lower the knee a little.

1. Statue hold: five lifts, three-second holds. No ball yet.
2. Statue and throw: lift, hold for two, then stride and throw to a partner close by.
3. Flamingo game: whoever holds the lift longest without hopping wins the round.

Five minutes of this before each session builds a steady base for everything else.

What to look for: the head stays still over the back foot, and the body doesn't drift toward the target before the stride. If the head leans forward early, the knee is probably coming up too high. Lower it and try again.

A simple delivery: aim with the glove side

Keep the delivery short and repeatable. Fancy windups add moving parts that little bodies can't repeat yet. Many young pitchers do great starting from the stretch, sideways to the plate.

1. Sideways start: glove-side shoulder points at the catcher.
2. Lift and balance: front knee up, steady.
3. Stride to the target: the front foot lands pointing at the catcher, not off to the side.
4. Aim with the glove: the glove and front shoulder stay pointed at the target until the arm comes through.
5. Finish across: the throwing arm finishes toward the opposite knee, and the pitcher ends up facing the plate, ready to field.

Lay a jump rope on the ground from the pitcher's back foot toward the target. The game: land the stride foot on the rope. It is the quickest way to see if the body is going straight at the plate.

Here are the mistakes we see most, and the fix for each. Pick one. Not all of them.

• Stepping across the body: the stride foot lands off to the side. Go back to the rope game.
• Glove flying open: the glove side pulls away early and the ball sails. Cue: "glove to the target."
• Rushing: the body lunges before the knee gets up. Add a one-count at the top.
• Overthrowing: grunting, falling off hard to one side. Easy effort. Smooth beats hard.

Pitch from flat ground at a short distance first. Move toward a mound and your league's pitching distance only when throws stay easy and on target. Check your league's rules for the distance.

What pitches should a young pitcher throw?

Two pitches are plenty: a fastball and a changeup. Learning to throw a fastball for strikes is the whole job for most young pitchers.

The changeup is a fastball thrown with a deeper grip, like holding the ball with more of the hand, so it comes in slower with the same arm action. Let your child play with it during catch before using it in a game.

Make it a game. In catch, your child calls "fast" or "change" before each throw, and you try to guess from the arm. If the arm looks the same and you can't tell, they get a point. That is the whole secret of a changeup.

Hold off on curveballs, sliders and other breaking balls for young kids. They are not needed to get hitters out at this age, and command of the fastball matters far more. When the time comes, learn them from a qualified coach.

A softball note: fastpitch softball pitching is an underhand windmill delivery. It is a different motion and needs its own instruction, so don't copy the baseball steps above for a softball pitcher.

A 15-minute pitching practice at home

Short and regular beats long and rare. Here is a simple session you can run two or three times a week, with rest days in between.

Hang a towel or tape a square on a fence or net for a target. Count every throw, and keep the total light. If your child gets tired or frustrated, end with a fun throw and call it a day.

Watch what you say during the session, too. "Nice balance" and "good finish" help. "Throw harder" and "why can't you just throw strikes" don't. Praise the part you are working on, and let the misses go.

What does progress look like? After about two weeks, look for steady statue holds and a stride that lands on the rope most of the time. After about six weeks, look for the same delivery every pitch, more throws at the target, and a kid who still wants to pitch tomorrow. That last one matters most.

Want a step-by-step start? The free Pitching Intro Course walks you through seven short lessons on balance, targets and safe habits. When your child is ready for more, Command & Composure ($49) is our four-week, 16-session Level 2 pitching program for routines, target control and smart workload habits.

What to do this week

Do statue holds for five minutes before each catch session. Then run the 15-minute plan twice, on non-game days, and finish with the three-strikes target game.

Sources: MLB and USA Baseball — Pitch Smart