🎯 FREE LESSON 1 · PITCHING · THE CHALLENGE
Ten easy pitches at a strike box. No radar gun, no max effort — just command. Then one routine that changes how the next ten feel.
Only do this challenge on a day your pitcher is allowed to throw: not a rest day under your league rules or Pitch Smart, and no soreness or pain. These pitches count toward today’s total. Fastpitch pitchers: use your windmill delivery with your coach’s guidance.
Tape or picture a strike box on a net or fence at regulation distance for the division (shorter is fine for 8U). Easy, comfortable effort only.
Count a pitch only if it lands inside the box. These 10 pitches count toward today’s pitch count.
A short routine helps a young pitcher reset without adding tension after a missed target.
Practice step onto rubber/mat, breathe, look at target, and say one cue. Rehearse five dry reps before any easy cleared throws.
Say the cue out loud once — “Breathe, look, go.” — then run The Strike Box Challenge again exactly like the first time.
Safe practice: Do not prescribe additional throws on a rest day or after fatigue, discomfort or soreness. Coaches/parents must track total throwing across teams and follow applicable league limits and current MLB/USA Baseball Pitch Smart guidance for baseball; fastpitch needs sport- and league-specific guidance. Stop for pain.
