Six step method for teaching and training the underhand pitching technique

Abstract

The method of teaching the underhand fast pitch softball pitcher is a new and proven technique derived from mechanics of the pitchers body during the underhand motion and the laws of physics. The six step method teaches pitchers how to pitch through dividing the motion into six different steps. Each step has been assigned a name to help generate a picture of the steps are in order to expedite comprehension and execution of each step. Due to the simplistic approach of each step and the use of pictorials, athletes of all skills and abilities are able to master the steps with out error with in weeks. The method also addresses the need to enhance pitching performance and reduce the risk of injury.

1 . A six step method of teaching mechanics of windmill fast pitch softball pitching, comprising,
 a step one wherein a pitcher, the pitcher having all body parts normally found on a human being, starts from a set position, standing with shoulders down and relaxed, both feet centered on a pitcher's mound, with the right foot slightly forward of the left, wherein, starting from the set position, the pitcher with a ball in a ball hand and a glove on a glove hand, the ball and ball hand being in the glove, with elbows slightly bent, the pitcher raises its arms up and away from its body and toward a catcher, then, as the arms move up and out shoulder high, the pitcher will raise up onto both balls of its feet, position its shoulders behind its hip, and when the arms reach shoulder level, the arms stop and the pitcher will come down by lowering the arms, keeping the elbows slightly bent, and at the same time lowering the left foot so that it is flat on the ground, keeping its right knee bent wherein the pitcher's weight will remain over the ball of the right foot, the right heel being off the ground, as the right hand and glove hand continue down and approach the right hip, the right hand will rotate as it leaves the glove so that the palm of the right hand and the ball are facing the catcher, the right hand then moves past the hip and continues behind the pitcher at a 45 degree angle away from the body, and as the right hand leaves the glove the pitcher will turn the glove hand up and pull the glove into the left hip, the pitcher will slightly bend at its waist and pull the right shoulder back to open the body to a 45 degree angle, and once the right hand is about head high, the pitcher then flips the right hand up so that the fingers are pointing up and that the ball is facing centerfield, and   a step two after step one wherein the pitcher, at the end of step one, will bring the right arm down toward the hips, as the right arm approaches the hip, the pitcher will then apply a downward push through the ball of the right foot and will stop any forward momentum through her right knee while the knee remains slightly bent, the right knee will then spring the pitcher upward while the pivot foot remains in contact with the ground thus keeping the pitcher's weight back at the same time whipping the right arm up along an arc to the top of an arm circle, the right hand and arm will being positioned past the eyes and in front of the ears, the right arm is straightened with the fingers pointing up and the palm facing the catcher, and as the right arm goes up, the pitcher simultaneously goes up onto the balls of the feet, slightly leaning back to make sure the shoulders are behind the hips, not in front of them, and   a step three after step two having a part three-one and a part three-two,
 wherein in part three-one, the pitcher, after the end of step two, will pick up the left foot and bring the left knee up waist high, the left knee being pointed toward third base and the toes pointed to the ground, and at the same time, the right foot will pivot the body from facing the catcher to facing third base, after which the left knee, being positioned just below the waist, and the left foot, being pointing down to the ground, maintain balance and assure for proper timing, the pitcher then will need to balance on the ball of the right foot by keeping the right knee slightly bent during the pivot phase and leaning slightly lean back to counter balance the left leg, and 
 wherein in part three-two, the pitcher, during the pivot, keeps its back straight by moving its hips and shoulders together and lock the hips and shoulders in place, moving them as one while the body turns on the ball of the right foot, and also during the pivot, while the knee, hips and shoulders are all moving together, the right arm is moved at the same time from the front of the body to the back of the body, the shoulders putting the right arm in position and once the right arm is in position then the pitcher can continue to move the arm down through the release point, the right hand then rotates from facing the catcher to facing centerfield when the shoulders move the right arm from the front side of the body to the back side, the right hand pivoting from facing the catcher to facing center field with the fingers then pointing up, and a step four after step three having a part four-one and a part four-two, 
 wherein in part four-one the pitcher will slightly bend the right knee with no forward movement, then drop the left leg down as the right knee bends so that the left foot makes contact with the ground, the feet being about two shoe lengths apart, and as soon as ground contact has been made by the left foot, the pitcher forcefully resists as if in a tug of war, the pitcher remaining on the balls of the feet during this phase, and 
 wherein in part four-two, while in the tug of war stance, the right arm will be placed behind the pitcher with the right hand and arm head high, the elbow will be straight, the ball hand palm facing center field, and fingers pointing out at a 45 degree angle, the right arm will come down until it makes contact with the body, first making contact with the body near the underarm and the top of the rib cage, when contact has been made, the pitcher stops the right arm and makes sure that the right hand is behind the hip by six inches, thus being at a release point position, wherein the pitcher then begins bringing its upper and lower body together by bending the right knee, and at the same time bringing the right arm down to the release point position, the left foot should arrive at the ground at the same time the right hand arrives at release point position to facilitate accurate timing of the pitch, when the right knee bends, the pitcher slightly leans the shoulders back so that they are behind the hips and keeping the shoulders back as the left leg plants, the pitcher resists and pushes the weight back off the ball of the left foot, the right arm and foot being the only parts of the body being thrown forward toward the catcher, and 
   a step five after step four, wherein the pitcher is positioned with the body in a tug of war position such that the pitcher stands tall, shoulders behind the hips, with the knees slightly bent, then the pitcher shifts the weight over the ball of the right foot, then, with the arms resting at the side of the body, the pitcher pushes up onto the balls of the feet at the same time leaning the shoulders behind the hips, then the pitcher raises the glove hand up so that the glove hand is below the left shoulder and pointed toward the catcher, the pitcher then raises the right hand up as high as the top of the head, thus maintaining balance and keeping the pitcher's weight back, the right arm being at a 45 degree angle and the fingers of the ball hand pointing down, then to transition the ball hand from going up to coming back down the wrist flips up so the of the ball hand fingers are pointing up, thus preventing the elbow from bending, as the ball hand approaches the release point position, the pitcher pushes back off the ball of the left foot to throw the left hip and shoulder back or away form the catcher, moving the hips and shoulders together, and at the same time pivoting the body on the right foot so the body is squared up to the catcher, the right knee staying bent and pointed to the catcher and the left leg being at a slight angle away from the catcher, the right knee being bent pointing to the catcher and the right foot heel being up off the ground, the shoulders will then lean away from the catcher and stay away through out the entire motion, and lastly during the pivot, the pitcher will position the shoulders behind the hips and throw the right arm forward, the arm going in the opposite direction of the body, the body moving away from the catcher while the right arm proceeds forward toward the catcher releasing the ball at the release point and the pitcher staying on the balls of the feet until the ball is released, and   a step six after step five, wherein the pitcher to leans away from the catcher through out the entire motion and continues to lean away and plants the left foot and throws the right arm forward, the pitcher relaxes the right ankle, slightly bends the right knee and puts the weight of the body over the right leg and the ball of the right foot, the left foot pressing down on the ground creating tension and resistance to stop the body from going forward, beginning the follow through of the right leg as the pitcher releases the ball, the pitcher will roll the inside part of the big toe of the right foot to the ground, the right foot dragging toward the left heel, then the right foot turning as the right knee is directed to point toward the catcher, thus creating a mark in the dirt that looks like a question mark as the body closes, the hip and shoulders then rotating until the body is square to the catcher and the step is complete.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the pitcher throws left-handed, comprising,
 a step one wherein a pitcher, the pitcher having all body parts normally found on a human being, starts from a set position, standing with shoulders down and relaxed, both feet centered on a pitcher's mound, with the left foot slightly forward of the right, wherein, starting from the set position, the pitcher with a ball in a ball hand and a glove on a glove hand, the ball and ball hand being in the glove, with elbows slightly bent, the pitcher raises its arms up and away from its body and toward a catcher, then, as the arms move up and out shoulder high, the pitcher will raise up onto both balls of its feet, position its shoulders behind its hip, and when the arms reach shoulder level, the arms stop and the pitcher will come down by lowering the arms, keeping the elbows slightly bent, and at the same time lowering the right foot so that it is flat on the ground, keeping its left knee bent wherein the pitcher's weight will remain over the ball of the left foot, the left heel being off the ground, as the left hand and glove hand continue down and approach the left hip, the left hand will rotate as it leaves the glove so that the palm of the left hand and the ball are facing the catcher, the left hand then moves past the hip and continues behind the pitcher at a 45 degree angle away from the body, and as the left hand leaves the glove the pitcher will turn the glove hand up and pull the glove into the right hip, the pitcher will slightly bend at its waist and pull the left shoulder back to open the body to a 45 degree angle, and once the left hand is about head high, the pitcher then flips the left hand up so that the fingers are pointing up and that the ball is facing centerfield, and   a step two after step one wherein the pitcher, at the end of step one, will bring the left arm down toward the hips, as the left arm approaches the hip, the pitcher will then apply a downward push through the ball of the left foot and will stop any forward momentum through her left knee while the knee remains slightly bent, the left knee will then spring the pitcher upward while the pivot foot remains in contact with the ground thus keeping the pitcher's weight back at the same time whipping the left arm up along an arc to the top of an arm circle, the left hand and arm will being positioned past the eyes and in front of the ears, the left arm is straightened with the fingers pointing up and the palm facing the catcher, and as the left arm goes up, the pitcher simultaneously goes up onto the balls of the feet, slightly leaning back to make sure the shoulders are behind the hips, not in front of them, and   a step three after step two having a part three-one and a part three-two,
 wherein in part three-one, the pitcher, after the end of step two, will pick up the right foot and bring the right knee up waist high, the right knee being pointed toward third base and the toes pointed to the ground, and at the same time, the left foot will pivot the body from facing the catcher to facing third base, after which the right knee, being positioned just below the waist, and the right foot, being pointing down to the ground, maintain balance and assure for proper timing, the pitcher then will need to balance on the ball of the left foot by keeping the left knee slightly bent during the pivot phase and leaning slightly lean back to counter balance the right leg, and 
 wherein in part three-two, the pitcher, during the pivot, keeps its back straight by moving its hips and shoulders together and lock the hips and shoulders in place, moving them as one while the body turns on the ball of the left foot, and also during the pivot, while the knee, hips and shoulders are all moving together, the left arm is moved at the same time from the front of the body to the back of the body, the shoulders putting the left arm in position and once the left arm is in position then the pitcher can continue to move the arm down through the release point, the left hand then rotates from facing the catcher to facing centerfield when the shoulders move the left arm from the front side of the body to the back side, the left hand pivoting from facing the catcher to facing center field with the fingers then pointing up, and 
   a step four after step three having a part four-one and a part four-two,
 wherein in part four-one the pitcher will slightly bend the left knee with no forward movement, then drop the right leg down as the left knee bends so that the right foot makes contact with the ground, the feet being about two shoe lengths apart, and as soon as ground contact has been made by the right foot, the pitcher forcefully resists as if in a tug of war, the pitcher remaining on the balls of the feet during this phase, and 
 wherein in part four-two, while in the tug of war stance, the left arm will be placed behind the pitcher with the left hand and arm head high, the elbow will be straight, the ball hand palm facing center field, and fingers pointing out at a 45 degree angle, the left arm will come down until it makes contact with the body, first making contact with the body near the underarm and the top of the rib cage, when contact has been made, the pitcher stops the left arm and makes sure that the left hand is behind the hip by six inches, thus being at a release point position, wherein the pitcher then begins bringing its upper and lower body together by bending the left knee, and at the same time bringing the left arm down to the release point position, the right foot should arrive at the ground at the same time the left hand arrives at release point position to facilitate accurate timing of the pitch, when the left knee bends, the pitcher slightly leans the shoulders back so that they are behind the hips and keeping the shoulders back as the right leg plants, the pitcher resists and pushes the weight back off the ball of the right foot, the left arm and foot being the only parts of the body being thrown forward toward the catcher, and 
   a step five after step four, wherein the pitcher is positioned with the body in a tug of war position such that the pitcher stands tall, shoulders behind the hips, with the knees slightly bent, then the pitcher shifts the weight over the ball of the left foot, then, with the arms resting at the side of the body, the pitcher pushes up onto the balls of the feet at the same time leaning the shoulders behind the hips, then the pitcher raises the glove hand up so that the glove hand is below the right shoulder and pointed toward the catcher, the pitcher then raises the left hand up as high as the top of the head, thus maintaining balance and keeping the pitcher's weight back, the left arm being at a 45 degree angle and the fingers of the ball hand pointing down, then to transition the ball hand from going up to coming back down the wrist flips up so the of the ball hand fingers are pointing up, thus preventing the elbow from bending, as the ball hand approaches the release point position, the pitcher pushes back off the ball of the right foot to throw the right hip and shoulder back or away form the catcher, moving the hips and shoulders together, and at the same time pivoting the body on the left foot so the body is squared up to the catcher, the left knee staying bent and pointed to the catcher and the right leg being at a slight angle away from the catcher, the left knee being bent pointing to the catcher and the left foot heel being up off the ground, the shoulders will then lean away from the catcher and stay away through out the entire motion, and lastly during the pivot, the pitcher will position the shoulders behind the hips and throw the left arm forward, the arm going in the opposite direction of the body, the body moving away from the catcher while the left arm proceeds forward toward the catcher releasing the ball at the release point and the pitcher staying on the balls of the feet until the ball is released, and   a step six after step five, wherein the pitcher to leans away from the catcher through out the entire motion and continues to lean away and plants the right foot and throws the left arm forward, the pitcher relaxes the left ankle, slightly bends the left knee and puts the weight of the body over the left leg and the ball of the left foot, the right foot pressing down on the ground creating tension and resistance to stop the body from going forward, beginning the follow through of the left leg as the pitcher releases the ball, the pitcher will roll the inside part of the big toe of the left foot to the ground, the left foot dragging toward the right heel, then the left foot turning as the left knee is directed to point toward the catcher, thus creating a mark in the dirt that looks like a question mark as the body closes, the hip and shoulders then rotating until the body is square to the catcher and the step is complete.