What IS REACH - AND WHY is it so important?

In order to have accuracy and command of your pitches, you have to learn how to move properly through specific patterns in order to get the correct alignment in your body so that your power is transferred properly, optimally and safely.

Getting into what we call “the reach position” is where we prepare our entire body to drive forward and then open up into our “throw zone”, closing powerfully towards our target and delivering one heck of a pitch. Think that the reach or “agreement” is all about setting up the body to come through properly to throw strikes, spin the ball for speed and movement and locate pitches.

Agreement or Reach =

driving the body towards the catcher for power and setting up the foundation for correct rotation and whip to occur.

We want to see the landing leg driving straight out, along with the glove and ball hand “reaching” towards the target, which ends up allowing the proper rotation of the shoulder, traveling over our power line and giving us the ability to pitch through proper IR mechanics safely and powerfully.

To keep it basic and simple, if you want to throw strikes, you MUST focus on the very FIRST things that you are doing as your loading your body and launching off the mound. So many mechanical things can go wrong here (turning the foot too early in the push off is a BIG one), and if you do this, it quickly becomes a waterfall affect where it then leads to a bunch of other wrong things to occur. Keep your focus on feeling the “patterns" of the pitching motion and where your body needs to be throughout every aspect of the pitch. Where does your weight need to be balanced? Where do you feel more engaged vs. loose? When do you feel yourself engaging your core as your landing leg hits the ground? Are you stacked and driving laterally, parallel to the ground? Are you driving your hips properly and closing at the end? Are you dragging underneath you? Are you getting optimal reach position?

Reach is an absolute MUST on your checklist for learning proper IR mechanics.

Optimal reach position looks like the photo above. Or the ones below…….

Notice: From her toes to her head, everything is driving forward towards her catcher. Nothing has even open up yet. THAT is what we mean when we talk about “Agreement or Reaching” when training this part of the pitch. My parents and girls that I train are going to know this term very well, because it’s one of the first things we need to be learning in order to lay down a strong and healthy foundation.

If you can get to the position that you see on all of these phenomenal pitchers, you’ll be setting yourself up to have a very good chance of completing the rest of the pitch successfully for a strike. If not, things might be getting a little wonky. Remember, taking the extra time to learn it correctly at the beginning will only set you up for bigger success in the end!