Pitchers are always looking for any edge in their timeless battle against hitters. to get the upper-hand, so to speak, hurlers use a variety of different pitches. Learn more about the different pitches of baseball below.

Four-seam fastball
The four-seam fast is the most traditional fastball, and can be thrown harder than any other pitch. It is also the most natural of all overhand pitches, and the pitch most young pitchers first master. To grip a four-seam fastball, the index and the middle finger go directly on the perpendicular seam of the baseball. Then the thumb goes on the bottom of the baseball, resting comfortably in the middle of the horseshoe shaped part of the seams.

When throwing the pitch there should be a small space between the ball and the palm. The pitcher should hold the ball like he is holding an egg — firm enough so he won’t drop it, but not too tightly. When thrown with a straight forward motion the ball should leave the thumb first, and the backspin created by all four seams stabilize the ball’s flight and maximizes its speed. The downside to a four-seam fastball is that the stabilizing backspin also makes it straight and potentially easier to hit than a ball with movement.

Pitchers with great four-seam fastball: Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, Matt Cain, Matt Harvey, Aroldis Chapman.

Two-seam fastball
While some pitchers can throw a two-seam fastball almost as hard as a four-seam fastball it is a pitch, when mastered, that can be effective at lower speeds than a four-seamer. To grip a two-seam fastball the pitcher places his thumb and index finger over the point at which the seams are closest together. The thumb is below, just touching the bottom near a seem. The pitch can be placed deep in the hand during delivery. Because the ball comes out of the hand with an off-center spin it will dip toward the right for right hand pitchers, and to the left for left handed pitchers.

The two-seamer is a harder pitch to control than the four seamer, and it can result in the dreaded batting practice speed fastball if you don’t properly master it. It is unusual for a Major League pitcher not to have a two-seam fastball. The break of the pitch is further determined by velocity, arm slot, and the pressure points of the fingers.

Pitchers with great two-seam fastball: David Price, Greg Maddux, Felix Hernandez, Bartolo Calon, Tim Lincecum.

Cutter
A cutter, or cut fastball, is a hybrid of a four-seam fastball and a slider. Its grip is the same as a four-seam fastball but the pitcher sets the baseball off center in his hand upon delivery, which creates an eventually tail toward the pitcher’s glove side. A cutter typically comes out of a pitcher’s hand about 3 to 4 miles slower than a four-seam fastball would. However its late breaking movement makes it very difficult to make solid contact with — especially when paired with a traditional fastball. Because it breaks away from the pitcher’s arm it is a very effective pitch to use against opposite handed hitters — who generally have the upper hand during an at-bat. The cutter is the the pitch most like to induce soft contact and to to break the hitter’s bat. The cutter is a relatively new pitch and there are concerns on what its throwing motion will do for young arms, with some MLB franchises encouraging their minor leaguers to stay away from the pitch. However it is no doubt a great pitch for hurlers who might be getting a bit older and have lost a big of the velocity.

Pitchers with great cutters: Mariano Rivera, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Dan Haren, Andy Pettite.

Forkball
The forkball is gripped between the index and middle finger and held back toward the palm. It is thrown by snapping the wrist. Instead of having backspin, like most pitches, the forkball has a forward spin which cases it to tumble toward the plate as it crosses the strike zone. It had been a fairly popular pitch before the 80s but got pushed aside for the split-finger fastball, which is a forkall variation. Pirates relief pitcher Roy Face, who pitched in the ‘50s, was the first prominent pitcher to feature the forkball.

Pitchers with great fork balls: Jack Morris, Sandy Koufax, Hideo Nomo, Jose Contreras.

Split-finger fastball
The split-finger fastball is a variation of the forkball. During the pitch the ball is balanced between the index and the middle finger. It isn’t held as far back to the palm as the forkball, and it doesn’t use as much wrist motion as the pitch it evolved from. The pitch was huge in the ‘80s — much like the cutter is now — with journeyman hurlers such as 1986 Cy Young Award winner Mike Scott becoming stars once they mastered the new pitch.

When the split finger fastball is executed correctly it appears to be a fastball before suddenly dipping toward home plate. The split-finger grip also takes about 5 to 7 MPH off of the pitch. As such it can be essentially used as a change up. The split finger fastball isn’t as popular as it once was due to injury concerns. In fact very few starting pitchers still use it. Like the cutter, however, it’s a good pitch for a late in a hurler’s career when he has lost velocity. It is also a very effective when paired with a fastball for a two-pitch relief pitcher.

Pitchers with great split finger fastballs: Jose Velerde, Jonathan Papelbon, Ubaldo Jiménez, Hiroki Kuroda, Ryan Dempster.

Sinker

Even though there have always been major league pitchers who achieved success by having a sinking fastball, it wasn’t until the 50s that anybody figured out how to do this purposely. 50’s era Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Curt Simmons is credited with being the first pitcher who could control whether he was throwing a sinker or a “rising” fastball. The sinker grip is basically the same as a two-finger fastball and the “sink” comes from either a snapping downward motion with the wrist and/or a quick wrist move to the right for a right-handed pitcher. (The sinker is almost exclusively used by right handed pitchers.)

The tilted backspin of a sinker drops it 3 to 6 inches more during its journey to the plate than gravity would sink four-seam fastball. When this extra dip is achieved the batter is more likely to make contact with the top half of the ball, which induces weak grounders. The downside to the sinker is that it can be hard to control and on days the pitcher’s mechanics are a bit off it produces a flat, very hittable fastball.

Pitchers with great sinkers: Justin Masterson, Carlos Zambrano, Sonny Grey, Tim Hudson, Jake Westbrook.

Curveball
The most common way to throw a curveball is to hold the baseball like you would a glass of water, with the middle finger along the bottom seam, the thumb, pointed upward, along the back seam and the index finger resting above the middle finger. During the delivery of the curve ball the pitcher will snap the wrist and arm downward at the top of his arm’s arc. This creates a top spin which is the opposite of fastball’s backspin. The amount of break a curveball achieves has primarily to do with how hard the pitcher snaps the wrist and arm.

A traditional curveball is thrown completely overhand and features a “12 to 6” break. It is among the slowest pitches, and can be effective at the Major League level at speeds as low as 70 mph.

Tests have suggested a curveball does curve and is not an optical illusion, as was once widely thought. However there is also evidence to suggest the break of a curve ball is exaggerated by how the eyes shift from normal vision to peripheral vision on a ball with front spin.

It is not recommended children throw curveballs, because of the strain it puts on their arm.

Pitchers with great curveballs: Adam Wainwright, Barry Zito, Bronson Arroyo, Doc Gooden, Bob Feller.

Knuckle curveball
The knuckle curveball is a variation of the curve ball. The difference is in the grip, with the index finger tucked back, so the knuckle is facing the batter, but the middle finger still straight along the ball. A knuckle curve is also called a spike curve.

The knuckle curve behaves very similarly to the traditional curve ball. However those who use it would argue it gives them a little extra break and little more control.

Pitchers with great knuckle curveballs: Mike Mussina, A.J Burnett, Cliff Lee, Brandon Morrow, Phil Hughes.

Slider
The slider is a pitch right between a fastball and breaking pitches in terms of both speed and break. It is gripped in the same way as a two-seam fastball. The difference is when thrown the pitch comes off of the thumb side of the hurler’s index fingers, rather than from the index and middle fingers. The is no downward arm or wrist snap like there would be on a pure breaking pitch. Ted Williams once said the slider is the hardest pitch to hit in all of baseball.

If executed correctly, the pitch appears as a fastball out of the hand, but then fools the batter with a break downwards and across the plot. A properly executed and placed slider can seem like it is unhittable, especially when paired with good fastball. Tall pitchers tend to get better results with a slider than shorter ones.

Pitchers with great sliders: CC Sabathia, Clayton Kershaw, Francisco Liriano, Joe Nathan, Brad Lidge.

Screwball
In many ways, the screwball is the opposite of curveball. To throw it, the pitcher uses the curveball grip. He begins by mimicking the delivery of a fastball. But the key is pronating the wrist the opposite direction as you would with a curveball (counterclockwise for a righthanded pitcher), which will ultimately make the pitcher break back toward the pitcher’s throwing hand. The pitch is released with the same arm snap of a curveball.

Because of the opposite break, the screwball is particularly effective against different handed hitters and ties them up similar to how a slider does to same handed pitchers.

The perception is that a screwball is bad for a pitcher’s arm, which is why it isn’t a more popular pitch. However research suggests it’s not really any harder on the arm than other breaking pitches. Some pitchers, like Pedro Martinez, use a screwball as a change up to opposite handed pitchers.

Pitcher’s with great curveballs: Carl Hubbell, Fernando Valenzuela, Warren Spahn, Mike Cuellar, Tom Browning.

Straight change
The key to a change up is disguising it to look like a fastball. Then when it arrives at the plate 10 to 15 MPH slower than the speedball the hitter will swing way out in front of it. Meaning if the batter doesn’t miss it completely he will foul it off or hit a weak grounder The lower velocity of change up comes from its grip. The straightchange  grip has had all three middle fingers on top of the ball, instead of two like a fastball, and is held closer to the palm. The increased pressure, on the ball slows it at the release point. The straight change, and its cousin the circle change have become increasingly popular over the last couple decades. While a change up is best paired with an above average fastball some relief pitchers, such as Trevor Hoffman, can get away with it as their primary pitch.

Pitchers with great straight change ups: Hoffman, Max Scherzer, Felix Hernandez, Ervin Santana, Pedro Martinez, Stephen Strasburg.

Circle change
The principal of the circle change is the same as the straight change. The grip is slightly different, with the thumb and the index finger touching, creating the “circle.” The circle change can be a devastating pitch, as when executed properly it creates an almost screwball effect, swinging in toward different handed batters. However when it is left high in the zone the circle change is very hittable and should only be used by a pitcher who has mastered the pitch. The pitch came into prominence during the eighties, thanks to Jon Franco and Charlie Leibrandt.

Pitchers with great circle changes: Cole Hamels, Johan Santana, Zack Greinke, Ryan Madson, Tom Glavine

Palm ball
The palm ball is another variation of the change up. It rarely used on the Major League level these days, but had been a very effective pitch for some of the best pitchers of yesterday. The palm ball grip has all four fingers on the top half of the ball and the ball set deep in the pall. The ball centered between the ring and index finger. Roy Halladay was probably the last prominent pitcher to use it, but he no longer features it.

Pitchers with great palm balls: Jim Palmer, Satchel Paige, Jim Konstanty, Trevor Hoffman, Ray Culp.

Vulcan change
The grip of a vulcan change is similar to a forkball. But instead of the ball resting between the index and middle finger it goes between the middle and the ring fingers, creating what looks like a star trek Vulcan symbol. The pitch is thrown at fastball arm speed, but the nature of the grip shaves off MPH and also give it a downward motion. It is a fairly rare pitch in Major League Baseball, but has been quite effective for certain pitchers.

Pitchers with great vulcan changes: Eric Gagne, Joe Nelson, Roy Oswalt, Randy Tomlin

Knuckleball
The knuckleball is baseball’s most mysterious pitch. While all the other pitches use spin for their effectiveness it is the knuckleballs lack of spin that makes so perplexing.

Most major league knuckleballer actually use their fingernails and fingertips to grip the pitch. There are many ways to do this, but they generally involve placing between two and four of the finger (tips) right up against the horseshoe seam of the baseball. The pitcher is then delivered like a fastball.

Without spin (or actually, knuckleballs are most effective if there is a very slight amount of spin) the knuckleball is profoundly affected by the difference in airflow over the smooth part of the ball and the ball’s seams. This creates a fluttering effect which is somewhat of optical illusion because the eyes will exaggerate any seemingly random moves an object makes while moving through the air.

While a knuckleball can be extremely hard to hit, if thrown properly, it is also a very difficult pitch to catch and it is difficult for the umpire to rule on, because it appears to flutter about the strike zoen.

It is also a difficult pitch to master, and for all these reasons only about 75 pitchers in Major League history have regularly thrown the knuckleball. Since the knuckleball is easy on the arm and doesn’t require great velocity some knuckleballers have been effective well into their 40s.

Pitchers with great knuckleballs: R.A Dickey, Tim Wakefield, Tom Candiotti, Hoyt Wilhelm, Phil Niekro.

Gyroball
The gyroball is the only pitch developed in a computer lab. The pitch was first identified Ryutaro Himeno and then developed, with the help of computer simulations, by coach Kazushi Tezuka. The gyroball is thrown with a spiral-like forward spin — think a quarterback throwing a football or a speeding bullet. The grip is the same as a fastball, and the pitch is delivered somewhat like a screwball but instead of the ball spinning off the middle finger it spins off the index finger. To properly execute and achieve the the bullet like action the hips and shoulders need to be aligned in a certain way with just about no margin to error. This makes it an extraordinarily difficult pitch to master.

What makes it a difficult pitch to hit is that it can be delivered like a fastball, but it comes at lesser speed. Then, since the unique spin obscures the seams of the ball from the batter’s view, it’s almost impossible for the hitter to realize the pitch isn’t a fastball until its too late. The gyroball is to be used as a strikeout pitch after a succession of other pitches. All of the pitchers who have mastered the gyroball play in Japan. Japanese import Daisuke Matsui and Angels pitcher CJ Wilson claim they can execute the pitch, but both concede they don’t have enough control over it to use it regularly, if it all. Some suggest Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens may have developed gyroballs organically.

Eephus pitch
The Eephus pitch is trick pitch designed to fool the batter. It is basically just a pitch with a slow-pitch softball type arch that approaches the plate at speeds as low as 40 MPH. Rip Sewell “invented” the pitch and he rode it to four straight All-Stars games between 1943 and 1946. (Ted Williams was the only man to ever hit a homer against Sewell’s Eephus, doing so in the 1946 All-Star Game.) While other pitchers have utilized the Eephus nobody has ever used it as regularly as Sewell.

Pitcher who had good eephus pitches: Rip Sewell, Bill Lee, Pascual Perez, Dave LaRoche, Orlando Hernandez.

Here are five popular hitting drills that require no more than a bat and a tee and can improve any hitter’s technique at the plate:

Stride Drill
This drill requires a tee and will help a hitter work on striking balls in all locations of the plate

First set up the ball in the middle of the plate, thigh high. Take a few swings. Move the ball to the outside of the plate. Repeat. Then do the same with tee and ball moved the inside of the plate. The key is that the hitter always stays in exactly the same part of the batter’s box. He should also be visualizing a pitcher and his wind up and watching an imaginary bar through the air before swinging. The exercise should be repeated with with balls placed at different heights. This drill allows a hitter to hone his stride while working on hit pitches in all locations.

The “Shine a Light” Drill
This is easy drill that will help a player develop a short stride.

Youth players in particular tend to over swing. Joe Brockhoff, a the former head coach at Tulane University, has developed a simple, word-association technique to fix that. When players practice their swing, he encourage them to “shine a light” toward the pitch, with the “light” emulating from the knob of their bat.

By positioning their bat that way it is almost impossible to have a looping or sweeping swing. If a hitter gets comfortable swinging with his “light” trained on the pitch he will always have a short and compact swing.

Coil Drill
This drill requires a bat and help a hitter develop a consistent routine for getting into the batter’s box, setting his stance, and coiling his bat.

The execution of this drill is simple enough. The hitter gets into the batter’s box (real or imaginary) goes into his regular stand. The coach will throw him an imaginary ball and the player will coil in preparation, freezing at the apex of his coil. This will give the coach the chance to analyze the coil technique.

Things the coach should be looking for is a proper grip, a correct weight shift, eyes on the ball, and hands up, not dropped. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, the hitter should just look comfortable and ready to strike.

Hip Rotation Drill
This drill requires a bat and will help a hitter work on his proper hip rotation.

To start the drill the player puts the bat behind his back and then balances it between his biceps and forearms with the barrel of the bat pointing wear the catcher would be. The coach will throw the batter imaginary pitchers, yelling inside or outside when he does. The player while then respond to the pitch like he would if it was really coming, taking his normal stride coil and hip rotation.

Because of the way the bat is positioned against the body, this will give the coach a good look at the players hip rotation and he can determine whether the players hip rotation is on point. Things for a coach to look for is more hip rotation on inside pitches, a strong back foot pivot, a stiff front leg, the front shoulder opening first and a head that remains steady through the swing.

Sacrifice Form Drill
This drill will help hitters develop a good form for bunting. It is best performed in a group.

In the drill players with a bat in hand line up facing a coach, who is standing about 20 feet away from them. The coach will through an imaginary pitcher and the players will go into the bunting position. Since there is a natural freeze point to the pose the coach can then observe each player’s technique and offer criticisms and recommendations. Among the things the coach should be checking for is if the player looks balanced, if they have stepped too close to the plate in their setup and if the bat is at the proper angle and the top of the strike zone.

Baseball is simple game. Pitch the ball. Hit the ball. Catch the ball. Throw the ball. But mastering baseball is not as simple as it seems. It is a competitive sport and everybody is trying to be the best so they can make their high school team, then snag a college scholarship and finally live the dream of being a millionaire pro athlete with their face on a baseball card.

Which means the aspiring ball player needs to get any edge he can. Baseball training aids can improve a player’s chance at greatness by honing their skills. Here is a list of baseball training aids that have proven to be beneficial in player development. Some you will recognize and others you may be learning about for the first time. They should all be available for purchase either online or at your local sporting goods store. (Make sure to comparison shop for price before you buy.)

Baseball nets
Baseball netting — netting inside a solid frame — is used for various practice purposes. Batters can hit balls into them, either from soft toss or from a tee. Pitchers can pitch into them to hone their technique and location. Fielders can use “return” netting to practice their fielding. They can also be used as portable backstops during live pitching practice. While some baseball nets serve all of these purposes, others are more specialized.

Baseball Tee
No tees aren’t just for tee-ball. The are also an important baseball training aid. By having older hitters use a tee coaches can work on their swing in a controlled environment.

Pitching machines
These automated ball throwing devices allow players to train without a coach or pitching. The more advanced ones can also throw the type of pitches a player might face in games but are difficult to produce on demand in practice. Pitching machines can be quite expensive although you can find more rudimentary models for less than 100 bucks.

Fielding machines
Cousin to pitching machines. (In fact most pitching machines can be used as fielding machines.) They fire off grounders, line drives and pop ups for players to practice their fielding.

Fungo Bats
A fungo bat is a specially designed bat for a coach to use as he self hits balls to fielders during defensive drills and warm ups. Because it’s lightweight the fungo bat has excellent control. Nobody really knows why it has such a ridiculous name.

Reaction ball
A reaction ball is a six sided rubber ball that bounces unpredictably when thrown against the ground. This helps baseball players with their defensive reactions and develops hand-to-eye coordination.

Batting trainer
A batting trainer is a tee-like base with an arm coming off of it. A baseball ix connected at the end of the arm. With the baseball hanging over the plate the batter swings at it with his bat. Batting trainers can be adjusted to different resistance levels and some can simulate pitches. They are mainly used to work on bat speed.

Radar guns
Used to record pitching speeds. There are also baseball with built in radar records but they tend not to be as accurate.

Bungee based hitting tools.
This is a ball with straps through the middle that is propelled toward the batter while the strap is both anchored to the ground and being held by the coach. Since the ball remains attached it it stays close after the batter strikes it. It can also be easily manipulated to “throw” pitches like curveballs.

Arm resistance trainer
A baseball attached to a bungee with a hooking device on the other end. Used to develop wrist, rotator cuff, shoulder and forearm strength in pitchers.

One handed training bat
At about two-thirds the length and weight of a full-sized bat, this training aid can be used to work exclusively on either your top or bottom hand during soft toss drills.

Agility ladders/trainers
Not baseball exclusive, but a useful hardball training aid.

Pitch counter
Device used to count pitches. Usually comes with more than one counter to track multiple pitchers (or home and away) at once.

Kids love playing baseball. But they aren’t always so hot on learning its fundamentals. However the right kind of youth baseball drills can teach kids the ABC’s of the game in a way that doesn’t turn them off to the sport.

Here are four simple drills that will get youngsters playing baseball “the right way.”

* Back foot drill to prevent a youth player from stepping out of the hitting zone.
There is something about beginning youth baseball players which causes them to step away from the a pitched baseball and out of the hitting zone when they swing. Some of is obviously fear: they don’t want to get hit by a flying object.

But even when they clearly stop being afraid of the ball many youth players continue to this out of habit. A very simple drill to keep a youngster in the hitting zone is to have the player practice swinging with his back foot raised and only his toes touching the ground. If you hold that position it is almost impossible to jerk your front foot away from the ball without losing balance. Not only does this drill keep the batter in the hitting zone, but it also shortens the stride and requires the batter to focus on pivot and rotating and not lunging at the ball.

*Tee 1-2-3 drill
This easy drill only requires a bat, a ball and a tee. The player sets up next to the tee with his bat in hands like he is facing a live pitcher. The coach will then yell out one, two or three. If he yells one the player will coil and hold. Two, and the player will go into his stride and pause after he moves his bat back. If the coach yells three the player will complete his swing.

What this drill allows the coach to do is break down different aspects of the players swing. Since the player doesn’t know what number the coach is going to call out his effort will be from long term muscle memory — which is what needs to be fixed to improve during games — rather than just short term rote mastery that may not transfer beyond the drill.

* Follow the ball all position training drill
While eventually baseball players become first baseman, shortstops, catchers, etc, during youth baseball participants should get as much exposure to every position is possible. This not only helps them learn all aspects of the game but it reveals each players’ fielding talents. (Or lack there of.) The follow-the-ball drill is a great way to get young players experience all around the infield.

The drill starts with a player at every infield position but pitcher and the rest of players lined up behind the shortstop. The coach or parent hits a ball toward the shortstop who throws it to first. The first baseman then throws the ball to the second baseman, who throws it to the third baseman who throws it to the catcher. Then each player rotates to the base he just threw to, the next player in line assumes the shortstop position and the drill repeats.

* Base running situations drill
To set up this drill two lines of players form at home plate with one slightly ahead of the other. When the coach bangs his bats together the first players in both lines run toward first base, with the player in the closer line running through it like on an infield single and the other player rounding first and heading for second. Next time the coach cracks his bat the player on second scores and the player on first goes to third, allowing the next two players in the front of the lines to repeat what the first two players did.

With the bases now loaded two players will score every time the coach cracks his bat and one will go to third. This will open first and second up for two new runners. When a player does score he should get in the opposite home plate line as he was before.

Typically, batting drills take place in either batting practice or batting stations. This is a time honored way of doing things and it has clearly yielded some pretty good results. But that doesn’t mean one shouldn’t try to look outside the box a little bit and try some new types of batting drills

The problem with these old fashion rote drills is that while they may help a player with his mechanics and lead to technical mastery they don’t necessarily transfer into game skills. Often a player can tear the cover off the ball in the cage or is a terror with with tee, but looks weak and feeble when he faces game pitching. This is because the player hasn’t learned how to transfer the skills he has seemingly conquered with traditional batting drills into the tactical situations he will face during game time.

So why not take a game approach to batting drills, meaning try to make the drills as much like a game as possible. Now this doesn’t mean you have to drill with nine fielders, a hitter, and somebody in the on deck circle. By changing the number of players, the scoring system, the size of the field or even the equipment used you can create a competitive baseball environment that hones skills just like you do in the rote drills we are trying to get away from.

The key is that during these “game” drills the coach always has the choice of stopping the play and teaching. Let’s say during a drill about advancing the runner from second to third on a ground ball a player hits the ball to the left side of the infield, which is a no-no in that scenario. The coach can then stop the drill and explain where the player erred. Did he swing at the wrong kind of pitch? Did he get the bat head too far behind his hands?

Then when the player is in a game situation in which he needs to move a runner over to third the drills and the instruction will suddenly come to life so much more than if he had merely been practicing the old fashion rote way, which would probably be hitting the ball the other way off of a tee.

But beyond giving players the tools to deal with real-time baseball scenarios, a game approach to drills is just fun. In short, a game approach to batting drills will help a player with mechanics and coordination and raise his baseball IQ while also being really good time. Sounds like a winner.

The key to pitching is having a strong arm. By building arm strength not only can you add miles per hour to your fastball but you will have the stamina to pitch deeper into games and be less likely to suffer an injury while on the mound. Here are four exercises that should help any pitcher develop good arm strength.

45 Degree Raises
You use a four pound dumbbell for this exercise. With the dumbbell in your pitching hand stand with your hands to your sides and your thumbs out. While keeping your elbow straight raise your arm to shoulder height — which makes a 45 degree angle. Then with the elbow still straight slowly lower the arm back to your said on a three second count. This deceleration on the way down mimics the deceleration that takes place when you throw a baseball and strengthens the rotator cuff for this motion. Do three sets of ten with three second pauses between each. Do not do more than one session during a 24 hour period.

Resistance band work
This exercise is simple enough. Buy a resistance band, which is just a giant rubber band. The D2 flexion is a resistance band that works well for pitching arm strength drills. Now stand up with one side of the resistance band in your hand and the other attached the floor a few feet in front of you. The key is to position the band in a way that it provides resistance. Raise your hand to your side repeatedly, strengthening all the muscles that are used when you throw a baseball.

Long Toss
Long Toss is an oldy but a goodie. Just about every Major League pitcher long tosses, and some will do it up to 300 feet. Now  Little League or High School pitcher doesn’t have to throw that far to benefit from long tossing. To get the most out of long toss program you should start by doing a light catch. Then throw at 60 feet for four minutes. Up that to 90 feet for three minutes. Next 120 feet for 2 minutes and after that see if you can get up to 180 for a couple minutes. Finally cool down at 45 foot for a minute. During the long toss, try to throw with as little arc as possible. If you have to bounce it at first that’s OK, but don’t move in. The youth pitcher should try to long toss about 175 days a year to maintain arm strength.

Weighted balls
Weighted balls is another classic way to increase arm strength. While a regular baseball weighs 5.25 ounces weighted balls come between 7 and 12 ounces. 7 ounces should be used for Little Leaguers, 12 ounces for college players and those in between for the ages in between. A typical weighted ball drill would be to throw 15 pitches with a weighted ball from about 50 feet with your back leg back, every other throw as hard as you can. Then ten pitches with regular ball from that distance and with your back leg back, again alternating between a hard regular thow. Next ten more with the weighted ball using the same technique and finally ten pitches with a regular ball but this time with your back leg in a more regular position.

Advantages of Buying A Pitching Machine
The key to good hitting is repetition. Major Leaguers practice their swing over and over again, training their muscles to be able to repeat themselves in perfect form.

But while Major Leaguers are supported by a full-time coaching staff during the season and have access to all sorts of training facilities and personnel in the off-season, the amateur or youth baseball player has no such resources. Yes, they can get some swings in at baseball practice but the amount of repetition needed to ensure optimal performance is probably out of reach unless they have a very patient rubber armed parent or friend who is willing to pitch to them constantly.

Now there are other ways besides get in your swings without live pitching. A tee, for one. But while this can help you with your mechanics and muscle memory it doesn’t really mimic all the skills required to hit a ball out of a pitcher’s hand. That’s where a pitching machine comes in.

You’re probably thinking “Wait, I’m not a millionaire with a monocle and top hat. So I can’t afford a fancy ba-dancy pitching machine.”

Well, first of all, you’d look ridiculous playing baseball in a monocle and top hat. And, second, while it’s true some pitching machines run thousands of dollars there are plenty much cheaper model than that. And considering how many hours of use you could get out a pitching machine that runs a few hundred dollars it’s actually quite a value.

The benefits of a hitting machine are manyfold. It means you can keep a uniform practice schedule set to your own terms. It will improve your concentration and posture at the plate. And it will sharpen your head and eye coordination as well as the essential ability to see the ball to the bat.

There are all different types of pitching machines. Some are completely portable, some are battery powered, and there are even some that rely on springs and don’t require a power source which helps in backyards without power sources. Some of the machines you can get for a few hundred dollars should be able to throw between 60 and 70 MPH and feature fastballs at adjustable heights.

When you start to get into the $1000 and over range you have machines with the ability to hit 100 MPH and fire off just about any pitch the human arm can produce — including knuckleballs. (However practicing too much against a knuckleball is a bad idea.) Then if you are really looking to spend some cash there are some hitting machines out there that have 100 plus ball capacities and all sorts of analytical software to help with your hitting, but they are going to run over $5000. Here are a few well-rated pitching machines at various price points. They should be available online or at your local sporting goods store.

Louisville Slugger UPM45 Original Ultimate Pitching Machine $200
Not only is this machine fully portable, it doesn’t even require a power source! Instead the Louisville Slugger UPM45 Original Ultimate pitching machine is driven by a spring loaded power system that last up to 20,000 pitches. It’s easily adjustable for pitch location and speed and will hurl a baseball up to 45 MPH. Switch to more lightweight soft-type balls and this machine will have them whizzing 60 MPH. The number one youth league pitching machine in America will also work for with softballs. Those who have bought the product laud its ability to pitch accurately over and over again and its easy in setting up. And since it only weighs 20 pounds it won’t take much to move from the baseball diamond to the backyard.

Trend Sports Slider & Power Alley System – Lite-Ball Pitching Machine & Home Batting Cage Combination $360
Perfect for home use, the Trend Sports Slider & Power Alley System uses special Slider lite balls which are ⅔ the weight of a regular baseball for backyard safety. The machine has an automatic 12 ball feeder and can pitch fastballs, curves and sliders at adjustable speeds of up to 60 MPH. It comes with a 22 foot long, ten foot high and 12 foott wide net that will turn any backyard into a proper batting cage without the risk of broken windows and neighbor lawsuits. According to Trend Sports it only takes 30 minutes to set up both the machine and the net.

First Pitch Original Baseball Softball Pitching Machine w/ 24″ & 32″ Legs 220V $875
With a five year warrenty for residential use, the First Pitch Original Pitching machine can easily get your son or daughter through high school ball. That’s right, son or daughter because one of the features of the machine is it works for both baseballs and softball and toggling between the two is simple as snapping on a different loading tube. For baseball, it can throw between 20 and 80 MPH and comes with both a set of 24 inch and 32 inch legs. With its strong motor and quality materials this machine will have plenty of resale value for when that young slugger of yours graduates to the real world.

Jugs Curveball Pitching Machine $2500
Featuring a patented “gooseneck” design, the Jugs Curveball Pitching Machine can not only throw fastballs, curves and sliders, but it can toss either right or left handed. The machine will work with just about any type of baseball or softball shaped ball and can pitch from 20 MPH to an Aldonis Chapman like 104 MPH. Although heavy (150 pounds) the product will fit into the trunk of most cars, so it can be moved without a great deal of difficulty. Thanks to its 360 degree swivel design it is also perfect for practicing fly balls, ground balls, pop ups and line drives. The Jugs Curveball Pitching Machine comes with a 5-year warranty and is recommended for ages 12 and up. It may not be cheap, but this is the kind equipment the pros use.

Major League baseballs weigh between five and five and a quarter ounces. Weighted baseball weigh between six and twelve ounces and are generally sold in sets of between three and six (of differing weights.)

Weighted baseballs are used to build arm strength and work on pitching mechanics. They are also somewhat controversial, with concerns that they can hurt a pitcher’s arm.

However most experts seem to agree that weighted baseball are safe for adults or older teenagers to use, as long as you follow certain precautions.

It is not recommended that Little Leaguers or younger teens use weighted baseball. Maybe a thirteen or fourteen year old who has already had their arm built up substantially, but even that could be risky.

For older players, however, they should be OK. A football weighs three times as much as a regular baseball (and more than most weighted baseballs) and the shoulders of quarterbacks tend to survive throwing the ball over and over again.

Nevertheless, a weighted baseball should never be thrown off of a mound or used for long toss. It’s also not a good idea to use them to play catch because that’s how people get hurt. But drills in which baseball are tossed into nets six to eight feet in front of the pitcher can do wonders to improve a pitcher’s fastball. Some pitchers have reported gaining five to six miles per hour on their speedball after a year of training with weighted balls. And that could very well be the difference between a minor leaguer and a Major Leaguer and the tens millions of dollars a player can accumulate over a career if they make that jump.

There have been two major studies on weighted baseball. The first, published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: Vol. 8, No. 4, divided 225 high school and college pitchers into three groups. Two of which trained with six ounces weighted balls (but used different training methods) and a control group that used regular balls. The researchers found, after ten weeks of training, the pitchers in the weighted ball groups had an average increase in velocity that was statistically significantly higher than the hurlers in the control group.

The second study, also published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, used thirty high school pitchers and divided them into three groups: one that trained with weighed six ounce balls, one that trained with under weighted four ounce balls and a control group. It found that the groups training with overweight and underweight balls had velocity gains beyond the control group. This suggests it may be variation in weight, rather than overall weight, which yields results.

It is also important to note that both of these studies used six ounces balls, whereas most commercially available weighted ball sets feature much heavier balls. Remember a six ounce ball weighs twenty percent more than a five ounce official ball — which is quite significant even though one ounce doesn’t sound like a lot.

Sets of weighted baseballs generally run between twenty and thirty dollars. You can buy them at your local sporting good store and most online baseball retailers.

Have you ever noticed that a disproportionate number of Major League Baseball players come from the Atlanta area? Reasons for this over-representation include the Southeast’s warm climate, the Atlanta Braves success during the ‘90s — which encouraged the region’s youngsters to emulate their heroes — and the East Cobb Baseball youth facility in Marietta, Georgia.

Located on 4617 Lee Waters Rd in the Atlanta suburb, East Cobb Baseball is a sprawling multi-million dollar 30 acre campus with eight baseball diamonds and many outdoor and indoor hitting cages. The complex also features meeting rooms, offices and even living quarters for out of town players and their families.

The project was the brainchild of entrepreneur Russ Umphenhour. He had been impressed with the way the East Marietta squad had won the Little League World Series in 1983, and also impressed with Guerry Baldwin, who was one of their coaches. So he poured in an estimated ten million dollars into developing East Cobb Baseball, and then had Baldwin recruit area youth and high school coaches to staff the facility.

East Cobb baseball hosts events throughout the year, including wood bat tournaments, and competitions involving various youth age groups.

But things really heat up at East Cobb during the summer months. It is then players between 7 and 18 try out for teams. Most players end up being placed, and each age group usually has at least ten teams. The best players in each age group are on the East Cobb Astros.

Also during the summer the facility hosts players between the ages of nine and 14 from all over the country in the Travel Ball National Championship, which takes place over three four day events in July.

Another big summer event is the Perfect Game USA sponsored tournament for high school aged 17-and-under and 18-and-under teams, which generally draws more than 100 squads. This event typically has a very heave presence of Major League scouts.

Because of everything going on at East Cobb Baseball, an area kid has the chance to play up to 60 highly competitive games a summer at the facility, which gives them a leg up on players from almost anywhere else in the nation.

Atlanta Braves coach Al Goez explains: “When you look at an East Cobb kid, you’re looking at a kid that has played so much baseball that his skills and mechanics are better than a kid, say, from south Georgia or from Florida that has not played that much.” Teams from the East Cobb have won 199 national championships in various age groups.

Over 30 East Cobb players have made the Major Leagues, including 2013 All-Stars Buster Posey, Domonic Brown, Brian McCann and Brandon Phillips. Here is a list of current and prominent East Cobb Major Leaguers:

Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves
Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves
Stephen Drew, Boston Red Sox
Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
Domonic Brown, Philadelphia Phillies
Ethan Martin, Philadelphia Phillies
Zeke Spruill, Arizona Diamondbacks
Mitchell Boggs, Colorado Rockies
Charlie Culberson, Colorado Rockies
Xavier Avery, Baltimore Orioles
Nick Markakis, Baltimore Orioles
Chad Jenkins, Toronto Blue Jays
Luke Putkonen, Detroit Tigers
Blake Wood, Cleveland Indians
Gordon Beckham, Chicago White Sox
Jeff Keppinger, Chicago White Sox
Brandon Moss, Oakland A’s
Zack Wheeler, NY Mets
Will Smith, Kansas City Royals
David Hale, Atlanta Braves
Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds
Kyle Farnsworth, Tampa Bay Rays
Dexter Fowler, Colorado Rockies
Jeremy Hermida, San Diego Padres
Kris Benson, retired
Adam Everett retired