with Lonni Alameda,
Florida State University Head Coach;
2018 NCAA National Champions;2018 NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year;
Back-to-Back-to-Back ACC Coach of the Year (2013-15);Back-to-Back ACC Champions (2014-15),
2014 Women's College World Series; three straight NCAA Super Regional appearances (2013-15)
Want to learn which tools are essential for your pitching arsenal? This video, featuring 2018 National Championship WCWS coach Lonni Alameda, will make sure you're well-equipped with the information needed to develop your pitchers. Coach Alameda provides tips that she learned as a high level pitcher and that she now shares as a head coach and pitching coach at FSU. This video includes extensive bullpen time as Alameda gives you the essential elements for pitchers to fine-tune their pitch lineup.
Alameda opens with some comments about the imperative aspects of a pitcher's arsenal. She explains that it's more than just the pitches you throw - it's also important to be able to hit different spots, change speeds, understand how location impacts the reaction time of a hitter, and how mindset is a critical piece of any great pitcher's arsenal.
Pitch Spin
Learn the importance of pitch spin as Coach Alameda breaks down wrist snaps, curve ball spins, rise ball spins, and change-up spins. She includes the Sandbag Drill, which helps pitchers work on the consistency of the break of a change-up, giving immediate feedback of when the ball drops.
Alameda constantly reinforces the idea that the spin, movement and effectiveness of a pitch hinges on providing the pitcher with all of the necessary feedback, so that they can make in-bullpen or in-game adjustments.
Pitch Arsenal in Bullpen
Next, you'll learn why pitchers must work on expanding their zone in the bullpen. Alameda discusses the importance of attacking hitters and talks about why pitchers need to be able to work on their own in the bullpen. She also explains how the catcher is key in pitching development.
This section includes "side-by-side" bullpen work, which is an essential component of Coach Alameda's developmental style. She believes that the competitiveness that exists in this format helps to improve the competitive mindset that pitchers need for games.
Pitching Philosophy
Alameda discusses the culture between pitchers and catchers and the importance of having a growth mindset. You will learn what it means to have a one-pitch mentality and how to prepare for pitchers in practices. In this segment, she covers the following topics:
- Scouting
- Pitch strategy
- Pitcher trouble
- Mound visits
- Pitcher changes
- Defensive strategies
- The mental game
- Game day approach
From proper mindset, to reliable mechanics, to a proven plan of mixing pitches and transitioning to different locations or different speeds, this video details all of the required components of a pitcher's arsenal. Coach Alameda is a pro and digging into her techniques and teaching style for developing a complete pitcher is a real treat for anyone who values dominance on the mound!
81 minutes. 2019.