This is the start of a multi-post series on how to use a PitchLogic ball to coach youth pitchers.

How do I use the ball?

You’ve just put down a few hundred dollars to get the latest pitching technology. Your ball came in the mail and you’ve charged it up. Now what? Get familiar with using it yourself. Check the player app video to get the basics.

Once you understand how to pitch the ball and see the data, you can bring it to a practice. Pick a few pitchers to throw your first bullpens with the PitchLogic ball. Make sure that you schedule a minute per pitch – so if you want to have 6 pitchers throw 10 pitches, you need to have an HOUR after they’ve warmed up. That includes getting them ready, some time discussing how to use the PitchLogic ball, showing them some of the data and letting them know what they did well or need to work on. I always think I can get 2 pitches per minute, but it never happens that fast.

Arm Slot and Spin Direction

This is where you start using the tech to coach your pitchers. Trained eyes will pick up the arm slot and spin direction on every pitch, as well as be able to tell you when they vary. Trained eyes are rare in youth baseball, but by using the PitchLogic ball, you get the equivalent of those trained eyes on every pitch. For trained eyes, it also lets you quantify those values and track them over time.

Your first tendency is going to be to change the arm slot to what someone told you it should be. Unless the player struggles to throw at all, you should concentrate on getting them to be consistent with whatever arm slot they use. If the spin direction varies, work on their grip to get it to be more consistent. I’ve usually urged them to have arm slot and spin direction match up, as that is the most efficient. I even have a computed column on my spreadsheets that shows me the difference between the two. Nonetheless, consistency is how they learn to throw strikes.

When you start looking at that arm slot and spin direction, you should share it with the player. Often, the grip is the source of the difference in the two. I’ve coached a number of players who throw with a cutter grip, with their fingers not quite on top of the ball, with the ball sliding out that gap between finger and thumb. A cutter moves similarly to the fastball they’re emulating (2-seam or 4-seam) but not as much. If the player is already throwing that for strikes, you might want to keep that grip while trying to create a fastball grip. That would give them two pitches that are very similar but different enough to confuse hitters.

You might notice that we haven’t mentioned anything about pitch type yet. That’s because the arm slot should be the same for every pitch. What you do with the grip and your wrist is what makes all the difference.