Purpose

Stops pitchers from overstriding.

Drill Setup

  • Place a pad in front of the mound, roughly 90% of the pitcher’s height away from the rubber.   (this is the ideal stride length – though some pitchers may stride up to 100% of their height)

How it Works

  1. Coach tells pitcher “Do not touch the pad.”
  2. Pitcher stands on rubber and goes through normal pitching motion, keeping his stride foot off the pad.
  3. He continues until coach says, “Stop.”
Pitcher avoids hitting the pad on his stride.

Coaching Tips

  • Another way to get a pitcher to shorten his stride is to have him point the toes on his front foot toward the ground.
  • The pad can also be used to prevent a pitcher from opening op too much.