Last week I worked with the kids for the first time, trying to teach them the first thing about pitching -- simple mechanics.  If everything is in motion when it should be, pitching is EASY.  Since I didn't get the chance to talk to them as a group, I talked to them one at a time, explained the points as they happened and where they happened -- even more importantly, how it should all work.  Most of them reported the expected weirdness of this technique.  That's good, it SHOULD feel strange at first, almost wrong, but they also told me it seemed a lot easier to throw.

I wasn't sure how it was all going to come together, until I saw this past friday's practice.  I noticed most of them were doing a more pronounced "3rd step" or "spread eagle".  They're learning.  Even more interesting was their fusteration level.  After a few bad pitches, they would become tense and begin to make more mistakes as they attempted to correct, all of which were futile.  Reminding them that they control the tempo standing on that mound, they're allowed to step back, take a minute, relax, then come right back.  I feel _very_ confident that if all of them could develop that skill, they'll be a mile ahead of any other pitcher on any team they'll face. 

Also, I began to explain it works in both directions.  If you have a fusterated batter, they will try ANYTHING to kill the ball -- at that point the pitcher can throw just about anything and it will be swong at, probably not their prefered pitch and if they do hit it, it won't be where they'd want it.

I can't wait to see how they develop in the coming months...this could get really interesting.