Guide for Young Pitchers - Softcover

A great reference for players, coaches, and parents, A Guide for Young Pitchers sets out everything the young pitcher needs to develop the skills, physical conditioning, and training regimen needed for success and satisfaction in the national pastime. In this handy volume, veteran youth coaches Don Oster and Bill McMillan impart decades of knowledge on forming young pitchers and helping them to attain their full capacity.
Physically and mentally, pitching is the most demanding job in baseball, and the strains are even greater on the young player, who, in the middle of such pressure, is still growing mentally and physically. An untrained pitcher will seldom reach his or her athletic potential; an ill-trained pitcher risks injury and the premature end of a pitching career. With a clear, knowledgeable, readily understandable tone, A Guide for Young Pitchers dissects the mechanics of the perfect delivery and stresses the foundations of form over flashy pitches. The authors also stress the value of flexibility, balance, and cross training in other sports that condition the whole body - sports such as hockey, skiing, basketball, karate, soccer, track, and even ballet - and help get the body in shape and keep it that way. Last, but certainly not least, this volume emphasizes the importance of a good attitude and the value of having fun while working efficiently and diligently to improve.

DON OSTER has been coaching youth baseball at the highest level for decades. In 1985, as manager of a team from East Tonka, Minnesota, he went to the Little League World Series. From 1987 to 1991, his Babe Ruth League team, for which he was the pitching coach, appeared in four consecutive World Series. He is also the author of Largemouth Bass and is the coauthor of Hunting Today's Whitetail. He lives in southern Indiana.

Bill McMillan has twenty years' experience coaching youth baseball as a manager and a pitching coach. His teams have won nine league championships and a Minnesota State Little League championship. He has served as a pitching coach for youth aged nine to sixteen. He has been a public school teacher and a university professor. He holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology and has worked extensively at the state and national levels on various educational programs.