If your pitchers keep accidentally throwing inside and hitting batters, the real problem might not be control—it might be the arm circle.

Poor accuracy often stems from an arm circle that is off-line or inconsistent from pitch to pitch. To be a consistent pitcher, mechanics must be identical—every single time. That starts with building a simple, repeatable motion (lessons help here) and then duplicating it relentlessly outside of games. The more times a pitcher executes a perfect arm circle, the more likely she is to repeat it under pressure. Unfortunately, the same is true for a flawed one.

We train for a long time—10 weeks in the offseason, 10 more in preseason. The winter days get shorter, and the drills start to feel longer. Pitchers throw again and again, while a parent or catcher squats endlessly behind the plate. It can feel like a never-ending road.

But eventually, we get to Game Day.

At Practice Pro, we know pitching isn’t just about drills and mechanics. It’s about handling pressure. And the only way to really train for that is to simulate it. So on the last day of every session, instead of more drills, we draw games from a hat and compete.

Yes, there are small prizes—maybe a piece of candy, maybe a few extra stars—but that’s not the point. What matters is how it feels when everyone’s watching and it’s your turn. That pause before you pitch. That moment when everything you’ve been working on shows up—or doesn’t.

After nearly a decade of testing, tweaking, and teaching thousands of pitchers, here are the three best games we’ve ever played: