Pitch With Your Left Hand: An Introduction to Mental Toughness
/*As Published in Fastpitch Magazine in May 2019
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I've been on a left-handed throwing binge this week in my pitching lessons. To the dismay of the parent-catchers with chronically bruised shins, I asked the girls to toss with their opposite hand as fast and accurately as possible. At first it was giggles and grounders, then discouragement, then "I can't do this!!" Fortunately, after a few minutes I heard, “Wait...a strike!” Soon enough, the girls started showing off. "Strike!!!" They yell while jumping up and down. It was great progress for just ten minutes.
Learning to pitch with the opposite has huge a physical and mental benefits. The way I teach the lesson in class is first through a story and a quiz.
I ask Emma, a ten year old, "Emma, what happens if you are on the mound in a tough game and you just walked four hitters in a row? You are feeling pretty bad about yourself. Your coach stops the game, walks to the mound mid-inning and asks, 'You look like you are struggling. Would you like to go sit on the bench?’" Emma looks at me sheepishly and ekes out a slow uncertain smile. "Yes? Because I am doing bad?"
I explain quickly, "Not exactly. I suggest you tell the coach that you know you can get the next girl out so give me another chance!" Although I understand Emma's logic, that players think they are helping the team by removing their poor-performing selves from the game, I explain several different concepts. You only fail when you give up. You always have to believe that the next pitch is going to be a great one. A good attitude regardless of the circumstance raises performance. And finally, it’s your coach's decision on who should be put in or taken out, not yours - even if she asks.
Once that's resolved, I continue with the more difficult situation, but one they now know the answer to. "What happens if you are on the mound and all of a sudden your throwing arm falls off your body and it's laying next to you on the dirt!!? Yikes! What do you do then?" Everyone knows the answer, "Pitch with your left hand!!!" They scream and laugh in surprise at their own answer and the absurdity of the thought. That's right, pitch with your left hand. Always figure out a way.
Last year I tested out this mental-game lesson to one of my 13 year old students, Christina. We threw left-handed pitches at the end of some practices. I explained to her all of the benefits of practicing left-handed every so often. One day during a game, she began failing miserably. Her coach approached the mound and asked her if she wanted to come out. She said "Yes, I want to come out of the game." Christina came back to me with a bunch of excuses and I explained the reasoning for staying in the game. Some players have to learn and re-learn this lesson. I knew her high school performance goals would likely not be reached if she didn’t buy into these concepts soon.
Sadly, Christina got in a terrible ski accident that winter. She broke most of the bones in her face, got a concussion, whiplash, and had her jaw wired shut for a month. The most devastating injury for her was breaking her throwing arm at the elbow.
After her long stay in the hospital, her broken bones healed and her concussion symptoms subsided. Her dad called me and told me Christina wanted to keep pitching. “Wow, this is amazing!” I said. “I'm glad this didn't discourage her to keep going. Let me know when her arm heals and we can start lessons again.” “No...” he said, “...she wants to start pitching now. She can practice with her left arm.”
Christina and I practiced every week in her backyard, left-handed. It's actually fun doing something different for once. She's getting really good at the arm circle and follow through. She’s learning where her legs go. I'm excited to see how this affects her overall athleticism and coordination. Plus, I think it will minimize a risk of muscle imbalances in her shoulders.
I love teaching players how to be brave and do something different when pitching. I think girls get used to being disciplined and obedient. Getting them out of their routine is not only fun, but presents a new challenge. It teaches pitchers valuable physical and mental skills.
When doing a one-sided athletic motion like pitching, muscles build up unilaterally. This can lead to an increased risk of injury. The side with the stronger muscles pulls on the joints that connect weaker muscles. Tendinitis is quick to follow. Pitchers need to lift their glove up during the upswing, then back down again during the downswing, helping build the muscles in the left shoulder.
Pitching left-handed makes a player smarter. When she executes a movement with the opposite hand she learns brand new skills, consequently building new neural pathways. It taps into the less dominant side of her brain. If she exercises the right side of her brain for just ten minutes a day she’ll tap into the areas that control spatial differences, visual imagery and language context. If she’s a lefty and utilizes the left side of her brain she can harness the logic-controlling side, observing herself with more scrutiny. Pitching with the non-dominant hand gives players an opportunity to develop body awareness. Perhaps they’ll discover something new about making curveball spin.
The mental game benefits to opposite-hand pitching are the biggest.
After seeing Christina recover at the speed of light mentally from her serious accident I've learned that the real benefit of teaching opposite-hand pitching. It’s a lesson in life skills. Our job as coaches is to push girls to do things they never thought they could do. That's why we put so much physical and mental pressure on them in softball games when the outcome doesn't really matter. It will, however, matter when she grows up and becomes a woman. It will matter when she must learn to work at being married, when she needs a strong work ethic to pursue her vocation, or when she has difficulties at her job. She won’t quit on a whim. It will matter when deals with grief and tragedy or when she can live on her own without dependence on her parents. It’s about helping young people embrace the idea of not only being comfortable with the uncomfortable but also excelling because of it.
