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Show SOME ESSENTIALS OF SUCCESSFUL PITCHER j Must Have Strength, Endurance and a Good Arm. (By CARL LUNDGREN, , Baseball Coach, University of Illinois.) The pitcher should have more physical phy-sical ability than the average ball player. play-er. That Is, he must have strength, endurance and a good arm. Bis work requires from an hour and a half to two hours of hard going, while If he lets down for a second the opposing batters will soon find him an easy victim. vic-tim. Probably the most 'essential requirement re-quirement of a pitcher Is control, then comes, speed, curve, change of pace. ' By control we mean the ability to pitch the ball at the spot that Is desired de-sired at the time desired. After deciding de-ciding where the ball should be pitched, it does not necessarily mean the ability of the pitcher to get the bull over the plate, but rather the ability abil-ity to pitch to a batter's weakness or away from the place where the batter hits the ball hard. The pitcher may not have a good curve ball or a good fast ball, but there are very few who cannot get control by hard work and practice. In warming warm-ing up never throw the ball In a haphazard hap-hazard fashion, but each time with a definite Idea of where you want the ball to go. The position of the pitcher In the box Is very Important. He should stand comfortably, with his body relaxed, re-laxed, and take plenty of time In siring up the situation. There are many different forms of winding up In starting the delivery, Whatever the style there should be no useless swinging of the arms that will serve to tire the pitcher out. In beginning be-ginning the delivery start the body and arm forwnrd together, bringing the arm with the ball as for as the shoulder, after which It Is brought forward wllh a hard snap and -push. The elbow should be bent only very slightly when coming over the shoulder. The body should follow well through ns the ball Is being pitched, and the fielding position adopted at once. This enables the pitcher to start quickly for. a tilt ball which may come Into his territory. One very common mistake that pitchers pitch-ers make Is that they use their arm and not their body with the arm, Irr pitching. Absolute co-onllnatlon between be-tween the body and arm Is necessary If the greateit amount of effectiveness Is to be reached. In pitching a fast ball, grip the ball with the first two fingers across the narrow part of the seam. This will give you a firm grip. Be careful not to crowd the ball toe far down Into the palm of the hand, but rather well out toward the end of the fingers. Then allow the ball to come off the end of the fingers with a hard snap of the wrist and fingers at . the end of the arm motion. The curve ball Is thrown with exactly ex-actly the same arm motion as the fast ball, the only difference being In the wrlHt and finish of the arm motion at the end. The ball may be held with the first two fingers, the long finger being along the seam of the ball or both fingers across the seam of the ball. The first part of the arm motlou Is started the same as for the fast ball, but the finish differs In that a hard drive down across the breast la made with his arm, giving the wrist a quick snap that causes the bull to revolve. re-volve. The axis of rotation of the ball should be perpendicular with the direction di-rection you want the ball to curve. Do not allow the ball to leave your hand too high over your shoulder, but rather drive down hard across the breast. To curve well, a curve ball should break from the waist down. |