Toeing the Pitching Rubber: Where to Start? 

"Always start at the feet (when looking for issues in a player)." -Cal Bailey

There are many important fundamentals and topics involved with pitching. Those topics can include holding runners, pitch grips, which pitches to throw in certain situations, arm slots, and so much more. One topic that can often get overlooked is which part of the pitching rubber should the pitcher start on. This is important for a pitcher because it can cause a lot of issues for the pitcher if he is not in the correct area of the pitching rubber. 

    Many pitchers who struggle with commanding their pitches often think their issues come from their delivery, pitch grip, or mentality. While those options are certainly true, there is another option that could also be the issue. That option is where the pitcher sets up himself on the pitching rubber. Often times the misses are coming from the pitcher needing to give himself the opportunity to use the whole area of home plate. 

    Typically for a pitcher who is missing his offspeed pitches or his fastball in certain parts of the plate, it is because he is set up in the wrong spot on the pitching rubber. Many pitchers currently are pitching on the opposite side of the rubber to either compensate for an area that they struggle to locate or to deceive the hitter on arm-side regularities that they have seen while taking batting practice. While this may work for some pitchers, it doesn't work for all. Traditionally, pitchers are taught to start in the middle to their arm-side part of the pitching rubber to give themselves the opportunity to use all of the home plate and the hitter's strike zone. 

    Consequently, if a pitcher is on the incorrect part of the pitching rubber, it could cause other issues in their ability both physically and mentally. For instance, it could give the pitcher a mental block on executing pitches. It can also cause physical issues such as an out-of-sequence delivery, and rushing of the pitching delivery. For example, if the pitcher is rushing his delivery he is either rushing his arm forward which makes the body be behind, or his body can be rushing forward while the arm is behind. In either case, a part of the pitcher's delivery is out of sequence which causes execution issues. Additionally,  each of these instances can cause the pitcher to have a weak front side and front foot which could cause arm injuries. 

    When looking for issues for a pitcher it is important to start from the ground up. This was sound advice that I gained early in my coaching career that I always start with when helping an athlete answer a problem. The issue can be as simple as where the pitcher is setting himself up, and I have found that the setup is a more common issue for amateur baseball athletes. They are well-versed in fundamentals and mental performance but don't give themselves a chance because they are not in a good setup.  Many pitchers and baseball players in general need to have a strong foundation. Therefore, start from the ground up and watch where the pitcher sets up on the mound when he is struggling to execute pitches.