Pitch sequencing and pitching plans

Setup

1. Before throwing, pitcher and catcher spend 5 minutes on a plan for three made-up hitters: for example a pull-happy power hitter, a slap-and-run left-hander and a patient leadoff hitter.
2. For each hitter write: the pitch to start with, the pitch to get ahead, the put-away pitch and where the hitter is most dangerous.
3. Catcher in full gear (helmet with mask, throat guard, chest protector, shin guards, cup). A stand-in batter in a helmet stands in the box and tracks pitches without swinging.
4. Set the pitch limit first. The pitches here count towards the day's total and rest days, same as a game (Pitch Smart or your national body's guidelines).
5. Pitchers are fully warm through their throwing programme before the first at-bat.

How it runs

1. The coach names the hitter and the situation (for example 'power hitter, runner on second, one out').
2. The catcher calls each pitch and location with signs; the pitcher may shake once, but must say why after the at-bat.
3. The coach or catcher calls each result honestly: ball, strike, foul, or 'hit hard' if the pitch missed badly over the middle.
4. Play the count out to a strikeout, walk or 'ball in play' call, then talk for 30 seconds: did the sequence follow the plan, and what did the hitter see?
5. Swap the batter to the other side every at-bat. Run 5–7 at-bats or until the pitch limit, whichever comes first.

Coaching points

• Strike one is the biggest pitch in the at-bat. Start with the pitch you command best, usually a fastball low or to the glove side.
• Change the hitter's eye level and speed: fastball up after a change-up down, or in after away. Same location twice in a row is fine when the hitter shows they cannot cover it.
• Ahead in the count (0-2, 1-2): expand. Throw to a spot just off the plate or below the knees, not a pitch in the middle 'to finish it'.
• Behind in the count (2-0, 3-1): throw the pitch most likely to be a strike, and keep it out of the middle-in power zone.
• Use the hitter's swing: a late swing means more fastballs; a hitter out in front gets the change-up.
• Pitcher and catcher own the plan together. The catcher tracks what the hitter has seen; the pitcher commits fully to the pitch once they agree.

Common mistakes

• Throwing the same pitch to the same spot all at-bat, so the hitter times it.
• Throwing a 'waste' pitch so far off the plate that no hitter would chase it.
• Going to the breaking ball every time the count is 0-2, so the hitter can sit on it.
• Shaking off signs without a reason, slowing the pace.
• Forgetting the situation: pitching for a strikeout with a runner on third and fewer than two outs when a ground ball to the infield also works.