Category: Pitching
Type: Philosophy
Equipment: baseball
Venue: Indoor & Outdoor
THE “L” THEORY
I use what is called the “L” Theory for our pitching staff and for our catchers to call signs. I feel that using the “L” plays a vital role in preparing our pitchers to hit spots in a tight situation. Taking into account the goal of either notching a “K,” causing a pop up, or inducing a ground out, mastering the disciplines of the “L” Theory will ensure confidence and execution under pressure.
Just as there are different theories of how to mix your pitchers, there are many schools of thought as to when to throw to respective locations. The “L” Theory can be an effective tool to teach location regardless of a coach’s pitching philosophy. Both the catcher and the pitcher will learn the value of moving locations, and be on the same page as far as locating targets, and recognizing mistakes.
As a pitcher, imagine you are on the mound and you are facing a right-handed batter. Imagine further an “L” shape area from the shoulder down to the shin, and out across the plate to the outside corner. Yes, the “L” is backwards in the manner you are looking at, but it does reverse for a left-handed batter. From that shoulder area down to about the waist is Zone #1. From the waist down to the shin area or below the knees, is Zone #2. These two zones are on the inside half of the plate areas. Zone #3 is down and outside around the outside corner of the plate.
On our squad, we throw to Zones #2 and #3 primarily, and use Zone #1 if we want to ‘nibble’ or waste a pitch. We ONLY throw to these 3 spots and nowhere else. We never throw a ball out over the plate that is thigh or belt high. We also NEVER throw a strike in the zone when the count is 0-2 or our pitchers pay at the end of the game. At our level and down, most hitters do not have the discipline to stay back and hit the ball the other way. Even if they do, most often they only discipline their hands, and not their hips and legs. So we like to do a lot of pitching to Zone #3 because we get weak ground balls to either side of the diamond, or pop ups to the right side assuming a RH batter. Then, of course we change speeds. I believe that an above average high school pitcher can dominate games if disciplined on hitting spots with varying velocities.
Adjust this plan to your specific liking and experiment with your pitchers. When practiced religiously, the “L” Theory can be very effective. Best of luck!
Submitted by: CoachB
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