Developing a Championship Pitching Staff

with Bob Ligouri,
Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Head Coach;Iowa Girls Coaching Association (IGCA) Hall of Fame;
7x NJCAA World Series appearances (in 8 years); over 1,000 career wins; Finished 100-10 in last two years (2018-2019) has coached 15 All-Americans;
as a High School coach (Dowling Catholic HS - Iowa) - 2x State Champions, 2x State Champion Runner-up

Good pitchers oftentimes have a grasp on certain physical elements of pitching, but in order to become a great pitcher, they must possess a little something more. It's not about just having a pitch - it's about knowing when and where to throw the pitch for optimal results.

In this video, Des Moines Area Community College head coach Bob Ligouri and assistant coach Thana Heller will help you make sure you can bridge the gap and mold your good pitchers into great pitchers.

Development Drills

A fundamentally sound pitcher has an advantage against the competition. In the heat of battle, their pitches won't fail because of a mechanical inefficiency. In this section, Coach Heller gives you a few of the drills that have helped her develop numerous top-tier pitchers.

Critical Success Factors

Learn to take a "thrower" and teach them how to be a pitcher with Coach Ligouri's seven critical success factors. These factors include:

• Location
• Pitching sequences
• Making adjustments
• Controlling timing
• Developing accountability
• Situational awareness
• Pitch development

Pitchers who are able to master and execute all of these factors are guaranteed to have success on the mound. You will learn how to teach your pitchers to set-up batters, leaving them nearly powerless against your hurler.

Developing the Mental Game

During a game, the pitcher is in the middle of the field, all alone within the circle. With the game on the line, the pitcher will have the ball in her hand, and she alone is charged with throwing that ball past a powerful batter. You'll hear some of DMACC's pitchers discuss confidence, how it is developed and sustained, and what you can do as a coach to help strengthen your own athletes' mental game.

The concepts taught in this video by Coach Ligouri and Coach Heller are a link between the physical and mental side of pitching. You will walk away with new drills to help you link the physical to the mental and strategic side of pitching. Boost your players' effectiveness on the mound and watch their confidence soar!

77 minutes. 2019.