“Coaches need to stress [the importance of] knowing their players.” Johnson says, “Pitchers will pitch the way they live and its important to know that and you need to coach them accordingly.”

He also stresses not to “make an 18 year old master 4 pitches.” He goes on to say, “An 18 should be a master at 2 pitches, and the minor and major league coaches should develop the rest.”

Every coach in just about every sport has some sort of cue words. In baseball it may be “hands inside the ball.” Or, “Shoulder in, hip in.” Johnson explains, “Coaches need to explain in detail their cue words because they could be interpreted differently.”

Like most things, success in pitching depends on rhythm and timing. Johnson says, “Rhythm is the key to pitching.”

He goes on to explain, “In my pitchers I look for 1.3 seconds or better, from first movement to release point. Pitchers also need to realize, though, that even though they need to move fast, they shouldn’t move too fast. When they start to move too [quickly], they get out of rhythm and don’t repeat their motions.”

Many coaches wonder what to say to their pitchers when they are struggling. Johnson says, “The biggest thing I tell my pitcher is [to] remind him that he is always one out away.”

Johnson continues, “I don’t like to go into detail with my young players. They need to gain experience through action and not be thinking about all the details I have just told them.”

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