Tom Glavine Atlanta Braves Posters

Leo Mazzone is pro baseball's premier pitching coach. In his years with the Atlanta Braves, he has trained several Cy Young Award winners and helped lead his team to the World Series. In Pitch like a Pro, Mazzone and coauthor Jim Rosenthal offer step-by-step instructions for players and coaches in Little League through high school. They teach all of the pitching basics and give athletes advice on how they can use the right training techniques to grow stronger and stay healthier. Contents include:Mazzone's between-starts throwing programHow to grip different pitchesProper mechanics and delivery techniquePitching strategies and tacticsField the positionPitch like a Pro offers contributions by such well known pitchers as Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smotz, and Denny Neagle, along with black-and-white instructional photographs.

Is pitching an art or a science? Judging by all of the technical manuals on the subject, pitching seems to be an exact science. Lee Mazzone, pitching coach for the Atlanta Braves, disagrees: "Why turn something as basic as throwing a baseball into a science project?" Successful pitching isn't easy, but it is simple. The secret? Pitch every day--but regulate your intensity. In this slender but informative volume, Mazzone describes throwing programs, pitching strategies, and conditioning for pitchers from Little Leaguers up through high school. Over 60 photographs of Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and other Braves illustrate pitching motion and various grips, while a special section on fielding for pitchers describes drills to keep hurlers in top form for bunts, covering first base, and setting up double plays. Though some of the conditioning and pitching drills seem impractical for the youngest players, coaches and older hurlers will find much useful information here. --M. Stein