As a former Division I pitcher and a coach with nearly two decades of experience at both the high school and college levels, I’ve worked with hundreds of young arms. I’ve watched kids throw no-hitters and others fail to get out of the first inning. I’ve seen talent go unfulfilled and work ethic turn average players into champions. And through it all, one thing has become crystal clear: success on the mound is about a lot more than just velocity.
Don’t get me wrong—velocity matters. It helps pitchers get noticed, gives some level of satisfaction, and helps put you on the radar.. But if a young pitcher is going to thrive under pressure, overcome failure, and become a true competitor, they need something deeper. They need confidence. And as coaches, it’s our job to help them build it.
Velocity Get You Started. Confidence Ensures You Finish.
Every young pitcher I work with starts with the same questions: “How is my velocity?” “Is my arm in the right slot?” “Where was my body on foot strike?” Early on, they’re focused on the technical side—and they should be, to a degree. But as they grow, that mindset can start to hold them back if it becomes the only thing they think about.
When a pitcher walks out to the mound, their movement patterns should already be baked in through hours of deliberate practice. The game isn’t the time to overanalyze every movement. It’s time to compete.
That’s where confidence comes in. The great pitchers—the ones who want the ball in big moments—don’t always have everything aligned perfectly. But they believe in their stuff, trust their preparation, and know how to compete through adversity.
Confidence Comes from Preparation
One of the first things I tell my pitchers is this: “Confidence isn’t a feeling—it’s an earned byproduct from preparation.”
Confidence doesn’t come from hoping things go well. It comes from doing the work when no one’s watching. Deliberate bullpen sessions, strength training, conditioning, watching film—those are the hidden reps that build belief.
When a young pitcher knows they’ve put in the work, they don’t crumble after a bad pitch or a tough inning. They respond. They adjust. They keep fighting. That’s not talent—that’s mindset.
Teach Them How to Compete, Not Just Throw
Pitching isn’t just about velocity and location. It’s about problem-solving. Understanding hitters. Making adjustments. Staying composed. It’s about competing.
Too often, youth pitchers are trained to be “throwers,” not “pitchers.” They’re told to throw strikes, hit a radar number, or mimic a certain pro. But that doesn’t teach them how to win each pitch.
When I coach, I focus on helping young pitchers understand the game. How to set hitters up. How to pitch with runners on. When to challenge, when to stretch the zone. These are skills that come with experience—but they also come with coaching that emphasizes baseball IQ, not just biomechanics.
Build Them Up Mentally
Confidence is fragile, especially for young athletes. That’s why coaches need to be intentional about how we talk to our players.
A pitcher who gives up a home run already feels it in their gut—they don’t need a coach to pile on. What they need is someone who teaches them how to respond. Not with anger. Not with fear. But with grit.
When I coach, I don’t just talk about what went wrong. I ask, “What did you learn?” or “What’s the adjustment here?” That way, failure becomes part of the process—not something to be feared, but something to grow from.
The mound is an isolated place. If we don’t teach our young pitchers how to handle failure, they’ll never build the resiliency to overcome adversity and thrive in high pressure situations.
Celebrate More Than Stats
It’s easy to praise a kid after a shutout. But what about when they grind through five tough innings and keep their team in the game?
Some of my proudest coaching moments have come not after championship wins, but when I’ve seen a young pitcher push past self-doubt, trust their stuff, and keep competing when things became difficult.
Confidence is built when we celebrate growth—not just results. If we only reward wins and strikeouts, we miss the chance to recognize the mental toughness, the decision-making, and the resilience that make a real pitcher. We need to be promoting a growth mindset.
Final Thoughts
If there’s one message I hope to pass on to young pitchers—and to the coaches working with them—it’s this: mechanics and velocity are part of the foundation, but confidence is the engine that drives success.
Teach the grip, the stride, and the follow-through. But also teach how to breathe when the bases are loaded. How to stay focused after a missed call. How to believe in themselves when the game’s on the line.
Because at the end of the day, pitching is about competing. And competition, like confidence, starts from within.
Let’s help our young pitchers build that from the ground up.