As with any pitcher at any level, being able to consistently throw strikes is the name of the game. However, because of limited experience and repetitions youth pitchers tend to falter more often. Contributing factors could be a breakdown in mechanics, anxiety, reluctance, or a combination of all three. In order to prevent these factors from occurring regularly, you should really start at the core of the problem. This will vary from pitcher to pitcher so if problems have started to occur it is best to verbally communicate with the youth player first in order to fully understand what the player is experiencing. External factors, such as poor mechanics, can be noticeable to the trained eye, but internal factors must be communicated regularly from the player to the coach. And most often, these conversations need to be prompted by the coach.
Once you have realized the issue that the player is having you can start to work on correcting it. If it is a mechanical flaw, you want to make sure you as a coach have a good understand of where the flaw is in the delivery. Since we are talking about command issues, most often the problems will result from improper balance, improper/early weight transfer, and over rotation. If these issues occur, they will most likely occur in that order as improper balance leads to a youth pitcher getting out on his front foot too early cause his body to over rotate or “spin off” in order to speed up his arm for delivery. When these types of breakdowns occur it is important to start from the balance position when the knee is lifted and make sure the foot is traveling “down and out” rather than “out and then down”. This type of action will ensure the pitcher establishes good weight balance on his back leg as he begins to transfer for the throw. More often than not, that is the culprit for poor command in youth pitchers. As a coach it is your responsibility to teach them how to get balance and properly transfer their weight through the delivery.
The next two factors could go hand in hand with anxiety and reluctance. In youth players, they often lack the experience and understanding that good pitching gets good hitters out. Because they fail to understand this, anxiety could creep into their game and negatively impact command. Reminders and positive reinforcement will help to coach players through these tough times. Along with driving home the things pitchers should be concerned about when on the mound such as location and the type of hitter they are facing. Too often, youth pitchers will be overwhelmed by the count, inning, runners on base, or the scoreboard. Making sure they realize these are non factors in determining whether or not they can throw a strike on the next pitch is the coach’s responsibility.
Reluctance is a symptom of anxiety and should be treated in the same fashion. Getting the players to understand what they should be thinking about on the mound is the top priority of the coach if the pitcher’s mechanics are sound. Remember, command issues can result from external or internal factors and being aware of which factor is causing the setback in your players performance is key in working towards a solution.
As with any pitcher at any level, being able to consistently throw strikes is the name of the game. However, because of limited experience and repetitions youth pitchers tend to falter more often. Contributing factors could be a breakdown in mechanics, anxiety, reluctance, or a combination of all three. In order to prevent these factors from occurring regularly, you should really start at the core of the problem. This will vary from pitcher to pitcher so if problems have started to occur it is best to verbally communicate with the youth player first in order to fully understand what the player is experiencing. External factors, such as poor mechanics, can be noticeable to the trained eye, but internal factors must be communicated regularly from the player to the coach. And most often, these conversations need to be prompted by the coach. 
