Pitching ain't easy.

It takes practice. And a lot of it.

If you think you'll be good after a week, a month, or even a year, you're probably dreaming.

But I've read a lot, watched a lot, and taught my boys a lot. Here are a couple of quick things to get good.

The Leg Lift

I've heard guys like Nolan Ryan say the higher the leg lift, the faster he pitched, but I've seen kids throw heat without a leg lift. In short, it doesn't seem to matter how high you lift your leg. We have tried no leg lift, just a quick side step toward home plate, and we lost velocity. So try a high leg lift, try a low leg lift.

The Drift

Next, you want to "drift" towards home plate with your hips. If you skip this step, your front foot will become disconnected from the rest of your body, and it looks like you're "stepping over a creek". In short, move your hips slightly towards home plate, taking you off balance, so your whole body starts to move towards the plate. The Miz does this very well.

The Stride

This is where things get a little complicated. You want to move your front foot towards home plate as quickly as possible while almost sitting down. So your front foot won't be moving directly towards home plate because it will work as a counter-balance to your butt. Actually, its first move is towards 3rd base for righties and 1st base for lefties.

You also want to lead with your heel and only turn your toes toward home plate at the last possible moment.