Forget One-size-Fits-all: 2 Strategies You Need to Jump On

There are two very powerful schools of thought for how pitchers ought to attack the strike zone to be successful.
Attack the strike zone directly
Paint corners and live in the rivers
How can both be correct when they are in direct contradiction to one another? Which option ought pitchers pay heed?
To get to the bottom of this question, since I work with all of you at lessons instead of games, I went back to all of my notes from previous pitching conventions where I was able to listen to philosophies on pitch calling from the elite coaches in our game: Lonnie Alameda (Florida State), Larissa Anderson (Missouri), Beth Torina (LSU), Missy Lombardi (Oregon), Karen Weekly (Tennessee), and Stephanie VanBracklr (Alabama) just to name a few.
What I found was that each of these great coaches (and pitch callers) had a slightly different take on whether painting the corners and using the rivers or chucking it down broad street was a better method. However, I have deduced why there is such a difference in philosophy that exists and why both can be right depending on the pitcher who is in the circle.
It all comes down to the type of pitcher you are on whether you should attack the zone or pitch “near” it.
Every pitcher needs a “WOW” skill that they can dominate. This WOW skill is usually your pitching hallmark. And if you don’t have one of these skills as your hallmark, you ought to figure out which one makes most sense for you, and really work hard to master that skill.
These WOW skills include:
Having elite velocity (65+)
Having the ability to change velocities with movement on at least two different pitches and at 3 different speeds.
Possessing true “break”/movement on 2+ pitches
Having the ability to locate the ball on a dime (literally a dime- not a 4x4 foot square “area”)
If you possess either #1 (elite velocity) or #4 (tremendous accuracy), you are going to be the type of pitcher who paints corners and uses the river to entice your offensive opponents to swing. “Believable balls” that are butted up to the strike zone (but not in it) and can be repeated on command will get an umpire to expand his or her zone, as they’ll see your intentionality of throwing to that zone. Batters will be forced to swing, and their eyes will tell them that the pitch is close enough to swing. And if it isn’t in the zone, but just close to it, they will likely hit the ball off the end of the bat or closer to the handle, forcing a weak ground ball or fly ball to induce outs.
Why should these two “WOW” skills stick to the corners and rivers instead of throwing it down Broadway? Because pitches that are straight but fast in the hitting zone can be easily barreled up. Pitching machines and great offensive coaches make this too easy. So we need to force these hitters to swing in places that are harder to get the barrel of the bat to contact at the right time.
On the contrary, if you possess #2 (the ability to change speeds with multiple pitches) or #3 (exceptional movement on 2+ pitches), throwing these pitches IN THE STRIKEZONE is the best method to attack hitters.
For the pitcher who changes speeds, you are disrupting timing for the hitter so that she can rarely be on-time. You induce early or late swings which also causes weak hits or swings and misses. However- if these pitches aren’t in the zone- it won’t work. Hitters are taught to avoid the change-up in most instances until 2 strikes. So we need to get “called strikes” with changeups and off-speed pitches so that it forces the opponent to have to swing. And when they do, they will struggle to get the barrel to the ball because their timing will be consistently challenged.
Last, #3 (the movement Pitcher) should also attack the zone directly. The brain of the hitter will tell them where to swing, and the pitch will break to another location several inches away (causing mishits and swings and misses). This type of pitcher rarely needs to throw a ball because their strikes are unpredictable within the zone itself, and the round bat with minimal surface area has to square up a pitch to create enough force to be effective. Therefore, this type of pitcher can attack the zone early and often for a successful result.
Hopefully this helps us all clear up the great debate of whether to throw in the zone or around it to be an effective pitcher. Just like in most things in life, one size never fits all.
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