Softball down and in pitch

12U DD throws two different fastballs. 4 seam runs straight, 2 seam runs straight if she holds the seams but will cut down and in if she moves her index finger closer to the middle finger. It is likely finger pressure but it definitely moves as my ankle bruise can attest.

starsnuffer said:

That's why softball is so much better then baseball. In softball we label and define the pitches by how they move, in baseball the pitches are labeled by how the pitcher contorts their fingers. Such a strange world those camo-loving cleat-bangers live in.

-W

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... or how a ball appears to break out... as the camera pans in... Did anyone else see that right camera pan... I wonder how much of the left break is 'right-pan'...

The pan is there but I don't think it adds much to the perceived break. I've watched the clip about a million times and if you look at the catcher's and hitters reactions and stay focused on the catcher's right shoulder pad then you can get a good sense of the pitch without the pan and it is wicked.

JJsqueeze said:

The pan is there but I don't think it adds much to the perceived break. I've watched the clip about a million times and if you look at the catcher's and hitters reactions and stay focused on the catcher's right shoulder pad then you can get a good sense of the pitch without the pan and it is wicked.

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I get motion sickness if I focus too much. It definitely breaks, no doubt. Just wish that camera dude(ette) would hold that thing still so we could actually have a reference.

As far as your DD... Try the crossfire Rick posted a while ago... and combine those with the dead-stops. Have her step to the left of the plate (prior to pitching) and you step to your left (one step). Nothing else changes... she strides straight out, but this crossing type pitch will help her get more of a hard 8-2 spin. Once she gets spin down, have her try to get it down the middle (on the plate)... and then try it with the dead-stops to build her spin rate. Sort of a pseudo-screw... if you will...

starsnuffer said:

That's why softball is so much better then baseball. In softball we label and define the pitches by how they move, in baseball the pitches are labeled by how the pitcher contorts their fingers. Such a strange world those camo-loving cleat-bangers live in.

-W

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I dunno W, I've seen many more pitches in SB than BB that I've had to ask/been surprised what pitch the pitcher said she was throwing

Okay.... Novice input coming (my disclaimer):

After reading about the ankle bruise and the pitch movement, here's input from my DD's part-time catcher (dad). He noticed her pitching what he called similar to the Rivera cutter. I can't pick that up when I catch but he pitched baseball thru college and caught a little in high school as well as a life long baseball fan. When he mentioned that to PC, we were told that will cause an injury and proceeded to work release mechanics to prevent it. (About to cry here).

She uses a three finger grip across seams, with palm out towards 3rd base, I/R-ish with a curveball like release. The break isn't as crazy dramatic but it moves.

So while I figured I was too slow in getting out of the way catching THUS a beautiful ankle bruise.....it was just her pitch.

Don't know if there is anything useful here but there you have it.

Greenmonsters said:

I dunno W, I've seen many more pitches in SB than BB that I've had to ask/been surprised what pitch the pitcher said she was throwing

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Well ASKING the pitcher is a sure way to get led astray. You're probably right guessing fastball 90% of the time

-W

Nice splitter!! Much like the old forkball, but the backspin separated the two. Let's remember it's not just the movement of the splitter that makes it so difficult to hit, it's the speed. It comes out hard like a fastball, but slows down almost like a change, thus the dive. In baseball about 6-11 mph slower than a fastball. The visual effects are also misleading, as the fastball's backspin gives it away, the backspin of the splitter can look very much like it has the same rate. ( like a helicopter's blades as they turn )

As you, I'd like to know if anyone could even mimic a splitter in FP. You'd have to be blessed with mighty large hands. Matter of fact, the pitchers who threw splitters in college would use a softball to stretch the tendons/ligaments in those fingers. You'd have to produce a slow rate of backspin along with a side spin from the middle finger to get to tail.

14yo DD is a Hillhouse student and she throws what we call a cutter. She uses her standard 4 seam drop them grip and release. She does, however, apply more pressure with her index finger. It breaks down and in on a RHB. It is a very nice strikeout pitch. I don't have a video camera but I can try to have DH catch it with his GoPro.

Do you think the smaller ball, extra 20 feet of pitching distance, from an elevated mound, released at head high has anything to do with the "big break" achieved on the MLB cutter.

Tough to replicate this pitch at the fastpitch level.