Illegal or not?
- Thread starter DLF7
- Start date
Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch
Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.
A few rules to consider, when the pitcher steps on the pitching plate: (paraphrasing)
1.) hands must be apart (ball in either free hand or glove)
2.) then. hands must come together and pause for 1-10seconds
3.) after hands separate again the pitch must be delivered (and not come together again)
I see no violation in what youve described, as long as the hands come together for at least one second, before delivering the pitch.
1.) hands must be apart (ball in either free hand or glove)
2.) then. hands must come together and pause for 1-10seconds
3.) after hands separate again the pitch must be delivered (and not come together again)
I see no violation in what youve described, as long as the hands come together for at least one second, before delivering the pitch.
Last edited:
Okay. That makes sense. Some said you are only allowed to pass the hip twice. Some said she was rocking twice and that was illegal. After her ball hand went back, it did come forward toward her glove hand but was never placed in her glove. It was all too fast for that to happen. She was a very accurate and speed was okay. We beat her 2x and didn't press the situation but I hope she doesn't get dinged for it later on after she has developed all that muscle memory.
Remember that the pitching motion does not start until the hand and glove come together. Everything before that is moot. I have seen something similar and the pitcher brings her hands up at same time but apart, brings them back down, and then brings them together. Confusing but legal. Then there are the pitchers who bring hands together and break apart on way up, then down then around. This is illegal as you can only reverse direction of the hand once after hands are broken.
I would add ...Approach from behind, and shake off the call before collecting. 
Last edited:
#2, there is no requirement in the rules to pause after the hands come together. The hands may be in motion when they come together, and they may remain in motion while they are together.
As to the original post, if the pitcher brough the hands together, dropped the pitching arm back, came back up and dropped it back again it would be an illegal pitch. After the hands have been brought together and separated, there can be no reversal of motion once the pitching arm has started forward.
Last edited:
Thanks! Yes, I see now in the rulebook nothing about "pausing".
Right.
But like mentioned above, if the hands didn't come together upon the first "upswing", then the pitch is legal.
SECTION 3. LEGAL DELIVERY
C. The pitcher must not make a stop or reversal of the forward motion after
separating the hands.
D. The pitcher must not make two revolutions of the arm on the windmill
pitch. A pitcher may drop the arm to the side and to the rear before stating the windmill motion.
Confusing how they use "Forward motion" and "Windmill motion".
What is the distinction?
There is 1 rule set that I believe does require a pause after the hands are brought together. If Im not mistaken the ISF rules require a 2 second motionless pause after the hands are brought together.
Forward motion and windmill motion are more or less synonymous as they apply to the rules. Forward motion is required for the windmill motion, but the slingshot pitch is also legal. The rule is simply stating once the hands separate, the pitching arm can be dropped to the side and back. But, once the arm starts forward it cannot stop or reverse direction.
Forward motion and windmill motion are more or less synonymous as they apply to the rules. Forward motion is required for the windmill motion, but the slingshot pitch is also legal. The rule is simply stating once the hands separate, the pitching arm can be dropped to the side and back. But, once the arm starts forward it cannot stop or reverse direction.
Yep. It is ISF. It is a tough transition for many pitchers and can result in more than a few IP's
- Oct 22, 2009
- 1,779
- 0
I've questioned a pitcher standing on the rubber practically dancing a jig before beginning her pitch, and the ump said she did all that before bringing her hands together so she was legal.
