I noticed one of our posters started up the dreaded "Does a Riseball Rise?" topic...again. Thought I'd throw my two-cents in but not in a manner that has been discussed before. What is a riseball and why is it the seemingly be-all end-all pitches for softball players? The answer is...the swing plane. Most pitches thrown match the natural swing plane of a batter. Even curves still come down at an angle that allows a batter to match the plane of the ball moving through space. But a rise ball? Not a chance, it's downward arc will happen behind the batter/catcher/umpire.
So a batter has two problems when facing a pitcher who can throw with authority both the rise and the drop. Number one problem is identifying the pitch in midflight or just guessing if the ball will break downward or not. Two, timing a swing to meet the riseball at a specific point in time and space. On all other pitches you can be a hair late or early and still get good contact, not so with a rise because of the swing plane mismatch. I remember watch a video of Mike Candrea once explaining his team's strategy in facing a riseball pitcher..."We teach our girls to identifying the pitch and not swing at them." He also mentioned getting as far back in the box as possible so the pitch is out of the strike zone.
The riseball is a great pitch because of the swing plane mismatch.
So a batter has two problems when facing a pitcher who can throw with authority both the rise and the drop. Number one problem is identifying the pitch in midflight or just guessing if the ball will break downward or not. Two, timing a swing to meet the riseball at a specific point in time and space. On all other pitches you can be a hair late or early and still get good contact, not so with a rise because of the swing plane mismatch. I remember watch a video of Mike Candrea once explaining his team's strategy in facing a riseball pitcher..."We teach our girls to identifying the pitch and not swing at them." He also mentioned getting as far back in the box as possible so the pitch is out of the strike zone.
The riseball is a great pitch because of the swing plane mismatch.
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