Success with the slingshot!

Every once in a while, I see a gangly young girl that simply is not coordinated enough to windmill. I always suggest the slingshot and I never get any takers. No one wants to be different. They all want to be Jenny Finch.

So, in comes a taller, bigger 9yo, that had no experience. She looks 12 yo. She is consistently afraid of the ball, when I throw it back to her. She complains about wearing a face mask.

But, after 9 lessons - I got this letter. It made my day. The slingshot lives!


Hi Amy,

Kaylee's team stunned the one undefeated team in the league tonight.
The Storm came up in the last inning expecting to walk across enough runs to secure a victory, as usual.
But they weren't counting on "the closer" and her strange, simple (yet effective) delivery that had them swinging.
Add in an awesome tag out at the plate by the catcher to rob them of a home run, and the night was complete.

Kaylee is much more comfortable without the windmill, and a lot of the other elements you taught her seem to come through.
We still need to work on consistency and a bit more power, but this is very encouraging !

Go Amy!

It's nice they took the time to tell you the good stuff. Unfortunately, sometimes all you hear are the complaints. When I was growing up 60s-70s all we did in my area was the slingshot. We thought the windmill was weird.

I have been wondering if my DD could ad the slingshot to her repertoire. Something to do once in a while to throw off the batters timing. Are there any girls who have success mixing it in now and then, or is it too much to ask a pitcher to use 2 methods?

I have been wondering if my DD could ad the slingshot to her repertoire. Something to do once in a while to throw off the batters timing. Are there any girls who have success mixing it in now and then, or is it too much to ask a pitcher to use 2 methods?

Click to expand...

It's very, very difficult. I'm playing modified fastpitch, which essentially means we can't windmill. I've tried at trainings for the past couple of weeks purely because we have no decent pitchers. I'm very close to giving up as it's starting to mess with my windmill motion.

chinamigarden said:

I have been wondering if my DD could ad the slingshot to her repertoire. Something to do once in a while to throw off the batters timing. Are there any girls who have success mixing it in now and then, or is it too much to ask a pitcher to use 2 methods?

Click to expand...

My daughter mixes in the slingshot motion about 2 or 3 times a game just to give hitter something to think about. She can also located this pitch and she can throw the change from this motion. The older she gets the less we use it though. Work good at 10u and 12u but not at older age groups.

Here is what I do. With the windmill, you are thinking "bring the ball forward." With the slingshot, you are thinking "take the ball backward." It isn't much different than a power K, except that all rules still apply to the feet.

My daughter uses it and very successfully, a good tool for slappers and to keep hitters off balance. My daughter is more mechanical correct using the slingshot in some of her pitches and practices slingshot mechanics in some of her windmill pitches. The main problem she has run into is coaches complaining it is illegal and umps agreeing. One coach advised he has been a coach for 30 years and he new it was illegal, but could not show it in the rule book were it was illegal.

Good going Amy getting a kid to enjoy the game and have some sucess is what it's about!

I teach a modified sling shot to younger pitchers. When I first taught it I was teaching most of Bonita Valley Softball League the windmill and the sling shot. When the pitchers used the sling shot up in the LA area during allstars the coaches would go crazy. But luckly the UIC's in all the ASA championship tournys new the sling shot was a legal pitch. Besides a fb I also teach a cu called a Teka. It is named after one of my best students who asked during one of her lessons if we could throw a cu with the sling shot and she developed the fb, cu, fast sling shot and cu sling shot so well she won the ASA 14&U Western National Championship utilizing all 4 pitches. I still teach it and the girls love it!

One good thing is my student's dad is a certified LL umpire and a geek. He knows the rules word for word. (Is there an app for that?)

Oh, by the way, if an umpire ever rules that it is illegal to sling shot, you can protest the game. I should say that I am not aware of all of the different associations rules and there could be something about using both the slingshot and the windmill, in the same game.

Amy in AZ. said:

Every once in a while, I see a gangly young girl that simply is not coordinated enough to windmill. I always suggest the slingshot and I never get any takers. No one wants to be different. They all want to be Jenny Finch.

So, in comes a taller, bigger 9yo, that had no experience. She looks 12 yo. She is consistently afraid of the ball, when I throw it back to her. She complains about wearing a face mask.



But, after 9 lessons - I got this letter. It made my day. The slingshot lives!


Hi Amy,

Kaylee's team stunned the one undefeated team in the league tonight.
The Storm came up in the last inning expecting to walk across enough runs to secure a victory, as usual.
But they weren't counting on "the closer" and her strange, simple (yet effective) delivery that had them swinging.
Add in an awesome tag out at the plate by the catcher to rob them of a home run, and the night was complete.

Kaylee is much more comfortable without the windmill, and a lot of the other elements you taught her seem to come through.
We still need to work on consistency and a bit more power, but this is very encouraging !

Click to expand...

Is there a video you can post of this young lady throwing with her 'Slingshot' wind up? There is a great many people that think a 'Softball Submarine' wind up is the same as a 'Slingshot' wind up. They are definitely different. I worked with the slingshot when I was young. Had a few of the older slingshot pitchers give me some tips. I never mastered it and gave up on it after awhile.

The timing of the slingshot is critical and it must be dine very smoothly or it puts a great deal of strain on the shoulder complex.

There were also older pitchers in those years that pitched with what they referred to as 'The Softball Submarine' wind up. It was sort of like the slingshot but much easier to master and I did master that one. I taught it to my students and it took no time at all before they were dominating the other line ups. It is especially effective to use if the pitcher uses a 'Double Pump' wind up, brings the ball backwards first.

Many umpires, especailly the younger ones, are not familiar with it. No rulebook on the planet says you MUST make a full windmill circle.

Here is s statement that I recieved from a young pitcher's Dad in Canada. The tactic they used that he refers to that 'Freezes' the batter is the Softball Submarine wind up.
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"Dear Coach Hal, Just wanted to let you know that Maureen has pitched in 3 international tournaments so far. She is undefeated and her era is 0.00 in international competition. The tactics she learned working with you are amazing. Most of the time the batters seem like they have been sprayed with freeze gel. The advice from your book started it all off and got her noticed by the top pitching coach in Canada. Thanks again for all the help."

Dan and Maureen M, Canada

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