- Jul 26, 2010
- 3,554
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Whichever works best for a given kid. There are no absolutes.
Historically, male fastpitch pitchers threw the curve with the palm down, using the same sort of motion that one might use to throw an overhand breaking ball, only backwards. The benefit here is that the wrist and fingers rotate in the same direction that internal rotation is already moving, with a slight variation in grip to offset what would otherwise cause a bit of a drop.
Female fastpitch pitchers were taught by these same male pitchers as coaches to use a palm up curve because the thinking at the time was that a womans fingers were too short and their grips too weak to hold the ball securely in a palm down grip without causing excessive drop and not enough lateral movement. The benefit to the palm up curve is that because the lower arm is held a bit more laterally away and around the hip, the pitch gives the illusion of more movement. Perception is everything when pitching, so this helps. The downside is that the palm up grip makes the lever distance somewhat shorter resulting in a slightly slower pitch.
Having used and taught both, and being a proponent of one and then the other over the years, I can say that I honestly feel that the pitcher should use what works best for them. Natural rise ball pitchers will feel more comfortable with the palm up release, and drop ball pitchers often do better with the palm down release (given long enough fingers to negate the drop aspect), due to the finger spin being the same or similar on these pairings. Experimentation is recommended, in the same manner that different kids throw different changeups better then others.
-W
Historically, male fastpitch pitchers threw the curve with the palm down, using the same sort of motion that one might use to throw an overhand breaking ball, only backwards. The benefit here is that the wrist and fingers rotate in the same direction that internal rotation is already moving, with a slight variation in grip to offset what would otherwise cause a bit of a drop.
Female fastpitch pitchers were taught by these same male pitchers as coaches to use a palm up curve because the thinking at the time was that a womans fingers were too short and their grips too weak to hold the ball securely in a palm down grip without causing excessive drop and not enough lateral movement. The benefit to the palm up curve is that because the lower arm is held a bit more laterally away and around the hip, the pitch gives the illusion of more movement. Perception is everything when pitching, so this helps. The downside is that the palm up grip makes the lever distance somewhat shorter resulting in a slightly slower pitch.
Having used and taught both, and being a proponent of one and then the other over the years, I can say that I honestly feel that the pitcher should use what works best for them. Natural rise ball pitchers will feel more comfortable with the palm up release, and drop ball pitchers often do better with the palm down release (given long enough fingers to negate the drop aspect), due to the finger spin being the same or similar on these pairings. Experimentation is recommended, in the same manner that different kids throw different changeups better then others.
-W
