Why do you think that is?
Daughter's pitching coach wants to teach the curve before the drop - thoughts?
- Thread starter Suzanne74
- Start date
Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch
Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.
Why do you think that is?
- Apr 12, 2019
- 58
- 8
My DD developed a drop curve (turnover drop) at 11 and this has been her money pitch for a few years. She never had good rotation with her fastball (bullet spin) so she started using a rollover drop when a fastball is called. Her PC was teaching her a flat curve (palm up release) last summer and said it could take a few years to develop so while she's working on that we began working a riseball on our own and that pitch is a gem. All those pitches follow the same arm slot and are difficult to distinguish.
She'll roughly average rollover 60%, turnover 20% and rise and change 10% each. When DD reaches 60mph with the drop pitches we'll probably see the use of the rise and change increase.
At mid 40's mph, all your pitches will need to drop somehow.
I don't know why anyone would bring MLB pitching into this conversation. A trip to Baseball Savant will show that pure vertical plane pitches are rare, typically there is always some element of horizontal movement. The baseball arm slot dictates this; both 2 and 4 seam fastballs will break arm side, a curve, which is their version of our drop will typically have some glove side movement, a slider is a drop curve.
Here is Charlie Morton, known for his curve.
And Trevor Bauer, known for his variety.
At the bottom of each profile are 2 pie charts showing break, on the left is projected break based on spin, on the right is observed/actual break. The chart on the right is more important.
Now you do
Hilarious!!!
"Why would anyone bring MLB into this?" Then proceed to, wait for it................................................. BRING MLB INTO IT!!
Classic.
- Aug 21, 2008
- 2,386
- 113
I think it's quite relevant. A question was asked why someone believed a pitcher that is more of a junk ball pitcher doesn't get to compete at the higher levels. It was noted that MLB seems to have gone away from anyone knuckleballers and any other kind of junkballers. It's not a bad analogy, really. Saying the top level pitchers in both sports aren't using those kind of pitchers. I agree actually.
Always thought of junk as excessive spin and controlling speed.
After daughter developed speed and location control had to remind her to continue using her junk which is what we call her change-Up, off speed curve and off speed drop. Still calls it her junk.
Near10mph slower.
After daughter developed speed and location control had to remind her to continue using her junk which is what we call her change-Up, off speed curve and off speed drop. Still calls it her junk.
Near10mph slower.
- Oct 14, 2019
- 903
- 93
Agreed. Parents of slow pitchers try to frame it as speed v spin. In reality, higher velo equates to harder spin.
That's one way to define a junk ball pitcher. You could also say that a junk baller is a pitcher who throws his breaking and off speed pitches more than his fastball and in that case MLB is full of them. Off speed or pitches with horizontal break are more common than 'straight' 4 seam fastballs if you can even say that a 4 seamer is straight. The majority of MLB pitchers throw their 4 seamer less than 50% of the time. You can't use MLB to prove that pitches with horizontal break aren't effective.
