Is a drop ball a drop ball?

[chinamigarden]

Does a drop ball a actually drop? Sounds vaguely familiar. Could get ugly if we just change the word drop to something else.

 

[plustoo]

It's the release angle. When compared to a FB the posture is a touch more vertical on a drop. This forward angle gets the fingers a touch more under the ball at the release point. Spin rate shoots up. Fast ball is just focusing on speed and location....not spin.

I think this answers my question. So if the ball is thrown just like a fast ball, the added tilt in the release makes the ball spin more which causes it to drop. Yes?

 

[Perfect Circle]

Does a drop ball a actually drop? Sounds vaguely familiar. Could get ugly if we just change the word drop to something else.

Get Ugly calling it an "Off the Table" drop

 

[JAD]

A true dropball will have 12-6 spin and will "bite" like a tennis ball hit with topspin. Gravity provides some assistance, so a lot of pitchers throw what they think is a drop ball, but it is really a fastball that is running out of gas before it reaches the plate.

 

[plustoo]

A true dropball will have 12-6 spin and will "bite" like a tennis ball hit with topspin. Gravity provides some assistance, so a lot of pitchers throw what they think is a drop ball, but it is really a fastball that is running out of gas before it reaches the plate.

So if thrown with a fastball grip, what does a girl do different that make is spin 12/6 as opposed to 1/7?

 

[plustoo]

So if thrown with a fastball grip, what does a girl do different that make is spin 12/6 as opposed to 1/7?

During lesson, while throwing fastballs, PC will occasionally say, "see what you did there? That's perfect drop ball spin". She nor I have no idea what she did different.

 

[Cannonball]

Per my dd, her dropball was fast and fell off the table. It was unhittable at times. So, her dropball was a dropball.

 

[BoardMember]

I prefer to call it a "reverse rise".

 

[coach james]

During lesson, while throwing fastballs, PC will occasionally say, "see what you did there? That's perfect drop ball spin". She nor I have no idea what she did different.

The difference was her release angle. AKA... spine tilt.
When the spine is vertical and the release point is right on the thigh as a result of good brush, the spin will be increased...typically in a 6/12 axis. This angle will force the fingers to get better snap to prevent the ball from going straight down. Better spin equals better movement.

 

[JAD]

So if thrown with a fastball grip, what does a girl do different that make is spin 12/6 as opposed to 1/7?

For a peel drop the pitcher pulls back on the seams like cranking a lawn mower to try to achieve 12/6 spin. For a turnover drop the pitchers hand should feel like it is rolling over the front of the ball at release. Getting enough RPMs on the ball to create "bite" is difficult and requires a lot of practice. Long fingers and flexible wrists help too...