Pitching in metal cleats?

[halskinner]

With the chemical tec hnology that has been developed for soil, sometimes the 'Landing' are in the circle can actually be somewhat dangerous. The chemicals make the ground hard as concrete sometimes. At that point pitchers canm slip and slide when they touchdown because the rubber cletes will not grab at all. If you think throwing a few pitches and having the stride foot slide will not hold a pitcher back from their best speed, you are very wrong.

Metal cletes will dig in better than rubber cletes and help alot. HOWEVER, I have seen the ground in circles that the land was almond orchards before it was a softball park. Those circles were hard pan soil and even me, at 250 pounds, I slid all over in my metal cletes.

I have also seen some circles treated with the same kind of chemicals and they too, were hard as steel.

Steel is better but, on ocassion, they dont help alot.

"She throws fast at pitching lessons but slow during games". Could be the conditions inside the circle that is causing the problem.

I have seen circles where the ground was so hard it was dangerous to try and pitch, even with metal cletes.

 

[starsnuffer]

If you're not digging in with metal cleats, bring a bottle of water and spray down your landing area. You want the clay soft enough for your cleats to dig in all the way, but dry enough that the cleat holes do not fill back in on themselves.

-W