Screwball Proof, or Not!

[Hillhouse]

RISEBALL: There are some female pitchers who throw a "real" rise. The pitchers that do throw them dominate in HS and TB. It can be a good pitch in college as well, but the pitcher has to have really good control (which is true of any collegiate pitcher). A lot of pitchers (Rachel Garcia) throw a bullet spin pitch as a riseball...but there is more to it than simply "throwing a bullet spin pitch".

SCREWBALL: The 3-9 spin (RH pitcher, viewed from catcher) screwball is a fantasy. It doesn't exist. There are *ZERO* videos showing someone throwing a 3-9 spin pitch in a game. On the other hand, there are lots of videos of drops and riseballs. To throw a screwball, the pitcher steps left and throws right, so the ball comes in at an odd angle. Usually the pitch is thrown with bullet spin.

Agreed, the screwball does not do what people think it does. It's an inside pitch, period. And all the crazy and unnecessary movements pitchers do trying to achieve this unachievable pitch makes it even more crazy. People always say "but she gets people out with it!!!!" No, the correct answer is pitching inside is good and effective but lets be honest about what the pitch does (or doesn't do). A ball doesn't "move" if it's not spinning in the direction it's supposed to go in. Parents and coaches have to stop listening to 2 time Olympic Gold Medalist Michele Smith saying "screwball" every other pitch on ESPN and showing a pitch that goes inside. It's not "screwing" its angled. Again, I wouldn't want to face Crystal Bustos with that pitch.

 

[Gtrips07]

Agreed, the screwball does not do what people think it does. It's an inside pitch, period. And all the crazy and unnecessary movements pitchers do trying to achieve this unachievable pitch makes it even more crazy. People always say "but she gets people out with it!!!!" No, the correct answer is pitching inside is good and effective but lets be honest about what the pitch does (or doesn't do). A ball doesn't "move" if it's not spinning in the direction it's supposed to go in. Parents and coaches have to stop listening to 2 time Olympic Gold Medalist Michele Smith saying "screwball" every other pitch on ESPN and showing a pitch that goes inside. It's not "screwing" its angled. Again, I wouldn't want to face Crystal Bustos with that pitch.

Is said screwball followed up with the backdoor curve?

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[hooham08]

RISEBALL: There are some female pitchers who throw a "real" rise. The pitchers that do throw them dominate in HS and TB. It can be a good pitch in college as well, but the pitcher has to have really good control (which is true of any collegiate pitcher). A lot of pitchers (Rachel Garcia) throw a bullet spin pitch as a riseball...but there is more to it than simply "throwing a bullet spin pitch".

SCREWBALL: The 3-9 spin (RH pitcher, viewed from catcher) screwball is a fantasy. It doesn't exist. There are *ZERO* videos showing someone throwing a 3-9 spin pitch in a game. On the other hand, there are lots of videos of drops and riseballs. To throw a screwball, the pitcher steps left and throws right, so the ball comes in at an odd angle. Usually the pitch is thrown with bullet spin.

3-9 would be impressive. Lol. Screw is def built on deception.

 

[Bonesaw]

Can anyone clarify what bullet spin would look like with a striped ball(stripe down 4 seam with a 4 seam grip). I thought it would look like a propeller spinning.(hands going around a clock.) Then I youtubed it and found this vidya.



Is this bullet spin from a two seam grip with the stripe going down the 4 seams? It has confused me(not hard to do). Thanks.

Edit: i posted this because dd throws a 4 seam grip and sometimes I get a wobbly stripe catching. Itll oscillate between 11 and 4 and 1 and 7. Im am eondering how this happens also.

 

[sluggers]

Is this bullet spin from a two seam grip with the stripe going down the 4 seams? It has confused me(not hard to do). Thanks.

Nice video.

That is bullet spin.

 

[Ken B]

Can anyone clarify what bullet spin would look like with a striped ball(stripe down 4 seam with a 4 seam grip). I thought it would look like a propeller spinning.(hands going around a clock.) Then I youtubed it and found this vidya.



Is this bullet spin from a two seam grip with the stripe going down the 4 seams? It has confused me(not hard to do). Thanks.

Edit: i posted this because dd throws a 4 seam grip and sometimes I get a wobbly stripe catching. Itll oscillate between 11 and 4 and 1 and 7. Im am eondering how this happens also.

To get the stripe perfect, it takes some playing around with grip. This can be an awesome awareness builder in that she can learn which finger is coming off the ball last and how grip can affect spin.

A perfect stripe is fun, but learning to see axis is a better goal in my opinion.

 

[ArmWhip]

Can anyone clarify what bullet spin would look like with a striped ball(stripe down 4 seam with a 4 seam grip). I thought it would look like a propeller spinning.(hands going around a clock.) Then I youtubed it and found this vidya.



Is this bullet spin from a two seam grip with the stripe going down the 4 seams? It has confused me(not hard to do). Thanks.

Edit: i posted this because dd throws a 4 seam grip and sometimes I get a wobbly stripe catching. Itll oscillate between 11 and 4 and 1 and 7. Im am eondering how this happens also.

Bullet spin can thrown in two basic ways. In one the palm faces toward 3rd at release and the ball rolls down the fingers and off the tips. Think of it as a football spiral thrown underhand. With a 'classic' 4 seam grip the ball circle will spin like it does in the video. The more common way is for the palm to face forward but the ball comes the side of the index finger, between it and the thumb. Thrown this way the ball will spin like a propeller as you suggest. Then you can combine these two ways in any ratio and get bullet spin. For instance the palm might only be open 45 degrees with the ball coming off of the tip of the index finger. I think that this is what video shows.

When you talk about your daughter's wobbly spin I assume the spin is still topspin. The oscillation means the line is not aligned at a perfect 90 degree axis at release. The spin axis may be perpendicular to the ball flight but the line is off center. It's an interesting piece of information but science has shown that as far as Magnus force is concerned there is no significant difference between a two seam and a four seam grip.

 

[Bonesaw]

Haha thank you both for responding. I have never seen bulletspin with me or my Dd granted she just throws a "fastball". Me trying to throw a rise looks like a curve at worst. Very good to know how it happens.

The wobbly axis is interesting. Ive noticed(and she has too) that when her hand is further from her body the spin axis is more wobbly. When her hand is further from her body the more her hand comes around the ball.

Ken, I agree that seeing spin axis is very important. That is the whole reason I put the stripe on the ball haha. She can see spin axis and feel what she did on each pitch with the stripe. Without the stripe she has no chance(she's 9) Many times before the stripe I would ask her how the ball was spinning and she would say she couldnt see it. Maybe it's like bumpers in bowling.

Thank you guys for responding I really appreciate it.

 

[fanboi22]

Haha thank you both for responding. I have never seen bulletspin with me or my Dd granted she just throws a "fastball". Me trying to throw a rise looks like a curve at worst. Very good to know how it happens.

The wobbly axis is interesting. Ive noticed(and she has too) that when her hand is further from her body the spin axis is more wobbly. When her hand is further from her body the more her hand comes around the ball.

Ken, I agree that seeing spin axis is very important. That is the whole reason I put the stripe on the ball haha. She can see spin axis and feel what she did on each pitch with the stripe. Without the stripe she has no chance(she's 9) Many times before the stripe I would ask her how the ball was spinning and she would say she couldnt see it. Maybe it's like bumpers in bowling.

Thank you guys for responding I really appreciate it.

JMO, but I would suggest that you color the seams vs doing a single stripe. It really has helped my DD see the spins of ALL pitches vs just a 6/12 yawwed 'fastball'. I think i saw Ken B do this first.

 

[Ken B]

Four seam bullet. The stripe would be seen as a circle.