Screwball Proof, or Not!

[Ken B]

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.

javasource gets credit for that one. Here’s how we darken our seams:

 

[Ken B]

To clarify, an axis cannot wobble. It’s orientation once released will be the same throughout its flight. Marks on the ball can wobble.

Throwing a perfect stripe (or dot) is an awesome thing if you can, but it’s really difficult. Use a darkened seams ball to help you see the spin/axis, then translate that to what you see with a regular ball.

 

[fanboi22]

To clarify, an axis cannot wobble. It’s orientation once released will be the same throughout its flight. Marks on the ball can wobble.

Throwing a perfect stripe (or dot) is an awesome thing if you can, but it’s really difficult. Use a darkened seams ball to help you see the spin/axis, then translate that to what you see with a regular ball.

With the darkened seems, the axis is much easier to see, as you mentioned before to look for axis vs spin. This is really noticeable on attempting curve or rise balls. The big blank open spot that shows up and i am able to relay the axis i see for DD. This was something i got from you at the Ft Wayne clinic. Thanks again for that.

 

[ArmWhip]

To clarify, an axis cannot wobble. It’s orientation once released will be the same throughout its flight. Marks on the ball can wobble.

Yes, it's the line on the ball that gives it the 'wobble'.

 

[Tatonka]

Very early on we put stripes on the ball, then tried blackening half the ball (dipped halfway into some black dye)...once we started working with Java the wisdom in actually reading the spins by observing the seams became obvious so we started darkening the seams as shown above (in Ken B's post). Now my girls (pitcher and catcher) have gotten very good at reading what's being thrown.

 

[Ken B]

Very early on we put stripes on the ball, then tried blackening half the ball (dipped halfway into some black dye)...once we started working with Java the wisdom in actually reading the spins by observing the seams became obvious so we started darkening the seams as shown above (in Ken B's post). Now my girls (pitcher and catcher) have gotten very good at reading what's being thrown.

Once they can read the spin, a whole new world of self assessment and correction opens up. Teaching catcher’s this is also a huge boost to growth.

 

[ArmWhip]

Somebody owes me some money, there was an offer of a bounty if someone could produce video of a pitch with legitimate screwball spin. At 55 seconds she starts throwing her screwball, it looks like what you typically see, but the last one she throws starting at 1:09, with a camera angel from the 3rd base line, is with a striped ball and it looks like true screw spin to me. Pay up!

 

[radness]

Somebody owes me some money, there was an offer of a bounty if someone could produce video of a pitch with legitimate screwball spin. At 55 seconds she starts throwing her screwball, it looks like what you typically see, but the last one she throws starting at 1:09, with a camera angel from the 3rd base line, is with a striped ball and it looks like true screw spin to me. Pay up!

Like the way the video is done.
Simple. Nice camara angles. Moves along with good editing.

 

[Ken B]

@ArmWhip

 

[Ken B]

I’ve seen 4 people throw scrops. Two of those were almost throwing sidearm and if was pretty much their only pitch... Another was Edy, an inactive member here who was trying to perfect it, and last one was from my daughter. Super inconsistent, but it would be effective if she could spin and spot it consistently.

Still waiting on video of a game speed pitch thrown 3-9 that breaks.