halskinner
Banned
- May 7, 2008
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I am posting this reply from another thread and starting a new thread. The other was getting quite worn out and long.
Hal
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Hi Rick. You pretty much hit the nail on the head. If you would note the exact position the fingernail of the index finger is digging in, in relationship to the leg of the horseshoe. Flicking the finger at the exact instant of release, at that exact point, is going to give it a 4-seam spin.
My advice to you is try and place the fingernail against the side of the seam and not on the seam. The side of the seam is what you are 'flicking' against.
And, notice how hard the fingernail is digging in. It is VERY uncomfortable and they better have their finger nail trimmed short or it will flat out hurt because you have to dig it in and flick it HARD. The timing of when you start to release and flick your finger is all important.
They will hate it at first and whine like whipped pups. They dont like the uncomfortable feeling at all, until, they practice a little with it and see what it does compared to their old grip and release. Then they dont mind it at all.
Hold your hand up and form a pistol, thumb is the trigger and the index is the barrel. The other three are pointing at your palm. Now turn it as close to upside down as you can. You are probably holding it palm up or maybe a little more. NOW, drop your throwing shoulder a few inches and see how much more the hand can turn to where the 'Gun' is almost perfectly upside down. That is what you have to do, JUST before release, to get the index finger in perfect position to flick the ball with a 12 to 6 backspin.
That 'upside down gun' , the barrel (index finger) should be pointing straight at your catcher's glove when the hand stops and it should be a 'gun'..
Your release point is just in front of the front hip.
As long as their hands are big enough, they will have no problem gripping this.
I have taught this to pitchers as young as 10, they were exceptional and had somewhat big hands. I normally would not start one on this until 12-years-old, because of the hand size issue.
Once your students get proficient with that, then have them practice it but exaggerate the shoulder dip at the end and get under the ball (We always referred to that action as 'ducking under' the ball) even more, watch that killer rise turn into a killer up and in! Exaggerate it to the point they are a little off balance and falling off to the throwing side at the end of the pitch.
Make sure their Dads have a facemask and chest protector when they catch them. These pitches will break hard and there is a VERY good chance the catchers will not react in time ( just like the batters ) and they can get hurt.
I have had 16-year-olds learn this and it broke late and so hard, so much and so fast that it immediately turned into a safety issue for the batters. Once proficient, they had to practice throwing it to a point outside the strike zone, so it would not break right into the batter.
What they will find out is that the faster they CAN throw this, the harder and more it breaks.
That 'spring loaded' finger flicking againt the side of the seam, add rps, A TON OF IT.
Good luck with this and let me know how the kids do with it.
Hal
sneakysoftballpitching.com Some of the best pitching advice you will ever see.
"Losing hurts worse than winning feels good".
Pitching is like owning a piggy bank; The most you can ever get out of it, is EXACTLY what you have been WILLING to put into it.
Hal
_______________________________________________________
Hi Rick. You pretty much hit the nail on the head. If you would note the exact position the fingernail of the index finger is digging in, in relationship to the leg of the horseshoe. Flicking the finger at the exact instant of release, at that exact point, is going to give it a 4-seam spin.
My advice to you is try and place the fingernail against the side of the seam and not on the seam. The side of the seam is what you are 'flicking' against.
And, notice how hard the fingernail is digging in. It is VERY uncomfortable and they better have their finger nail trimmed short or it will flat out hurt because you have to dig it in and flick it HARD. The timing of when you start to release and flick your finger is all important.
They will hate it at first and whine like whipped pups. They dont like the uncomfortable feeling at all, until, they practice a little with it and see what it does compared to their old grip and release. Then they dont mind it at all.
Hold your hand up and form a pistol, thumb is the trigger and the index is the barrel. The other three are pointing at your palm. Now turn it as close to upside down as you can. You are probably holding it palm up or maybe a little more. NOW, drop your throwing shoulder a few inches and see how much more the hand can turn to where the 'Gun' is almost perfectly upside down. That is what you have to do, JUST before release, to get the index finger in perfect position to flick the ball with a 12 to 6 backspin.
That 'upside down gun' , the barrel (index finger) should be pointing straight at your catcher's glove when the hand stops and it should be a 'gun'..
Your release point is just in front of the front hip.
As long as their hands are big enough, they will have no problem gripping this.
I have taught this to pitchers as young as 10, they were exceptional and had somewhat big hands. I normally would not start one on this until 12-years-old, because of the hand size issue.
Once your students get proficient with that, then have them practice it but exaggerate the shoulder dip at the end and get under the ball (We always referred to that action as 'ducking under' the ball) even more, watch that killer rise turn into a killer up and in! Exaggerate it to the point they are a little off balance and falling off to the throwing side at the end of the pitch.
Make sure their Dads have a facemask and chest protector when they catch them. These pitches will break hard and there is a VERY good chance the catchers will not react in time ( just like the batters ) and they can get hurt.
I have had 16-year-olds learn this and it broke late and so hard, so much and so fast that it immediately turned into a safety issue for the batters. Once proficient, they had to practice throwing it to a point outside the strike zone, so it would not break right into the batter.
What they will find out is that the faster they CAN throw this, the harder and more it breaks.
That 'spring loaded' finger flicking againt the side of the seam, add rps, A TON OF IT.
Good luck with this and let me know how the kids do with it.
Hal
sneakysoftballpitching.com Some of the best pitching advice you will ever see.
"Losing hurts worse than winning feels good".
Pitching is like owning a piggy bank; The most you can ever get out of it, is EXACTLY what you have been WILLING to put into it.
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