Softball Pitching Movement

[Vertigo]

This concept gets repeated a lot and I still haven't seen an explanation for it. Studies have shown that variations in velocity are the most difficult for batters to adjust to, but I haven't seen any that address vertical vs horizontal movement.

My best guess would be because a vertical movement pitch will not stay in the same bat swing plane for long as it is dropping or rising; however, a curve, if it’s a true curve, will stay in the bat swing plane longer. Same with a screwball.

Plus you are changing the eye level of the batter with vertical pitches which I assume would be more difficult to adjust to.

That‘s just my best guess, though. I can picture what I want to say but am having trouble finding the right words to describe it.

 

[Tango]

My best guess would be because a vertical movement pitch will not stay in the same bat swing plane for long as it is dropping or rising; however, a curve, if it’s a true curve, will stay in the bat swing plane longer. Same with a screwball.

Plus you are changing the eye level of the batter with vertical pitches which I assume would be more difficult to adjust to.

That‘s just my best guess, though. I can picture what I want to say but am having trouble finding the right words to describe it.

Very few have completely horizontal movement. Most drop or some rise. Had a kid two years ago that basically threw curve every pitch. People would be talking about how good her rise and drop were. Never threw either pitch but the ball jumped up and down with bend

 

[sluggers]

Why?

It has to do with the the attack angle of the bat.

The hitter is trying to hit the ball "square" or "barrel up the ball". "Barreling up" means the bat path and the ball path are on the same palne. When the bat path and ball path are on the same plane, the batter crushes the ball. We've all seen and heard batters crush the ball.

The batter has her normal, preferred swing plane which she's developed over years of batting practice. The more she has to adjust her swing plane from her preferred swing plane, the less likely she is to crush the ball.

The curveball is almost(?) always a curve drop. The vertical flight path of a curve doesn't vary that much from a fastball. So, good hitters can make minor adjustments to their swing and crush the ball, usually to the opposite field. The curve is valuable and worth learning, but *AFTER* the rise or drop.

The riseball varies the most from a fastball. Anyone who has seen a pitcher with a good riseball knows that it ties hitters into knots. A rise isn't effective in college, mainly because the bats are so hot that a good hitter can mishit the ball and still send it over the fence.

The drop varies quite a bit from the fastball. The disadvantage is that it doesn't vary as much from a fastball, and thus good hitters can adjust. The advantages are (1) it's very hard to detect after the ball is thrown and (2) even if the batter adjust correctly, it usually is simply a hard hit ground ball or maybe a line drive.

In general, it is very hard to teach a kid both the drop and the rise. There simply aren't enough hours in a day to learn both.

 

[ArmWhip]

The vertical flight path of a curve doesn't vary that much from a fastball.

A curve is significantly slower than a fastball and as an 'off speed' pitch will have more downward movement.

The slider is a devastating pitch in baseball and it is a pitch with primarily horizontal movement.

 

[LEsoftballdad]

A curve is significantly slower than a fastball and as an 'off speed' pitch will have more downward movement.

The slider is a devastating pitch in baseball and it is a pitch with primarily horizontal movement.

That's not the case with my daughter. Her curve and rise are faster than her fastball by 2-3 MPH. It's mostly because she is cradling the ball in her fingers more than her palm with her other pitches, which is something we're working on.

 

[radness]

Calling a fastball 'fast'-ball could be an inaccurate descriptive word because it is not always faster.
*Notice no description towards spin trajectory,
even though fastballs are thrown with different spins.
My thinking about fastballs is basically they are a straight pitch with no purposeful movement.
Even though there are some pitchers that throw what actually has drop spin for what they call or consider their fastball and it does tail down.

What I have noticed repeatedly fastball is not always the fastest pitch. What I have experienced is that often rise and drop is faster. And at times curve can be faster as well.

To further this comment with the other pitch verbiage used, there is no notation of their speed,
rather verbiage of their spin trajectory.
________________________________
Here is another example of description that people get into a tanglement about what the pitch actually is~
AKA~What pitches are called so we may talk about them, and call pitch signals.
A screwball, while it may not actually break/bend the direction of the spin,
and is more of a trajectory pitch,
is actually a more accurate descriptive *word because the *spin IS going the direction of a screw.

 

[radness]

Mr. Attar, care to share why you put a laughing emoji?

Especially towards very sensible comments about the principal of pitches and verbiage.

 

[_MIA_]

Mr. Attar, care to share why you put a laughing emoji?

Especially towards very sensible comments about the principal of pitches and verbiage?

Because Mr. Attar is a happy guy full of laughter..

 

[radness]

Because Mr. Attar is a happy guy full of laughter..

Ohhh no reason, got it!

 

[_MIA_]

Ohhh no reason, got it!

That is a great reason..