Having backspin on the rise is what can make it extremely effective, and is truly what makes the riseball do what it’s supposed to. Riseballs that are thrown with backspin also appear to float in, so to a batter it looks like a juicy pitch until it’s not. Although some say the rise is their DD’s fastest pitch, it is my DD’s slowest (next to change up), and is extremely effective when she can get some backspin on it. If you are throwing a bullet spin rise (not a true rise), you really need very good velocity to fool the batter, IMO.
Same for my DD. It is 9-10mph slower than her fastball. She has had many people tell her it is too slow to be an effective riseball. But we use it as a second change up basically and it has been highly effective. It is very deceptive. It may gain some speed as she gets older but I am not overly worried about it. It really does feel like it hovers in place when the spin is right on the pitch.
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