We have really just started getting into the Rapsodo information. I have a sheet from a top 20 program and they are looking for a +2 on the rise.
Dad with some questions about my new pitcher?
- Thread starter Dallas Moore
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We have really just started getting into the Rapsodo information. I have a sheet from a top 20 program and they are looking for a +2 on the rise.
- Jun 18, 2023
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how you release the ball is an extremely fundamental part of pitching, and that's with spin. If you don't teach them what to do with their fingers/hand as the ball comes out you're not teaching them to pitch.
- Apr 14, 2022
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It maybe very important.
Just pointing out that from release to the plate a riseball goes up 20” to top of zone and overcomes 30” of gravity drop. Most of this is overcome by releasing the ball 5-6 degrees up.
Will an extra 2-3” of lift make a huge difference, likely, but it may not make as much since most of the rise is from being thrown at an upward trajectory.
I think that makes sense in terms of what they are looking for in a recruit vs an elite pitcher.
Makes sense...I'd add that what a pitcher is trying to achieve is deception of the hitter and I think the spin while less important in raw inches may be more important in deception.
In my experience when working with a young beginning pitcher how they naturally spin the ball is usually acceptable and I don't see the need to cloud their attention with another detail such as snapping the fingers to apply bullet spin.
This may or may not be an issue, it's possible her hips are wide open and she needs to close a little more, but I think this is rare in a beginner so it warrants a little investigation. When I first started giving pitching lessons there is no doubt I was guilty of 'over instructing', having my students pay too much attention to movements that I saw in many high level pitchers. Now I'm inclined to guide them a little and then let them try to figure it out for themselves.
To me Extremely fundamental to 9 year old beginner is everything listed as a sticky in this softball pitcher forum: I/R, Drive Mechanics, Arm-Body synchronization, Ball Grip, Brush Interference, Front Side Resistance.
If I was forced to pick a talking point about spin with a beginner it would be more concerned about spin speed rather spin axis.
Yeah, when you get 30…maybe 40 good minutes, once every week or two, proper spin axis is low on the list. Often times once all the major body control issues are corrected, I find spin takes care of itself. Once we get them to adhere to the I/R absolutes we can start making them aware of spin, then help them actually control the spin. Of course every kid is different and of course we are working on spin even when we’re not actively talking about it, but bogging them down with it can really mess them up.
I usually start them on a taped ball and when we see a good spin point it out and show the parent what it looked like. Try to get more that look like that!
- Jun 18, 2023
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Simply that it _should spin_, not worried about the other stuff except as it relates to releasing the pitch where you want it. In fact, learning and training your muscles to understand how that ball spins out of your hand is pretty much a mandatory prerequisite to adjusting that spin later on when you learn more.
I think it's taken for granted that these kids even know how to _throw_ correctly, whether overhand or underhand, so while spin shouldn't be a focus, making sure they're gripping the ball correctly and have it coming out of that grip correctly is fundamental.
- Apr 14, 2022
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This is the most valuable thing for a pitching coach, knowing when to teach what based upon development.
For DD funky spin was usually a symptom not a cause. Last thing you want a pitcher IMO to do is compensate poor mechanics at the release.
