I/R in the Classroom

After reading all of this post I seem to be missing something. My DD and PC work very hard on the IR. However he also has been working on the Bullet Spin. My question is, the IR method works extreamly well for 4 Seam FB, 2 Seam FB, Drops and Drop Curves. All of which depends on many other factors such as Body postion and follow through, release point and finger action. The Bullet Spin seems to be very effective for a Rise Ball. If the spin is not achieved by the Bullet spin the Rise ball will lay down flat over the plate and good hitters will Park it. Very dangerous place to miss. So my confusion is, is there a way to produce the spin a Rise ball needs by not using the Bullet spin and using the IR method?

I don't consider IR to be a method. It's an absolute and isn't optional, with few exceptions. Ideally, a perfect rise ball spin is backwards and 12/6 in rotation. Few pitchers achieve back spin and even fewer get perfect backspin. Find a grip and release that gets you as close as possible.

BM,

Can you please show me how you have a younger girl hold the ball using 3 fingers on the ball for these drills? Thank you so much for the videos and detailed explanations!

I am just getting familiar with this thread and so far it is amazing. Could you provide a little more explanation of the Magician Drill. In particular the over-spin i am trying to achieve. Im having trouble understanding the type of spin. Thanks again for this thread.

Here you go drc..........



For smaller fingers, shift the ball slightly so the fingers can more easily reach the seams.......

LouisXIII said:

I am just getting familiar with this thread and so far it is amazing. Could you provide a little more explanation of the Magician Drill. In particular the over-spin i am trying to achieve. Im having trouble understanding the type of spin. Thanks again for this thread.

Click to expand...

Watch as my thumb turns the ball over the fingers rearward.........

BoardMember said:

Here you go drc..........



For smaller fingers, shift the ball slightly so the fingers can more easily reach the seams.......

Click to expand...

Thanks BM!

The IR part actually looks decent to me but you will definitely need to get an answer from BM or others who are experienced with it. She wraps her arm around her back towards second base which will affect her arm circle in a negative way. It may be the camera angle but it looks like she needs to get her shoulders and hips more open.

Boardmember,

Earlier you mentioned catching the whip. Could/would you go into this "catching the whip" in regards to a riseball and whether it would be cupped or cocked and if it would be cut? My dd throws the slowest rb in relation to everything else. Her pc has her try to visualize pulling straight down from the top of the circle and cut it hard at the bottom. Her curve is her absolute fastest pitch so I think there is some disconnect. She's 6' and almost 15 years old fwiw. She is also contunually tearing her skin at the tip of her fingernail on the thumb side of the fingernail. She curls her finger for the grip. I'm referring to her index finger.

Bucket Boy said:

After reading all of this post I seem to be missing something. My DD and PC work very hard on the IR. However he also has been working on the Bullet Spin. My question is, the IR method works extreamly well for 4 Seam FB, 2 Seam FB, Drops and Drop Curves. All of which depends on many other factors such as Body postion and follow through, release point and finger action. The Bullet Spin seems to be very effective for a Rise Ball. If the spin is not achieved by the Bullet spin the Rise ball will lay down flat over the plate and good hitters will Park it. Very dangerous place to miss. So my confusion is, is there a way to produce the spin a Rise ball needs by not using the Bullet spin and using the IR method?

Click to expand...

I finally read this whole thread and this post and one other about the riseball is the most intriguing to me.

I have thought about working with DD on the IR concept but I just don’t want to mess with her amazing riseball.

We have a very good pitcher in our hs conference that after reading this thread I now know she is a champion of the IR method. But I also know that she can only pitch “down-pitches” – breaking down and/or away from a rhb as a rhp. To me this is this other pitchers biggest limitation. As soon as the better tb players tune in on the downward action of her every pitch then she starts to get hit. To me the riseball is too essential not to have (a REAL riseball that is,….and one that gets swings from tb players,… and not the high fb that tb players just watch and laugh at.)

BM do you have some specific thoughts on IR relative to real riseballs?