rise ball advice

I would appreciate any and all input on throwing the rise. DD uses "regular" grip...does not curl the forefinger. what is a good beginning drill. Any articles or links/video suggestions are very welcome. Usually I try and do this all myself but this forum has become my base for information. So fire away!! DD thinks she has "lost" her ability to throw the rise...after attending an open gym session last night and working breifly with one of the instructors and going over the "how to" of the pitch...we talked on the way home as to whether or not her last instructor even had her trully throwing a rise or just a high fastball. we got a few starting tips that she will work on but I want more info from the DFP panel!

itsagreatgame said:

I would appreciate any and all input on throwing the rise. DD uses "regular" grip...does not curl the forefinger. what is a good beginning drill. Any articles or links/video suggestions are very welcome. Usually I try and do this all myself but this forum has become my base for information. So fire away!! DD thinks she has "lost" her ability to throw the rise...after attending an open gym session last night and working breifly with one of the instructors and going over the "how to" of the pitch...we talked on the way home as to whether or not her last instructor even had her trully throwing a rise or just a high fastball. we got a few starting tips that she will work on but I want more info from the DFP panel!

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Go to Toys-R-Us. Buy a half regulation size football, the one that looks and feels like a real one, not a foam or plastic one.

Can you teach her to throw a football for a spiral? I know you can. Now have her pitch you a spiral with the football.


To pitch a football in a spiral requires you to bring the fingers to the inside of the ball. A perfect spiral like this will come in to the catcher in a fairly level line but the spiral spin will be angled slightly upwards.

See who can throw the best spiral.

You must bring the fingers to the inside of the softball for a good riseball. This alone will not get them 100% there, but it will get them most of the way there VERY qquickly.

Lets see how long it takes some of the other instructors out there to put this on their websites or videos. Should be a good race. Anybody got a stopwatch???

Bill Hillhouse is getting ready to release his newest video "The Pitches". If you can holds out for a week our two, I think that it would be an invaluable resource for you.

Here is the original thread I started when I introduced the 'Bent Fingered Riseball' back in 2008.

http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-pitching/292-teaching-bent-fingered-rise-up.html

itsagreatgame said:

I would appreciate any and all input on throwing the rise. DD uses "regular" grip...does not curl the forefinger. what is a good beginning drill. Any articles or links/video suggestions are very welcome. Usually I try and do this all myself but this forum has become my base for information. So fire away!! DD thinks she has "lost" her ability to throw the rise...after attending an open gym session last night and working breifly with one of the instructors and going over the "how to" of the pitch...we talked on the way home as to whether or not her last instructor even had her trully throwing a rise or just a high fastball. we got a few starting tips that she will work on but I want more info from the DFP panel!

Click to expand...

I know it took my DD about a year to throw the rise. Not until she started spinning the ball from a couple feet away, then backing up a few feet, then back up more,did she really start progressing.If her spin started getting off she would come back closer,then move back again.

The ideal spin is 6/12 and is perpendicular to the direction of travel. Very few pitchers ever get perfect spin. If the pitcher understands the ideal, it makes it easier to learn. Surprisingly to me, some kids, parents and coaches don't understand what the ideal spin is and believe their high pitch is a rise and their inside pitch is a screw (even if it actually has the opposite break!). There are several grips and "feels" for a rise spin. The trick is to experiment and play with them all. Being able to think, visualize and feel a spin is the result of lots of play and desire. If your DD is truly motivated to throw a really good rise, she will try every grip and spin until she finds one that really works for her. I would encourage you to learn along with her.

A striped or otherwise marked ball, using a high contrast color (black) makes it easier to see the spin. A few black marks or lines help. Blacking out the seams alone is fine.

Something else to consider is that what seems to work well on a small scale does not always translate well to full speed. Perfect spins at very close range may end up as spirals at full speed. Play around until you find something that gives you the desired speed, spin and control

To pitch a football in a spiral requires you to bring the fingers to the inside of the ball. A perfect spiral like this will come in to the catcher in a fairly level line but the spiral spin will be angled slightly upwards.

Click to expand...

My DD did thousands of these drills. Used to carry a football in the car. If we went somewhere and had a few minutes we'd find a spot to throw it. My DD had a great rise ball. It was her K pitch for almost her entire career. She kept her football with her during college. If she wanted to work the football it was no problem finding someone to catch it. If it was pitching she had to get one of the team catchers.

Another benefit of using the football is it stops the chicken winging of the arm.

The REAL plus is the ball doesn't lie. If it's not thrown correctly it will not fly right. When thrown right it looks like it's floating through the air with the nose of the pointed upwards.

Hillhouse video " the pitches" or an older version called " the road to the riseball"
You dd's hand size will determine the grip you choose. But the fundamentals are the same...maximum back spin. Also get on the house of pitching web site and buy the double ball.

I second the double ball, you can by one from BH or try to make your own. I used 6 inch wood screws. Look at Hillhouse videos, he really knows the riseball.

I would offer something a bit different maybe:

DD here has aguably the best rise I have ever seen (even trying to extract my daddy-glasses). She has thrown perfect-perfects (all strikeout games), and has wowed countless TB coaches. (OK I will stop being a proud parent).

But DD is always used by club leaders as an exxample to try and replicate her RB to all the other club pitchers. I still have not seen it work.

If ya ask my humble DD why this can't be taught by the standard "here's the grip" and "keep the lean back" and "here's the ideal spin" she says the following: "It's a mindset to affect that darn ball from 9 o'clock all the way through. Other pitchers just don't get it in their heads early enough in the delivery what's gotta happen to that ball."

I can't explain it any better. Don't know if this helped.....