Bullet spin pitches / fastballs

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Jan 27, 2010
516
16
Ok. I have been holding back on this topic for awhile now. Everyone is saying a bullet spin pitch will have no movement. That statement is only true depending on exactly how you grip the ball and exactly where you place your fingers in relation to the horseshoe seams.

I saw one post where someone placed a red dot right in the exact middle of the area between the legs of the horseshoe. I believe that being the axis of the bullet spin would produce next to no movement. However, if you placed your fingers for the grip with that red dot being ON a seam, a bullet spin pitch will most definitely have some movement, noticeable movement.

Experiment gripping the ball at different positions than you normally do now. Don't give up after 7 or 8 attempts either. Try a new position ( grip) and take a good mental note, practice it many times and see what it does. You might be very surprised to find out you have a new pitch to add to your arsenal. It might break very late and your catcher might hate it but it might be very effective.:D

WINNING FAST PITCH SOFTBALL

Thank you!
 
May 12, 2008
2,214
0
Will your axis be perfectly straight like a bullet or slightly angled in these late movement pitches?
 
May 22, 2008
351
0
NW Pennsylvania
PLEASE- someone show me a video of a pitch with a dot marked on the softball from the catchers point of view with the dot not moving all over the place so I can actually believe you can achieve actual bullet spin....
 
May 22, 2008
351
0
NW Pennsylvania
I would consider myself far more expert with a rifle than a softball, & I do know that if a rifle bullet is not perfect in every way (like a softball with seams) , when it exits a rifled barrell, it is going to move, wobble & possibly tumble, so I can believe yourbullet spin fastball would move Hal, but I still question how or why you would throw one. Actually when I picture throwing a football underhand in a spiral & what my fingers are doing, there is no way they are behind the ball at any time during release, & that has got to slow the ball a ton. much like a girl palming the ball in a circle change.
 
May 12, 2008
2,214
0
I agree with using the "fastball" as a reverse change up if it's significantly different in speed from your drop and rise. On your late breaking bullet spin my guess would be a slight angling of the spin axis producing a baseball slider effect.
 
May 12, 2008
2,214
0
PLEASE- someone show me a video of a pitch with a dot marked on the softball from the catchers point of view with the dot not moving all over the place so I can actually believe you can achieve actual bullet spin....

If you are ever down in Houston look up Tim Timmons. Catch him or go watch some of his students. It's really not that difficult. You could track him down through either the Missouri City softball or the Sugar Land softball organization. He produces effective pitchers who can spin the ball backward and forward. He just starts with a rifle spin fastball and teaches stepping style leg work. Within those non standard guidelines, he produces a lot of effective pitchers.
 
Last edited:
May 12, 2008
2,214
0
Actually when I picture throwing a football underhand in a spiral & what my fingers are doing, there is no way they are behind the ball at any time during release, & that has got to slow the ball a ton.
A little, yeah.
 

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