Screw the Screwball?

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Jan 8, 2013
334
18
South Carolina
My 14 yo DD primarily throws a change, drop, drop-curve. She can throw a curve and she is working on getting the rise ball spin correct. I think she will need to increase her velocity to make her rise effective.

We rarely practice her screwball except for when we go to pitching lesson. In the past when she practices throwing a screwball it seems to just throw everything else off. She is a RHP. To go inside on a RHB she will throw an inside drop.

So far she has lived on the three pitches and done fine, even in 16u showcase tournaments. So here are a few questions I have and thanks for your time.

1) At what point did you narrow the types of pitches your daughter throws?
2) If you have 2-3 primary pitches did you only practice those or did you do something like 70% practice on primary 30% on secondary?
3) Is it okay to have the mindset that DD doesn't throw "X" pitch well and we are not going to fool with it?
4) Maybe it is the type of screwball she is throwing? I have seen Boardmember and someone else show some other type of screwball.

I feel like it is time to start narrowing the focus and moving towards "perfecting" certain pitches. Thanks!
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,133
113
Dallas, Texas
IMHO, you are chasing unicorns.

I suspect your DD doesn't really "have" a curve or a drop.

Very few pitchers at 16U and below truly "have" a breaking pitch. To really have a breaking pitch, the pitcher has to get it to work 90% of the time. If she can't, then it is worthless. You can't throw a drop ball with a 10% chance it is going to be a belt high fastball. If she can't throw a breaking pitch on a 3-2 count because she can't promise it is going to be a strike, it is also worthless.

You see, the point of having a breaking pitch is to be able to use it when the game is on the line. If your DD can't because she can't promise either (a) that it is going to break or (b) that is going to be at a predefined location, then she really doesn't "have" the pitch.

I kind of doubt your DD can do that with any of her pitches. She is learning a bunch of pitches, but she hasn't mastered any of them. At 14U, sure, you can throw some junk and the batters will swing at anything. At 16U, not so much. At 18U A/Gold and college, not at all.

IMHO, what you should do is focus on really developing the drop and curve.

But, let's take a deeper dive:

1) RISEBALLS--Almost all pitchers throw the riseball with bulletspin. There are a surprising small number of pitchers who actually have true riseball spin. Pitchers who do get 6-12 or 7-1 spin are extremely effective...but, there are very few round. (Again, I have to thank FFS for this insight.)
2) SCREWBALLS--I haven't seen any pitcher throw a softball with anything even remotely resembling screwball spin. Every pitcher is "step left, throw across the plate".
3) CURVE--I have found some pitchers who throw curveballs. (I stand corrected.) Cat Osterman being one of them.

Most pitchers throw a bulletspin pitch and then when it is thrown inside, it is call a screwball. When it is high, it is a riseball.

Watch this video. Watch the spin on the ball for the rise and screw--bullet spin.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rZzSBbFyvRk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Last edited:
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
Let's keep it real - There is not a single pitcher out there that throws a riseball or any other breaking pitch with bullet spin. If it is bullet spin it is not a riseball, screwball, or curve, it is bullet spin. Granted they may attempt or think they are throwing a certain pitch but that does not make it so. The identity of a pitch is determined by the end result, not wishful intentions. Otherwise every popup would be called a home run. :)
 
Mar 23, 2014
621
18
SoCal
Papapump - interesting post and I hope someone chimes in with some valuable input on screwball. DD is learning this pitch but I too have noticed it throws her other pitches off. Wonder why?
 
Feb 7, 2013
3,188
48
For what it's worth, I was watching a recording of one of the NPF playoff games between Monica Abbott and Sarah Pauly and they had super slo mo cameras of and videos of both pitchers riseballs and both of them were throwing titled axis up, bullet spin riseballs. The same spin and axis angle that Rick Pauly demonstrated in his videos. Monica throws a riseball in the low 70s and is arguably the best female pitcher in the world. I would call her riseball a "real" riseball even though she doesn't get anything close to 6/12 spin on that pitch.
 
Jan 8, 2013
334
18
South Carolina
IMHO, you are chasing unicorns.

I suspect your DD doesn't really "have" a curve or a drop.

Very few pitchers at 16U and below truly "have" a breaking pitch. To really have a breaking pitch, the pitcher has to get it to work 90% of the time. If she can't, then it is worthless. You can't throw a drop ball with a 10% chance it is going to be a belt high fastball. If she can't throw a breaking pitch on a 3-2 count because she can't promise it is going to be a strike, it is also worthless.

She can throw a curve, but is not proficient with it (so some would say she can't throw a curve and we don't use it in games) Now with her drops and change she is much more proficient. Not at 90% which is my point...when do you drop the other stuff and just focus on what you are good at so you can move from being good to being great with those few pitches? Like Keilani Ricketts and her "crop" pitch. I'm sure she threw other pitches, but at some point she had to cut back or drop the other things to focus on this pitch to become proficient with it.

Or am I thinking about this wrong?
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
Most fastpitch pitchers do not get enough spin on the ball to get significant movement on a breaking pitch. I would estimate 3-4" for most. This is also why a rise and drop are considered more effective than a screw or curve - the barrel of the bat is much longer than it is thick. If throwing a screwball messes up the mechanics of your DDs other pitches, then as others have suggested, throw an inside fastball. But an inside fastball with a couple of inches of late movement that "saws off" the batter is extremely gratifying to the pitcher and her parents....
 

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