Natural drop movement on fastball?

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May 15, 2016
926
18
DD2 had a lesson with her PC yesterday. She said my DD had a natural drop to her fastball. I was curious about that. I am brand new to pitching, so I do not know what I should be looking for, but I thought I saw some movement on DD's fastball over the past month or so.

Now the PC has gone back to college, and won't be back until the end of December. I forgot to ask the PC what would cause my DDs fastball to have some drop to it. Any ideas of what in a delivery could cause a natural drop. DD has only been pitching for 4 months, and is only working on her fastball and change up.

I will see if I can get a video of her to post, if the weather cooperates. Which angle should I take the video so people can see what I am talking about?
 

shaker1

Softball Junkie
Dec 4, 2014
894
18
On a bucket
A good IR fastball should have some drop to it. It should have a forward spin. So fastball is really a drop, depending on the angle of trajectory.
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
Your DD is getting some top spin on the ball, causing the ball to drop a little.

The two common types of fastballs are the bullet spin fastball and the top spin fastball. The axis of rotation for a bullet spin fastball is perpendicular to the line between 1st and 3rd. A top spin fastball has 12-6 rotation with the axis of rotation parallel to a line between 1st and 3rd. A top spin fastball will drop more than a bullet spin fastball. A top spin fastball does not have the same RPS (revolutions per second) as a true drop ball.

So, a dropball drops more than a top spin fastball; a top spin fastball drops more than a bullet spin fastball.

NOTE: Pitching during a game requires the use of different pitches at different locations. Thus, the "absolute" amount of drop is not as important as the relative amount of drop compared to the pitchers other pitches.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
It has been a while since I watched it but Building the House DVD by Hillhouse describes what you are posting.

I do not care how fast a pitcher throws, if it is straight DD is going to kill it.
 
May 16, 2016
1,024
113
Illinois
My daughter's fastball also drops a little bit. The key for her is good spin and the pitch has to be a low fastball also. If it is a middle or high fastball it will not drop, as the ball is not spinning enough to overcome the more upward trajectory. I would say that the fastballs that she throws that actually drop normally don't end up being in the strike zone, they end up slightly below the knees. Also it is not like the pitch is dropping a real lot, more of just a late break. I do tend to actually miss this pitch occasionally while sitting on the bucket. The ball hits right off the end of glove. Some days the pitch breaks away slightly from a right handed batter, those pitches have more of a 10 to 4 spin. She is a right handed pitcher.
 
May 15, 2016
926
18
Your DD is getting some top spin on the ball, causing the ball to drop a little.

The two common types of fastballs are the bullet spin fastball and the top spin fastball. The axis of rotation for a bullet spin fastball is perpendicular to the line between 1st and 3rd. A top spin fastball has 12-6 rotation with the axis of rotation parallel to a line between 1st and 3rd. A top spin fastball will drop more than a bullet spin fastball. A top spin fastball does not have the same RPS (revolutions per second) as a true drop ball.

So, a dropball drops more than a top spin fastball; a top spin fastball drops more than a bullet spin fastball.

Thanks, it is beginning to sink in for me.
 
May 15, 2016
926
18
My daughter's fastball also drops a little bit. The key for her is good spin and the pitch has to be a low fastball also. If it is a middle or high fastball it will not drop, as the ball is not spinning enough to overcome the more upward trajectory. I would say that the fastballs that she throws that actually drop normally don't end up being in the strike zone, they end up slightly below the knees. Also it is not like the pitch is dropping a real lot, more of just a late break. I do tend to actually miss this pitch occasionally while sitting on the bucket. The ball hits right off the end of glove. Some days the pitch breaks away slightly from a right handed batter, those pitches have more of a 10 to 4 spin. She is a right handed pitcher.

My DD's drop is happening on middle and high pitches. The drop is not nearly as noticeable as your DD, where the ball comes in below the glove.

My ignorance will be showing when I say I don't know the difference between a drop and a late break.
 

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