Finger pressure and seams

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Jul 4, 2018
50
8
san diego ca
This post if from a different thread. It gives a scientific explanation for [MENTION=10413]riseball[/MENTION] 's finger pressure movement pitches. I appreciate Wild53 for finding and posting the video to DFP. Excellent, excellent, excellent!

*sluggers*
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for your consideration... i pitch in slow pitch softball so my understanding of fast pitch is minimal... however, i warm up with a windmill motion and i get some good movement when i do... i also get a lot of movement in slow pitch using a technique that's demonstrated in this video...

reading some threads in here i see that bullet spin is used a lot and i think this video explains why you can create movement with it... see what you think about this other way to induce the magnus effect...

i haven't found anything suggesting this in here so i'm hoping some experts can look into it and decide if it applies or not... since no name has been given to it, i call it the smooth/rough side effect... it's a well known way of getting movement in cricket and i see it often in baseball and fastpitch but i never see anyone explaining why it works... hopefully this does that... it's also been suggested that this is what makes a knuckleball move as the seams change position in relation to the direction of motion...

 
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Jul 4, 2018
50
8
san diego ca
you're welcome slugger... i checked out some threads in here and it looked like you guys were tap dancing around this but didn't know the physics behind it... and as we all know... knowing the physics is helpful... i know because since i discovered this, i went from hoping my pitch would curve to knowing it will and how much... turns out that's a much preferable situation... :cool:
 
Last edited:
Apr 17, 2012
806
18
Wi
Perfect Circle always talked about 2 seam vs 4 seam and why it had more movement? Where has PC gone?

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Jul 4, 2018
50
8
san diego ca
i know physics isn't everyone bag... but this is actually pretty simple to understand... nothing complex about it... no geekiness required to comprehend it...

knowing the science is what takes it from conjecture to knowledge... if you don't know the physics behind it, how do you refine the pitch? i know you guys have most of it figured out already without knowing the physics... with this, you can back up what you think knowing the physics supports you...

for instance, do you realize the required spin axis is through the center of the smooth spot so the seams form the rough side?

do you know that simply orienting the smooth spot correctly in relation to the direction of movement is what determines which way the ball moves?

that's why i use this ball to show me what's happening in flight... it shows me exactly where the seams are and if i have a tight spin... i call it a bullseye ball... with one side outlining the seams and the other one opposite it to show the pitcher what's happneing... of course that one won't be on the seams since the ball isn't balanced through the center of opposing smooth spots... :cool:

BULLSEYE 01A.jpg
BULLSEYE 01B.jpg
BULLSEYE 01C.jpg
 
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Mar 20, 2015
174
28
From the catchers perspective does the ball break away from the smooth side of the ball?


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Jul 4, 2018
50
8
san diego ca
From the catchers perspective does the ball break away from the smooth side of the ball?


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that's correct... usually they discuss it in terms of breaking towards the rough side... but away from the smooth side is the same thing... :cool:
 
Mar 20, 2015
174
28
that's correct... usually they discuss it in terms of breaking towards the rough side... but away from the smooth side is the same thing... :cool:

So if I’m following you to get it to break towards a RH batter you would need to have 1) the axis yawed toward the batter similar to Boardmembers IR spin, 2) have it spin a couple of degrees to the right of perfect 2 seam spin. Have your had success doing this with the ball marked as you showed?

I ask all of this because my DD has always thrown a 2 seam fastball. Occasionally one of them has a sharp and late break towards a right handed batter but she is unable to replicate it. Most of her fastballs have a smaller slow break away from the batter or no break.


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