Can you release the ball on the first pass of the leg from the back swing and then finish the arm circle and still be a legal pitch?
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Pitching rule ?
- Thread starter 4 girl's dad
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I do not think so, DD had this pitch down a few years ago. Only used it in practice.
You cannot complete a rotation after releasing the ball. There is various definitions and descriptions in various rule books but they all essentially equate to the same thing.
This is the relevant one from the USSSA Ruleset (the bold section is the relevant wording):
NOTE 3: .....5.The pitcher does not continue to wind up after taking the forward step or after the ball is released.NOTE:Continuation of the windup is considered any action that,after the ball is released, causes the arm to continue to rotate past the shoulder.
Hi 4 girl's dad. When my daughter played she had that "slingshot" pitch in her repertoire. In USA softball there is no requirement for a full windwill rotation although certainly the windwill is allowed. As marriad above correctly said you can't make another revolution after releasing the ball, but they are not prohibited from releasing the ball on the 1st time by the hip. Most girls I've seen do a slingshot go pretty far back on the backswing and release as they pass the hip. My daughter only used it when she was gettign out of sync on her windmill windup. The slingshot was straight back and forth so kept her body aligned better. A few slingshots and she got back in sync. Haven't seen anyone pitch slingshot in a few years.
- Mar 4, 2018
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Every now and then I will see a slingshot changeup from a 10u or 11u player. They do not make another arm revolution after they release the ball though.
YouTube Chinese changeup
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- Nov 29, 2009
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Had a pitcher throw one to my hitter a few years ago, and it was REALLY good one. Froze my girl for what should have been the third strike. It was so good it fooled the umpire. The umpire calls illegal pitch, deception. The other coach tried to argue with the umpire. She was a college girl who didn't know how to discuss pitching rules. The umpire would not change his mind.
After the game I told the coach her pitcher was 100% legal.
