1 oclock o 7 oclock SPIN

[Sponge]

Hey Folks,

My daughter is working on her drop and she has a 1 oclock to 7 spin on the ball.
That is as viewing form he catcher. She uses 3 fingers and a thumb when pitching.
I have tried to get her to move to 2 finers and a thumb but she says her hand is too
small to grip it right. I was wondering.....if the middle finger i centerd with the thumb
would that cause it to roll off of finger with a spin? Is there anything else I can
look for that would cause this. I know thats workable but Ive also read if you can
get that true 12 - 6 spin the drop is much more effective.

Thanks for any suggestions...

 

[starsnuffer]

Two things:

First, getting a perfect 12-6 spin is optimal but not necessary. Her 1-7 spin will get a bit of inside (RHB) break, but not much, nothing to scoff at. What you don't want is corkscrew or "offset" spin. This is when the offset is on 2 separate axis, or "tilted back" towards the pitcher.

Second, 3 fingers is perfectly normal for a girl throwing a softball, unless she has huge hands, 2 fingers is not very practical.

-W

 

[Sponge]

Yep..every once and a while she throws a pitchand t has a bulls eye on it. The ball is
actually pnning right to left but the axis is back. I sho her by twirling my finger whilepointed at her. Is that just her twisting on release?

 

[starsnuffer]

If it's a rollover drop, she's probably not getting her hand flat on top of the ball and she's "turning the doorknob" at release for those, so yeah, it could be her twisting. Keep an eye on her hand at release and it should tell you what's going on.

-W

 

[lhowser]

If you really want to see what is going on with the hand during release get one of the Casio Exilm high speed cameras. They are under $250 and shoot video at 240fps and 480fps. In good lighting you can see everything.

 

[Screwball]

Here's a secret: Many female pitchers have all their fingers on the ball....but don't tell anyone, it will make them mad.

 

[Hillhouse]

sponge... basic rule of physics: more hand on the ball, less speed on the pitch. More hand creates more friction which takes longer to be released than if less hand is on the ball. This is also how MLB pitchers vary speed. Adding fingers, removing fingers. It will change the mph by only a few but that is also enough to disrupt timing. Which is the goal anyway. If she needs 3 fingers, then use 3. If she gets bigger and can go to 2, then go to 2. Use what you have to. I did not always have big hands where I could grip with 2, I had to use what God gave me. TO fix the spin, make sure her hand is not curled or cupped at the 12:00 position or at any part of the arm circle. This can also be caused by small hands and the feeling of losing the ball. SCREWBALL is right, a lot of girls use their whole hand. However, most are not taught WHY they should change the grip as they get bigger. IF they never get bigger and keep the same grip, so be it. And changing ANY grip will feel awkward and take some practice. But make sure the ball is pointing at 3rd base RH pitcher (1st base LH Pitcher) during the arm circle and the hand rotates so the fingers point to the ground at the release point. If the tips are not pointed downward, the spin will be off center.

I'm in Aruba right now. I just wanted to rub that in to all of you. It's 85 degrees as I have my morning coffee and now going to the beach.

Bill

 

[PitchingDude]

I have a Lefty who "Cups" the ball due to small hands. She has grown some now but still wants to cup her wrist. I have to make her aware of it on a regular basis. Once she relaxes her wrist, I get a tighter spin and more downward movement but also inward on RHBs. She throws pretty much the 1 to 7 spin but I have found that to be quite effective. Rather than discouraging it, I have had her embrace it. She can then change her powerline ever so slightly and locate it over different parts of the plate. Seams to work for her. Had one girl she faced say that the ball "vanished" just as it got to the plate. LOL, it moved down and in quickly on her.

I also use a 14" ball and have my pitchers throw it for awhile each practice. Then, the 12" seams like a baseball to them. That may help with getting more over the top.

The Aruba comment just ain't right. Rainy and dreary in East Tn.