76 mph

[Hillhouse]

are you sure she’s not just throwing a screwball? do you have any other video of her throwing a fastball or a drop?

Not sure which picture you're talking about, but I can 100% promise you Jordy Bahl doesn't throw a "screwball".

 

[Hillhouse]

No, not all pitchers open up equally.

We face our target. A BB pitcher and hitter turn to close off. We hold the opening.

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It’s not do you open up, like you said. It’s how. Do I hold like hold like Bahl or do I hold like Barnhill, how do I coil.

So no, pitchers are not equal.

Jennifer is different then Bahl.

I think this is true, to an extent. While you can say no 2 pitchers are equal and "Jennifer is different then Bahl" (although I don't know who Jennifer is or anything about her). I would counter argue that while they aren't the "same", fundamentally they should be getting their power the same way. Don't confuse the pitching styles from the pitching absolutes. The human body is designed to work a certain way to maximize it's power. Regardless of gender. If you overlap a picture of the top male pitcher and female pitcher, in the places I'd consider the "absolutes" you'd see them in extremely similar positions.

Without question size and strength can make huge differences. But, it's not always about that. Otherwise the tallest, strongest person would automatically be the fastest pitcher. Someone like Ueno and Scarborough wouldn't be any where close to that big tall person.

 

[Shawn]

Hillhouse

Jennifer is Jennifer Spediacci. She played for UW huskies. They lost one year in the championship game at the WCWS. Lost to UCLA one year in the semifinals game as being in the winners bracket. UCLA beat them twice.

She was good. Played for team Italy.

 

[anaaraujoz]

Not sure which picture you're talking about, but I can 100% promise you Jordy Bahl doesn't throw a "screwball".

It was about the pitcher in the first video. I said that because she looks like a pitcher trying to throw a “screw”: step left, keep hips open, throw inside, etc. from what i’ve seen when pitchers try to throw that, they have dif mechanics throught the pitch

 

[RADcatcher]

There is more than one way to be successful.

Bodies are different and that should be acknowledged!
That said,
No two pitchers are exactly the same.

Develop the individual athlete inside the softball player!

 

[El Oso]

The fastest you can throw doesn’t have a perfect up right posture. It’s actually tilted toward the throwing arm.

I think that speaking in absolutes about pitching is hilarious. As if there is only one way to do it...….

There have been pitchers throwing with tilt for years and years and they were never the fastest. Along comes one girl throwing gas being tilted and all of the sudden, THAT is the way to throw the fastest. Lol....

Note -- if you look closely, there's another supposed "absolute" being violated in this clip. You will also notice that the "brush trigger" so often talked about here by the old heads as being necessary to succeed at the highest levels is nowhere to be seen. You slow down the clip and you will see space between her arm and her leg/hip the entire time. It gets close but never touches. So another absolute always discussed here is proven to be false.

 

[ArmWhip]

No, not all pitchers open up equally.

Of course there are individual differences, I was replying to this: "Opening rotation is the pitching power source". If you don't open you will have trouble reaching 50 mph. But the 'secret' to Pickens's velocity does not lie in her opening up, since she opens a lot less than many pitchers. Cat Osterman opens more than most.

What I find intriguing is that here we have another pitcher throwing a high velocity bullet spin pitch. I'm wondering if wrist flexion and radial deviation can provide a mechanical advantage. The closeup of Pickens's release seems to show both. If the wrist has flexion and radial deviation while it pronates (along with IR) the combination could be a source of additional velocity. When you throw overhand the fingers are behind the ball propelling it forward at release, there is no pronation until after release. But throwing underhand has a different mechanical action.

 

[RADcatcher]

Of course there are individual differences, I was replying to this: "Opening rotation is the pitching power source". If you don't open you will have trouble reaching 50 mph. But the 'secret' to Pickens's velocity does not lie in her opening up, since she opens a lot less than many pitchers. Cat Osterman opens more than most.

What I find intriguing is that here we have another pitcher throwing a high velocity bullet spin pitch. I'm wondering if wrist flexion and radial deviation can provide a mechanical advantage. The closeup of Pickens's release seems to show both. If the wrist has flexion and radial deviation while it pronates (along with IR) the combination could be a source of additional velocity. When you throw overhand the fingers are behind the ball propelling it forward at release, there is no pronation until after release. But throwing underhand has a different mechanical action.

Nice to read paying attention to other details and how they are or can be impactful!

 

[BucketDud]

Opening rotation is the pitching power source. As Eddie Feigner said in his book, opening is the power source.

Shawn- would be curious on your take on this in comparison to what is being taught by Fastpitch Power lady? Her videos seem to be gaining a LOT of popularity and no coincidence she seems to be getting higher level pitchers in her program.

I do like a lot of what she teaches regarding whip, stacking, etc. But seems she really dislikes opening, even though there are so many great pitchers who do it.

 

[Shawn]

I think some are missing the point. The way she is throwing could possibly apply greater leverage. With the being open, arm in front of hip (no contact), tilted puts the hand in position to apply greater leverage.

This is nothing new, I heard it first from Ernie Parker 25 years ago. It was one of the ways to throw a screwball.

So this isn’t just a pitcher throwing 76.