- May 16, 2019
- 418
- 63
Bulletspin gets no respect but it is not so bad and actually quite common. In the Powerdrive video shown above Amanda S is throwing bulletspin. If you look at the ball after she releases it you can plainly see the bulletspin. So don't go crazy trying to 'fix' it. A popular fastball spin is half topspin and half bulletspin.
Bulletspin happens in 2 ways. In the first the palm faces third base and the ball rolls off the fingers, it is like a football spiral thrown underhand. The second is demonstrated by Amanda S. The palm faces forward, the ball rolls off the index finger, between that finger and the thumb. The second way is more common. Sometimes you see version which is a combination of both methods.
I have a dog toy that I use to teach basic spins. For topspin the ends of the toy/football should point toward 1st and 3rd.
Hero Dog Toys Retriever Series Outer Armor Football
Features:<br>Squeaks 3 Layer Tough<br>Dental Benefits<br>Great for tossing and chasing SCHEELSwww.scheels.com
We have been using this break to get really picky with DDs mechanics and we have cleaned up one thing after another and continue to see improvements in speed and spin. We are stuck on riseball now. She used to have beautiful NATURAL 6/12 spin. It was crazy how quickly she just got it. Threw about 53-55 and it was just devastating because of the spinrate. Well...gained 3-5mph and now the darn thing is bullet spin. We have tried all kinds of drills and grips to no avail. Comes out as you describe in scenario 2. Its still a consistent pitch that she can locate extremely well but we know past 12u its gotta get better to be as effective. Following this thread to see if any advice given will give us that AHA moment.
I attended a conference several years ago where Cat Osterman spoke. She said she threw a 'corkscrew' fastball along with a drop, rise and change. So you might be better served by accepting the bulletspin fastball and mentally changing to learning the drop. Basically she needs to square up the hand and have the ball roll down and come off the finger tips instead of the index finger. That is what she should be doing mechanically but I am a believer in establishing the goal and letting the body find it's own answer. In this case the goal is topspin. In order to provide good visual feedback I would put quarter size black spots all over a ball so the spin can be readily observed. Then simply try to get 'overspin' on the ball. Start with slingshot and if she gets it progress to full motion.
If that doesn't help you might try to overcompensate and try to get her to throw a dropcurve. This involves rotating the hand over the ball at release to get top-side spin. It's also called a rollover drop but the side spin is what makes it effective.
I attended a conference several years ago where Cat Osterman spoke. She said she threw a 'corkscrew' fastball along with a drop, rise and change. So you might be better served by accepting the bulletspin fastball and mentally changing to learning the drop. Basically she needs to square up the hand and have the ball roll down and come off the finger tips instead of the index finger. That is what she should be doing mechanically but I am a believer in establishing the goal and letting the body find it's own answer. In this case the goal is topspin. In order to provide good visual feedback I would put quarter size black spots all over a ball so the spin can be readily observed. Then simply try to get 'overspin' on the ball. Start with slingshot and if she gets it progress to full motion.
If that doesn't help you might try to overcompensate and try to get her to throw a dropcurve. This involves rotating the hand over the ball at release to get top-side spin. It's also called a rollover drop but the side spin is what makes it effective.