fastball - 2 or 4 fingers

[jay]

so dd has been pitching for a little over a year. she's 11 years old, 5'7" with big hands. i'm a baseball ball and just getting into the mechanics of fastpitch softball. a baseball fastball you throw with two fingers. she's been throwing her fastball with four fingers but since she has large hands, a two-finger fastball feels somewhat comfortable for her.

i'm tempted to have her go with the two finger grip only because it can help her velocity a smidge. is this non-standard in fastpitch softball?

 

[shockcoach]

Most girls use a 3 finger grip. If she can get away with it and accurately throw a fastball with a 2 finger grip, then go for it. A 4 finger grip would be too slow, IMHO.

 

[starsnuffer]

The rule of thumb is to use as few fingers as necessary while still retaining good control of the ball. If she can comfortably grip the ball with two fingers and a thumb, then there is no reason to change that. Most male FP pitchers pitch this way.

One thing to keep in mind is that, in my opinion, because the arm is making an entire circle and there is a lot of wrist rotation movement moving from pulling the ball down to flicking and spinning it forward, it is more difficult to maintain positive grip on a softball pitch then a baseball pitch. Just watch for the ball slipping.

BTW, at that age, I usually see three fingers being used, rather than 4, unless the hands are small. The only thing you're really looking for is the correct seam orientation for the pitch and the fingers in a position where they can best impart spin in the ball for the given pitch. There's no "right or wrong" grip.

-W

 

[Lozza]

Whatever feels best for her.

How do you have her grip the ball for two seam?

 

[jay]

Whatever feels best for her.

How do you have her grip the ball for two seam?

we're only throwing a 4 seamer at this point. i'll have her start throwing with 2 fingers regularly and see how it goes. thanks.

 

[ifubuildit]

Jay

The fewer fingers required on the ball the less friction you will have when released. This should improve her speed. It may not be a dramatic improvement but the ball should be faster. Its the same principle as burying the ball in the palm when throwing a hand shake change. The more friction on the surface the less spin and speed.

Good luck.

Dana.

 

[halskinner]

Make the peace sign, put the thumb out to the side, grip the ball. The reason young pitchers need to throw a 4 seamer is to be able to maintain a good grip during the arm circle. The two fingered (Splitter) will be the fastest pitch and the most accurate pitch as far as putting the ball in the webbing wherever the catcher locates it.

Where exactly you place those fingertips in relation to the seams can change the ball spin and movement quite a bit. You can throw it as a 2 seam or 4 seam.

Just a little tilt of the wrist at release can change the direction of the movement also.

ANYTIME you throw a fastball, you have tyo do it wisely AND the batter needs to be set up for it too. I, unlike many on this board, am a big believer in using a fastball. HOWEVER, a dropball must drop, a curveball better curve a lot and your fastball BETTER BE DANG FAST or it will get clobbered!

Hal

sneakysoftballpitching.com