Help with a screwball

[TorontoCFE]

One of our pitchers is experimenting with a screwball.

When she throws it, it seems to dart sideways around 30 degrees about a foot or two from release and then goes straight rather than breaking closer to the batter.

What is the cause of this?

 

[marriard]

What is the cause of this?

Optical illusion...

Seriously - she is experimenting with it and it sounds like the experiment is not working yet. It sounds like she isn't get the right spin on it or not enough spin for it to break. What does the spin on the ball look like?

Despite what things look like right now the pitch is just a fastball.

 

[TorontoCFE]

The spin looks ok, maybe a little downward along with to the side.

She sets up like she is going to hit a left handed batter and the pitch ends up where it would hit a right handed batter.

I haven't seen it enough to say whether it is slipping out of her hand sideways or the spin runs out of gas too quickly

It looks very strange but since it is just an experiment we haven't put much thought into it yet.

 

[marriard]

The spin looks ok, maybe a little downward along with to the side.

She sets up like she is going to hit a left handed batter and the pitch ends up where it would hit a right handed batter.
I haven't seen it enough to say whether it is slipping out of her hand sideways or the spin runs out of gas too quickly

It looks very strange but since it is just an experiment we haven't put much thought into it yet.

Right now she is just throwing a directional fastball. Nothing wrong with that BTW but that is all she is doing.

If you don't understand the spin, you can't get this pitch right. Bullet-spin is not going to work - something along the 10-5 axis is probably what you are looking for (just do a search for 'screwball' on this forum and you will find details). We have a HS pitcher here who throws a nasty screw about 1/2 the time - wish I had video of it on hand to show. Really effective pitch.

 

[marriard]

Found some. Start at 1:19. From behind you can really see the ball break and tail into towards a right hand batter - especially the second one from behind she throws. It looks better in game I have seen her pitch.



(this is a 2013 senior btw - outstanding pitcher and player).

 

[halskinner]

I think it is her foillow through causing it. She is cutting the hand to the left AS she is releasing the ball. The ball is not coming off thge fingertips, it is coming off the thumb side of the index finger. That is giving it the down and in spin. She is cutting to the left and slightly upwards. Have cut to the left at a steeper angle, lioke towards the opposite shoulder and watch what happens.

Additional

Thought the girl in the video was the one in the original post.

 

[halskinner]

One of our pitchers is experimenting with a screwball.

When she throws it, it seems to dart sideways around 30 degrees about a foot or two from release and then goes straight rather than breaking closer to the batter.

What is the cause of this?

Toronto,

Based on your description, she is throwing a cutter. However, she is not throwing it fast enough for it to be an effective pitch.


Ball spin and its disruption of air currents and ball speed and its disruption of air currents. Right now the ball spin has great disruption and it overpowers the ball speed disruption very early. Add more speed to the same amount oif spin and it will break later and be effective.

She is on the right track, keep working with it. You want it to break in in the last 1/3 of travel to the hit zone, the later the better.

c

 

[CoachFP]

Found some. Start at 1:19. From behind you can really see the ball break and tail into towards a right hand batter - especially the second one from behind she throws. It looks better in game I have seen her pitch.



(this is a 2013 senior btw - outstanding pitcher and player).

The screwball you are talking about is just falling out of her hand and going to the right. There is no "break" on the ball.