How to stop bullet spin?

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Nov 15, 2016
80
6
Thanks so much. Yes the video is a little old. She was doing more soldier leg drive then actual drive. It is getting better now but still working. I will upload another video of where we are currently when I get time. Thanks so much for all of the advice. We are currently working on most of those things. What is a scap pinch? Yes you are right the spin is curve ball more then bullet sometimes.
 
Dec 5, 2012
4,143
63
Mid West
Scap pinch....
Pull the shoulder blades into each other an inch or two. It'll almost look like she's puffing her chest out. In return, the upper arm will be drawn down into the sides of the ribs and not the front half. When you see elite pitchers "hiding the ball behind her body" then and only at the moment of release can you see the ball..... This is because her upper arm was deep.
 
Aug 21, 2008
2,386
113
jday, keep it simple. Bullet spin is caused by her turning her hand OVER or under the ball. She's twisting her wrist at the release, it's that simple. The fix is USUALLY to use more elbow to whip through. The more the elbow whips and goes fast, the impossibility of the wrist turning happens. The wrist will naturally follow the elbow's course.

It's easy to do at 9 o clock but I wouldn't recommend doing 9 O'clock. thats probably teaching her to come down without use of the elbow and FORCE the wrist to turn.

Bottom line: Forget 9 o clock. If you're going to do a slingshot style, 12 o'clock pitch in warm up, make sure she whips that elbow through and the hand follows through ACROSS the body. This will eliminate bullet spin in a NY minute. The harder the snap, the less chance the wrist has to turn. So focus on the follow through and you'll see 12-6 spin.

Bill
 
Feb 3, 2010
5,767
113
Pac NW
Found a video, it is a little old but pretty sure she still throws the same way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C3JNSqEgaA

Compare the rear leg action in the video you posted /\ with the girl ("B") in the more recent video you posted on your YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKhqncoKRR0 Watch the back legs of each of these girls and note the difference.

Coach Pauly addresses this leg action here:


Focus on this and maybe adding a 2 Step sequence to her drive. Once she's adducting her legs better, I think her posture will improve along with brush, which may result in better spin as a byproduct.


***Updated--Hope that makes more sense!
 
Last edited:

BLB

May 19, 2008
173
18
https://youtu.be/lKhqncoKRR0

Little more recent but not full pitch and prior to leg drive work

She doesn't seem to get to and through a good tilted h position. More importantly, she seems to reach out with her left foot early. Her left knee should drive out by the 6 oc position with her foot still slightly behind her knee. A good drive knee-foot extension sequence is important. The left foot reaches out by mid upswing. As for bullet spin, the palm of her hand is most likely facing the catcher at release. It should still be facing 3rd base as much as possible. She must find a way to keep her palm facing 3rd base longer. Staying more sideways at release can sometimes help along with not releasing the ball too late. The more you release the ball beyond the hip, the more difficult it is to maintain palm facing 3rd. Also, the grip can make a difference. I don't know how some of the grips being used by most female pitchers can ever produce a backward spin using full motion. I used what we called the hook for a grip. I focused on having the tip of my index finger (hook) stay inside of midline of the ball at release. Just my humble opinion.
 
Aug 12, 2014
112
28
Buffalo, NY
I agree with Coach James and BLB. To word it differently, her arm is getting ahead of her legs. The initial drive (h position) is causing her to detaching late from the rubber, she is getting her weight planted on her front foot late in comparison to her arm circle. Perhaps, this what is making her palm face more toward the catcher too early? Where she needs to stay into the whip longer (Hillhouse) or palm toward 3rd longer (BLB). Is the late leg drive not syncing with arm causing the arm to get early into the snap causing the spin? In her 9:00's her Arm circle is probably in the correct timing position to sync with her legs.
 
Last edited:
Feb 3, 2010
5,767
113
Pac NW
The last two posts have me spinning! What just happened?!?! Are we talking drop or rise?
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
42,863
Messages
680,328
Members
21,534
Latest member
Kbeagles
Top