If a ChangeUp is the second pitch every budding young pitcher learns...

[sluggers]

I AM YOU

Are you sure you aren't my evil twin from another dimension?

 

[_MIA_]

Are you sure you aren't my evil twin from another dimension?

I think he has just been smoking that magic mushroom ball he referred to..

 

[thecat]

Are you sure you aren't my evil twin from another dimension?

Us are we.

 

[efastball]

But real Riseballs behave a little differently...

Go on..

 

[corlay]

Go on..

Ha! yeah... I'm not going down the "do riseballs actually rise" rabbit-hole!
(I will say that they do "fall less" than other pitches. howabout that?)

But a 12-6 backspinning ball with high revs DOES decelerate differently than a bullet-spin fastball.
It's hard to describe, but when you see it, you know it.

a lot of the snarky comments here are borne out of pure ignorance.

 

[BigSkyHi]

And they can throw a change-up too. Not fair!

 

[BigSkyHi]

Ha! yeah... I'm not going down the "do riseballs actually rise" rabbit-hole!
(I will say that they do "fall less" than other pitches. howabout that?)

But a 12-6 backspinning ball with high revs DOES decelerate differently than a bullet-spin fastball.
It's hard to describe, but when you see it, you know it.

a lot of the snarky comments here are borne out of pure ignorance.

Looks like this one decelerates when it hits the back stop

 

[corlay]

Looks like this one decelerates when it hits the back stop

very clearly illustrates (in hi-res slo-mo) that Garcia does NOT throw a "true rise".
Her ball is not spinning 12-6 backwards - and not even anything remotely close to that..
(she throws what we call a "Big Dot" bullet spin...)

Of course, she is a supremely successful pitcher.
But that is not really a "riseball" - by definition.

Take a look at ex-Georgia pitcher Chelsea Wilkinson for a good example of a real riseball...
Or ex-Florida pitcher Kelly Barnhill freshman/sophomore years...

 

[burgasser]

very clearly illustrates (in hi-res slo-mo) that Garcia does NOT throw a "true rise".
Her ball is not spinning 12-6 backwards - and not even anything remotely close to that..
(she throws what we call a "Big Dot" bullet spin...)

Of course, she is a supremely successful pitcher.
But that is not really a "riseball" - by definition.

Take a look at ex-Georgia pitcher Chelsea Wilkinson for a good example of a real riseball...
Or ex-Florida pitcher Kelly Barnhill freshman/sophomore years...

Does anyone have a link to slow-motion video of 12-6 riseball spin?

 

[efastball]

I usually just tell kids not to swing at pitches at the eyeballs, whether it's a curve, change or fastball.