Is this illegeal?

[starsnuffer]

There is no "present" the ball in woman's fastpitch. That is an old slow pitch myth that keeps being brought up every so often. Once your hands come together the next motion must be a pitch or a step back off of the rubber. The pitch starts once the hands have separated.

Lozza, from what you describe your motion sounds perfectly legal. If you've never been called for before you shouldn't doubt yourself.

It may be called different things, but the crux of Rule 6 in ASA fastpitch rules for women the pitcher must step up to the rubber with both feet touching with the hands separated (Ball can be either in glove or pitching hand), then the hands must come together for at least 1 second and no more then 10 seconds. This is often referred to as "presentation", and many a young girl will get called illegal if she "presents" too quickly.

AFTER that, the pitch begins, as soon as the hands separate.

-W

 

[Lozza]

It may be called different things, but the crux of Rule 6 in ASA fastpitch rules for women the pitcher must step up to the rubber with both feet touching with the hands separated

So I went and read the rule and apparently the 'ball must be in the hand' IS a myth. Interesting.

 

[starsnuffer]

If you were to present, separate, and then bring your hands together again, that would be illegal, but that doesn't sound like what you're doing.

-W

 

[PEPPERS]

ASA RULE BOOK link - pitching starts on page 83

http://www.azsoftball.org/misc/2006/Misc/05.softball.umpire.rulebook.pdf

From my mental view how you describe it, it is legal.

 

[Lozza]

EVERYONE is taught here to walk up to the plate with the ball and glove seperate. I have a very strong feeling it might have been a rule before (because it's something I remember my mum teaching me when I was about nine) and it was changed and no-one's ever really caught on.

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

It may be called different things, but the crux of Rule 6 in ASA fastpitch rules for women the pitcher must step up to the rubber with both feet touching with the hands separated (Ball can be either in glove or pitching hand), then the hands must come together for at least 1 second and no more then 10 seconds. This is often referred to as "presentation", and many a young girl will get called illegal if she "presents" too quickly.

AFTER that, the pitch begins, as soon as the hands separate.

-W

Absolutely correct under ASA. My DD got into a bad habit of stepping up to the pitching plate with both hands together and then after a short pause going directly into her wind-up until one tournament game she was called for an IP (at the urging of the opposing team no less) and she immediately corrected it for subsequent pitches. In hindsight, I am glad that the ump made the correct call because our coaches and pitchers learned something that day.

 

[dbias]

my daughter has always been taught to approach the plate with the ball in glove, take sign from catcher, bring hands together, use 1 to 9 seconds of the ten allowed before begining pitch, she always varies time ball is presented (hands together) 1,5,3,9 seconds etc to keep the batter thinking about what she is doing and not becoming predictable. when pitch is started she keeps the right hand and ball in glove and it does not come out until about 10 oclock... ala bill hillhouse... on the upswing of the delivery. there have been numerous times that opposing coaches have had a fit because she was not "presenting/showing" the batter the ball... just happen to have it hightlighted in the rule books and have never lost the arguement. If anything i can usually come back and question their pitchers lack of a presentation... most times a tenth of a second contact of ball and glove... almost a walk through.
I know other coaches do this to try to get in my daughters head but they dont know her... as i have yet to get anything in her head, more hard headed than even her mother, and besides she thinks its funny as the coach usually gets their own team upset over what she is doing and thinking of other things besides hitting.

 

[Mrek]

It may be called different things, but the crux of Rule 6 in ASA fastpitch rules for women the pitcher must step up to the rubber with both feet touching with the hands separated (Ball can be either in glove or pitching hand), then the hands must come together for at least 1 second and no more then 10 seconds. This is often referred to as "presentation", and many a young girl will get called illegal if she "presents" too quickly.

AFTER that, the pitch begins, as soon as the hands separate.

-W

But one subtle point, when the hands come together to "present" there is nothing that states they must be motionless. So in the initial example given, if hand, ball and glove are together as you raise over your head and that motion lasts at least 1 second utill you separate, then you have "presented" the ball.

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

But one subtle point, when the hands come together to "present" there is nothing that states they must be motionless.

I think of the "present" as having both feet on the pitching plate and hands separated before they come together. The hands don't "come together" to "present" they must be separated to "present", at least that is the way I interpret the rule under ASA.

 

[rowdy]

Nothing Illegal about what you described.