Move 3 Feet, a perspective on changes to the game.

[RADcatcher]

Serious question!
Thought to ask how many people
on this forum were around when pitching was moved back 3 ft?
40' to 43'

This was a giant massive change in the game that affected players at the 14u level and up.

Discussions about that at training facilities and at the field was everywhere regarding this change to the game!
People were stunned and shocked this would happen! How are pitchers going to make that adjustment?
This is going to throw off hitting!
Some people were on board with it seeing it's relevancy and others just couldn't imagine the game being altered that much.
But guess what?!...
All the players figured it out and softball moved along.
That 3 ft became a non-topic.

 

[RADcatcher]

Regarding pitching mechanics and leaping or whatever rule changes and umpiring inconsistencies there may be
( including balls and Strikes )...
Understandable some people have grievances when umpiring is inconsistent.
That said,

Hopefully people will recognize that the new rule for leaping is less consequential than the massive change that was made years ago to move pitching 3 ft back.

Simply
Pitching at 43 ft became normal.
As did another example in a more recent time frame is how quickly everyone adjusted to pitchers being able to start with one foot off the rubber. Blended in. Pitchers and Batters figured out timing and it's a non-issue.

Give the new leaping rule time to fit in and it will become The New Normal!

(Which BTW is already normal in the women's International game! It would be nice if pitching regulations were consistent throughout all of softball)

 

[The Man In Blue]

That 3 ft became a non-topic.

Except when the age brackets change on your field and the grounds crew forgets . . . Then it is a topic. Usually once the home team has gotten the three outs, but doesn't want the other team's pitcher to have the same.

Leaping just wiped out the three feet. Yes, everybody will adjust. No, umpires don't care.

 

[Northball]

Regarding pitching mechanics and leaping or whatever rule changes and umpiring inconsistencies there may be
( including balls and Strikes )...
Understandable some people have grievances when umpiring is inconsistent.
That said,

Hopefully people will recognize that the new rule for leaping is less consequential than the massive change that was made years ago to move pitching 3 ft back.

Simply
Pitching at 43 ft became normal.
As did another example in a more recent time frame is how quickly everyone adjusted to pitchers being able to start with one foot off the rubber. Blended in. Pitchers and Batters figured out timing and it's a non-issue.

Give the new leaping rule time to fit in and it will become The New Normal!

(Which BTW is already normal in the women's International game! It would be nice if pitching regulations were consistent throughout all of softball)

Good points. Adapt, adapt, adapt.

 

[quincy]

The perment plates were always a safely concenern for me. I asked them to pull them out and they did.

You tell me the rules we play to what is set down

 

[uncdrew]

I think pitchers should be at 50 feet, 5 inches.

 

[canyonjoe]

Like any rule in any game you just adapt. This is especially true on easy to officiate rules like this where it's just 3 feet back. If you moved the bases to 65 feet it would just change things a little bit but coaches would just adapt.

 

[Northball]

I think pitchers should be at 50 feet, 5 inches.

It'll take me a while to adapt to that one!

 

[uncdrew]

It'll take me a while to adapt to that one!

Wouldn't it be crazy. My DD throws pretty hard, but she'd have to put some arch on the ball to get strikes.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Like any rule in any game you just adapt. This is especially true on easy to officiate rules like this where it's just 3 feet back. If you moved the bases to 65 feet it would just change things a little bit but coaches would just adapt.

I have made that suggestion for player safety, and people acted like I was trying to assassinate the Padishah Emperor . . .