- Feb 7, 2013
- 3,188
- 48
NOTE: based on feedback, I will edit this original post as necessary.
I wanted to start a thread on some absolutes in pitching mechanics. I have only been involved in fastpitch for five years but here is what I have learned to date:
Grip is very important, less skin on the ball equals faster pitch and greater spin. Finger pressure can effect spin direction.
Ball flight is always subjected to drag and gravity and as soon as the ball leaves the finger tips it starts losing speed and revolutions per second (RPS). Because of this fact, every pitch has some downward arc to it, some pitches with more arc (drop ball), some pitches with less arc (rise ball).
Release angle is an important concept and helps contribute to the effectiveness of the pitch. For example, one of the reasons a rise ball is an effective is pitch is that it is angled from low (at hip) to high (top of the strike zone) and the fact that it is the only pitch thrown with maximum velocity AND back spin, it doesn't arc downward as much as the batter would expect and they frequently swing under the ball.
Set-up, when standing on the pitching plate, the pivot and stride foot should be a comfortable length apart and the pivot on the front part of the plate and the stride foot on the back part of the plate creating maximum distance with both feet legally on the plate. The weight should be more the stride foot when the pitcher rocks back.
Pre-Delivery is stylistic, some pitchers bring the glove up over the head, some start the glove in the center of the body, others have the glove at their hip. Nevertheless, these per-motion routines are not absolutes in pitching but stylistic and don't contribute to better performance necessarily.
Backswing having a single pump or double pump backswing can help contribute to a faster pitch. Might have to do more with timing more than anything else. You want to load backwards before going forward. I know when my DD went from a double pump backswing to cradling the ball in the glove to the pitching hip side (e.g. like many in the men's game) she lost some velocity on the pitch. The bottom-line here is experiment with what works. Some of the benefits of the cradle are the grip on the ball is hidden longer and you can drive the glove and hand together down the powerline for better momentum.
Powerline you want as much momentum and body mass going down the powerline as possible. If you leak left or right, or stride too high or don't push out towards the catcher enough, you are leaking momentum and the velocity of the pitch will suffer. The powerline is not necessarily the center of the pitching plate to the center of home plate, but where the pitcher starts her set-up on the pitching plate.
The Stride you want to explode off the pitching plate and get as open as possible, making sure to drag the pivot along the ground with as little resistance as possible so not to slow the "leap" down. The stride foot should land on or around a 45 degree angle and all of the momentum generated should be resisted by this firm, front side. A lot of this energy will be distributed to the arm and ball. The hips and shoulders can close to home plate (45 degree) but you want to throw "through" the hip, not around it.
Arm Circle, you want the arm circle vertical (straight up and down when viewed from the catcher) throughout the pitch. The more you get off plane, the harder it is to get back on plane and leads to inconsistency.
Arm & Ball position, on the backswing and as the arm comes up the circle during the stride, the arm will be almost straight (but never locked). As the arm reaches 12:00, the ball will be facing towards the catcher or even more towards first base and the side of the bicep should brush the head or as close as possible. The arm should also have some bend in it at the top of the circle. As the arm approaches 9:00, the arm decelerates as it drops into the slot and the ball will be "palm to the sky" or as close as possible to this position for maximum whip. At this point, the elbow leads the arm, as the forearm, hand and ball internally rotate into 6:00 release. Prior to release, the forearm will brush the hip (See Brush Interference). Generating good arm whip can only be achieved by good internal rotation mechanics.
Brush Interference, "the arm....first upper arm stabilizing against the rib cage....then the forearm stabilizing against the throwing leg hip/thigh. It is not a collision, it is a brushing action followed by a rolling though of the arm. The degree of brush may vary from pitcher to pitcher but IMO the brush/contact should extend all the way down to within an inch or two of the wrist joint. This provides more stabilization and thus more consistent control and better overall transfer of energy" (Rick Pauly). Another way to look at this is the "hip should get into a position to receive the throwing arm" (Java).
The Finish, there has been lots of confusion that IR is about the finish of the pitch. However, the finish is just a result of getting good internal rotation upstream, prior to release. As long as the arm is not forced into a hello elbow or other unnatural position, the arm can finish loose and naturally somewhere across the body is fine. The finish is just the way the body protects itself by dissipating the energy and "violence" of the pitch after release. Similar to throwing a ball overhand, don't force the arm into an unnatural position, let it release to a natural finish.
Same Mechancis, in general all of the pitching mechanics should be nearly the same for every pitch. The only difference should be the grip and finger pressure and slight changes in mechanics that are difficult for the batter to pick up on. For example, to make a drop ball drop, you don't have to shorten your stride and lean forward more on the release, nor for a screwball do you have to jump to the left and throw to right, etc. Let the spin on the ball and release angle create the movement of the pitch. The follow through on the finish should be almost identical so as not to tip off the batter.
Pitching Stats, when analyzing pitching stats over a season, the following criteria is important in determining the effectiveness of a pitcher (Note: these are trends and correlations):
- Strikeout to Walk ratio - At a minimum it should be 2K per 1BB. The best pitchers have a 3-1 or greater ratio. A 1K per 1BB is normally an indicator of an ineffective pitcher.
- Strike% - the optimum strike % seems to be around 60-70% and once you get below 55%, you have an inconsistent pitcher that can't find the strike zone. Anything above 70% and you likely have a pitcher that gets hit pretty hard and frequently.
(Rick Pauly) 1. Strike%....at the upper levels quite often a pitch will be called intentionally to be missed, so in this case the ball should not be counted in the % calculation. In this type scenario a 70% ratio is the benchmark. The farther below 70%, the chances of giving up runs increases. Below 60% will often end in a poor result. If intentional misses are called it is not unusual for a good pitcher to be in the 75--76% range and the end result will likely be very good. 2. First pitch strike %.....this is as important as total strike %. Again, 70% is the benchmark.3. Location accuracy....with all the high tech video equipment at college ballparks today it is relatively easy to go back and document location accuracy....this is probably the most important stat cause as you know, a strike could be right in the fat part of the zone....great %/poor result. Location accuracy % in the range of 95% is good (this could actually include a pitch that didn't exactly hit the intended location but did miss in a less harmful location)...i.e/ Dropball outside....misses low or low and out.
- WHIP (Walks/Hits per Inning Pitched) - Pitchers with WHIP of 2.00 or lower are going to be fairly effective.
- Earned Run Average (ERA) - anything below 2.50 is good, below 1.50 is great.
- Pitches Per Inning (PPI) - Another indicator of an effective pitcher is the number of pitches thrown per inning. Below 15 PPI is good, ineffective pitchers have 20+.
- Opponents Batting Average - You want to keep your opponents batting average below .250.
Other Thoughts
The four-seam fastball is essentially the peel drop just thrown low in the strike zone.
The standard change-up should be thrown hard but 20-30% slower than her fastest pitch.
Throwing a first pitch strike increases the chances that the batter will get out.
In general, moving the ball up and down (vertically) is better than left to right/right to left (horizontally)
Pitchers don't work on fielding their position as much as they should.
Less is more. "Mastering" 2 or 3 pitches is much preferred to "having" 5 or 6 pitches.
Most former college pitchers have no idea how they actually pitch but only regurgitate what they were told or teach what they think they do. not what they actually do.
You can't dabble in pitching and be effective at any competitive level. You either commit to it or chose another position.
Change of speed is a critical component and is often overlooked. The better you disrupt the batter's timing the more effective pitcher you will be.
The waste (chase) pitch should be one or two ball lengths out of the strike zone and is frequently used when well ahead in the count (e.g. 0-2, 1-2) to induce the batter to swing at a pitch out of the strike zone or as a set-up pitch.
I wanted to start a thread on some absolutes in pitching mechanics. I have only been involved in fastpitch for five years but here is what I have learned to date:
Grip is very important, less skin on the ball equals faster pitch and greater spin. Finger pressure can effect spin direction.
Ball flight is always subjected to drag and gravity and as soon as the ball leaves the finger tips it starts losing speed and revolutions per second (RPS). Because of this fact, every pitch has some downward arc to it, some pitches with more arc (drop ball), some pitches with less arc (rise ball).
Release angle is an important concept and helps contribute to the effectiveness of the pitch. For example, one of the reasons a rise ball is an effective is pitch is that it is angled from low (at hip) to high (top of the strike zone) and the fact that it is the only pitch thrown with maximum velocity AND back spin, it doesn't arc downward as much as the batter would expect and they frequently swing under the ball.
Set-up, when standing on the pitching plate, the pivot and stride foot should be a comfortable length apart and the pivot on the front part of the plate and the stride foot on the back part of the plate creating maximum distance with both feet legally on the plate. The weight should be more the stride foot when the pitcher rocks back.
Pre-Delivery is stylistic, some pitchers bring the glove up over the head, some start the glove in the center of the body, others have the glove at their hip. Nevertheless, these per-motion routines are not absolutes in pitching but stylistic and don't contribute to better performance necessarily.
Backswing having a single pump or double pump backswing can help contribute to a faster pitch. Might have to do more with timing more than anything else. You want to load backwards before going forward. I know when my DD went from a double pump backswing to cradling the ball in the glove to the pitching hip side (e.g. like many in the men's game) she lost some velocity on the pitch. The bottom-line here is experiment with what works. Some of the benefits of the cradle are the grip on the ball is hidden longer and you can drive the glove and hand together down the powerline for better momentum.
Powerline you want as much momentum and body mass going down the powerline as possible. If you leak left or right, or stride too high or don't push out towards the catcher enough, you are leaking momentum and the velocity of the pitch will suffer. The powerline is not necessarily the center of the pitching plate to the center of home plate, but where the pitcher starts her set-up on the pitching plate.
The Stride you want to explode off the pitching plate and get as open as possible, making sure to drag the pivot along the ground with as little resistance as possible so not to slow the "leap" down. The stride foot should land on or around a 45 degree angle and all of the momentum generated should be resisted by this firm, front side. A lot of this energy will be distributed to the arm and ball. The hips and shoulders can close to home plate (45 degree) but you want to throw "through" the hip, not around it.
Arm Circle, you want the arm circle vertical (straight up and down when viewed from the catcher) throughout the pitch. The more you get off plane, the harder it is to get back on plane and leads to inconsistency.
Arm & Ball position, on the backswing and as the arm comes up the circle during the stride, the arm will be almost straight (but never locked). As the arm reaches 12:00, the ball will be facing towards the catcher or even more towards first base and the side of the bicep should brush the head or as close as possible. The arm should also have some bend in it at the top of the circle. As the arm approaches 9:00, the arm decelerates as it drops into the slot and the ball will be "palm to the sky" or as close as possible to this position for maximum whip. At this point, the elbow leads the arm, as the forearm, hand and ball internally rotate into 6:00 release. Prior to release, the forearm will brush the hip (See Brush Interference). Generating good arm whip can only be achieved by good internal rotation mechanics.
Brush Interference, "the arm....first upper arm stabilizing against the rib cage....then the forearm stabilizing against the throwing leg hip/thigh. It is not a collision, it is a brushing action followed by a rolling though of the arm. The degree of brush may vary from pitcher to pitcher but IMO the brush/contact should extend all the way down to within an inch or two of the wrist joint. This provides more stabilization and thus more consistent control and better overall transfer of energy" (Rick Pauly). Another way to look at this is the "hip should get into a position to receive the throwing arm" (Java).
The Finish, there has been lots of confusion that IR is about the finish of the pitch. However, the finish is just a result of getting good internal rotation upstream, prior to release. As long as the arm is not forced into a hello elbow or other unnatural position, the arm can finish loose and naturally somewhere across the body is fine. The finish is just the way the body protects itself by dissipating the energy and "violence" of the pitch after release. Similar to throwing a ball overhand, don't force the arm into an unnatural position, let it release to a natural finish.
Same Mechancis, in general all of the pitching mechanics should be nearly the same for every pitch. The only difference should be the grip and finger pressure and slight changes in mechanics that are difficult for the batter to pick up on. For example, to make a drop ball drop, you don't have to shorten your stride and lean forward more on the release, nor for a screwball do you have to jump to the left and throw to right, etc. Let the spin on the ball and release angle create the movement of the pitch. The follow through on the finish should be almost identical so as not to tip off the batter.
Pitching Stats, when analyzing pitching stats over a season, the following criteria is important in determining the effectiveness of a pitcher (Note: these are trends and correlations):
- Strikeout to Walk ratio - At a minimum it should be 2K per 1BB. The best pitchers have a 3-1 or greater ratio. A 1K per 1BB is normally an indicator of an ineffective pitcher.
- Strike% - the optimum strike % seems to be around 60-70% and once you get below 55%, you have an inconsistent pitcher that can't find the strike zone. Anything above 70% and you likely have a pitcher that gets hit pretty hard and frequently.
(Rick Pauly) 1. Strike%....at the upper levels quite often a pitch will be called intentionally to be missed, so in this case the ball should not be counted in the % calculation. In this type scenario a 70% ratio is the benchmark. The farther below 70%, the chances of giving up runs increases. Below 60% will often end in a poor result. If intentional misses are called it is not unusual for a good pitcher to be in the 75--76% range and the end result will likely be very good. 2. First pitch strike %.....this is as important as total strike %. Again, 70% is the benchmark.3. Location accuracy....with all the high tech video equipment at college ballparks today it is relatively easy to go back and document location accuracy....this is probably the most important stat cause as you know, a strike could be right in the fat part of the zone....great %/poor result. Location accuracy % in the range of 95% is good (this could actually include a pitch that didn't exactly hit the intended location but did miss in a less harmful location)...i.e/ Dropball outside....misses low or low and out.
- WHIP (Walks/Hits per Inning Pitched) - Pitchers with WHIP of 2.00 or lower are going to be fairly effective.
- Earned Run Average (ERA) - anything below 2.50 is good, below 1.50 is great.
- Pitches Per Inning (PPI) - Another indicator of an effective pitcher is the number of pitches thrown per inning. Below 15 PPI is good, ineffective pitchers have 20+.
- Opponents Batting Average - You want to keep your opponents batting average below .250.
Other Thoughts
The four-seam fastball is essentially the peel drop just thrown low in the strike zone.
The standard change-up should be thrown hard but 20-30% slower than her fastest pitch.
Throwing a first pitch strike increases the chances that the batter will get out.
In general, moving the ball up and down (vertically) is better than left to right/right to left (horizontally)
Pitchers don't work on fielding their position as much as they should.
Less is more. "Mastering" 2 or 3 pitches is much preferred to "having" 5 or 6 pitches.
Most former college pitchers have no idea how they actually pitch but only regurgitate what they were told or teach what they think they do. not what they actually do.
You can't dabble in pitching and be effective at any competitive level. You either commit to it or chose another position.
Change of speed is a critical component and is often overlooked. The better you disrupt the batter's timing the more effective pitcher you will be.
The waste (chase) pitch should be one or two ball lengths out of the strike zone and is frequently used when well ahead in the count (e.g. 0-2, 1-2) to induce the batter to swing at a pitch out of the strike zone or as a set-up pitch.
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You might start that way... but many stride much closer together... some further...
