Pitching speeds

[JDBerry]

JDBerry,
I'm with you on how the rollover looks and feels. But after watching some slo mo video, then going out and taking some slo mo of myself, I found that what I thought was happening didn't. If I was to take a snapshot of the exact moment of release between my peel and rollover pitches, it would be tough to tell them apart. As much as it feels like my fingers are coming up and over the ball, they just don't.

What I've found in many pitches is that PC's tell students to do or feel the release a certain way to get the result:
-pull their fingers up the front side of the ball for a rise
-pull them over the top and down the front for a rollover,

In warmups they practice these spins in this slower and exaggerated fashion, but when they throw full speed and we watch in slo mo, it actually isn't happening. The feel gets the result and it tends to blur reality and becomes perpetuated as reality.

Don't trust me or anyone else--check it out for yourself in slo mo.


Ken

I'm saying that I'm 100% certain. We recognized with video

We call it going over the basketball or getting around the softball. Going over the basketball results in a release where the hand is like at the top back of the ball. It just skims up the backside. For a young kid it doesn't generate much spin and the ball "floats". Getting arounf the softball and driving dow generates noticeable spin and noticeable drop on a ball only travelling 40mph.

One day I'll get video and show. I had some in right view pro on my phone but deleted them for space

 

[starsnuffer]

Michelle Smith is about as good as any other ESPN commentator.

She's there to entertain the unwashed masses.

-W

 

[Ken B]

One day I'll get video and show. I had some in right view pro on my phone but deleted them for space

Sounds good. I keep saying I'll do the same and hopefully will follow through when time allows.

 

[JDBerry]

Giving it a little thought. She's likely to get that higher spin because she's using IR to rollover the ball. When it floats and she doesn't complete the rollover her elbow doesn't "pop out"

 

[flamethrower]

Ugh! Such bad info.

The hand rolls over the ball on a roll drop. It's not debatable. I don't even understand questioning it. In some of the grips a 12yo kid could not release the ball with the hand behind.

Of course, I'm sure an a record holding SEC pitcher doesn't know what she's talking about and you saw one video and do. There is a pitch that's thrown where the hand rides up the back outside of the ball. But on a rollover drop the ball is leaving when the thumb is pointing kinda to the knee

Are you saying the fingers actually go over the top and down the front of the ball, ie the way most girls practice it when doing their spins, on a full speed pitch?

 

[Ken B]

Rogers, the Renfroes, and others. I don't see the need to criticize the best in the business. We can go out in the backyard and try stuff but if you don't know what you're doing or are only doing it once or twice, does not mean a thing. These ladies through hundreds of pitches and everyone wants to pick them apart on one.

Apologies for sounding critical. It's honestly not my intent. I love this time of year and learn a lot. The replays are incredible and it's eye opening to see less-than-perfect spins induce swings, looks and easy outs. I've got several games left to watch on DVR and look forward to sitting down and watching.

Gotta say: it all starts in the backyard. The dreams, experimenting, emulating the bigs and hoping one day to be like Cat, #27, Ueno, Luna or Ricketts. I love listening to my kids chatting with me or on their own about these greats.

 

[JDBerry]

Are you saying the fingers actually go over the top and down the front of the ball, ie the way most girls practice it when doing their spins, on a full speed pitch?

Not exactly. The ball is coming out the back of her hand with the palm facing kinda 45 degrees or so downward towards the 3B dugout

On her grip, the index finger could be said to be "going down the front". But the arm is rotating inward, so the tips of the fingers are coming towards pointing to the plate at release. I'll grant I could be off slightly on directions and descriptions as I really wasn't concerned with analyzing in order to accurately describe, but the jist is there. We saw why the ball would float. And it was because, I first called it lazy on getting around the ball to induce spin. I then realized that wasn't productive to describe it that way to a 12yo girl and we call it going around the basketball when it floats

Whether some older kid on TV can induce drop spin by just going up the backside, I don't know. What I know is the palm is facing the plate, then all of a sudden is facing 3rd base dugout at release.

The coach called going up just the backside something else. I thought she might have said drop curve but the spin seems off unless it's a grip thing I'm missing

 

[Marcus]

I'm saying that I'm 100% certain. We recognized with video

We call it going over the basketball or getting around the softball. Going over the basketball results in a release where the hand is like at the top back of the ball. It just skims up the backside. For a young kid it doesn't generate much spin and the ball "floats". Getting arounf the softball and driving dow generates noticeable spin and noticeable drop on a ball only travelling 40mph.

One day I'll get video and show. I had some in right view pro on my phone but deleted them for space

Of course you deleted the video. How very predictable. The cat ate my homework.

 

[flamethrower]

Thanks for the explanation JD.

 

[JDBerry]

Of course you deleted the video. A fortunate fall back when not being honest.

Yep, that's it. I made it all up because it's so important that the secret be kept so others never figure it out.

I'm done.