where can i find some information on what pitches to use in certain situations? what to throw and when? i found a great chart one time online , but now i can't seem to find it again? i took the information off of it and applied it to what pitches she could throw and it worked out pretty good. i know there is information out there( like when to use the change up) but i can't find any?
pitching strategy
- Thread starter gvm
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Perhaps you are looking for this:
Fastpitch Softball Pitching Instruction
As a word of caution, the more advanced your DD becomes, the better batters she faces, and the less she can rely on a set of rules.
Fastpitch Softball Pitching Instruction
As a word of caution, the more advanced your DD becomes, the better batters she faces, and the less she can rely on a set of rules.
- Oct 21, 2009
- 14
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My DD's go to pitch is the Drop. It is most effective with very aggressive batters.
That chart assumes everyone can throw all those pitches (which they can't). Pitchers have to pitch to their strengths. If the best pitch they have is a drop, that's what they will throw much of the time. Move it in and out and then mix in the change or something higher in the zone (but hopefully not hittable) to keep them guessing. Pretending you have a rise becuase the chart says you should throw it because a gril is up in the box is a bad idea.
And the other caution is sometimes batters set up on top of the plate because they really hit the inside pitch well and struggle with the outside pitch. Or vice versa. Or they set up on top of the plate to get you to throw in on them, and then as you go into your windup they step back a bit to turn that inside pitching into a middle pitch. That's somewhat advanced -- some of us struggle to get our hitters to move to a different location in the box ever -- but it does happen with better hitters.
If she had excellent control of her drop, she would throw it two or three times to each batter, changing the location and speed each time. Sometimes she would throw it back-to-back-to-back.
we're not pretending to throw a rise or anything like that? i read on that web site to throw the change up to the better batters? and when she learned the change up that's what we did. i honestly thought the opposite (throw it to the weak batters) but, we did throw it to the better batter's and it worked out great. even if she missed it? it made her fastball seem faster...but it sounds like the drop ball is an awesome pitch? i hope she gets it. and i guess if she does? it should be her go to pitch?
There is no such a thing as a "go to" pitch. The pitcher uses everything she has against the other team.
At higher levels of play, batters practice hitting change-ups. Batters practice hitting drop balls and rise balls. So, the only chance a pitcher has is to keep the batters off-balance.
The way a pitcher keeps the batters off-balance is throw a variety of pitches at different locations and at different speeds. If she relies on any one pitch too much, she will give up some big hits.
Your DD has to have at least one very good breaking pitch. If she doesn't have a good breaking pitch, the batters will be told not to swing at the changeup, but tee off on the fastball.
At higher levels of play, batters practice hitting change-ups. Batters practice hitting drop balls and rise balls. So, the only chance a pitcher has is to keep the batters off-balance.
The way a pitcher keeps the batters off-balance is throw a variety of pitches at different locations and at different speeds. If she relies on any one pitch too much, she will give up some big hits.
Your DD has to have at least one very good breaking pitch. If she doesn't have a good breaking pitch, the batters will be told not to swing at the changeup, but tee off on the fastball.
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I'm a much bigger fan of the drop over the rise. From what I've learned, the rise won't be very effective until thrown consistently mid 50's anyway yet girls all start pitching way before they hit mid 50s. My DD learned a drop and curve early. We work her drop over and over 3 to 4 times a week from October-February. We set up a string set up at thigh level about 8-10 feet from the plate and have her throw it. Keep it as close to the string as possible. If she gets the right spin I'll cacth it 6 inches to a foot off the ground. From that you can work it off speed by tucking a knuckle on the ball. I like the drop more than rise. I think the rise is a ball most of the time or if it's thrown for a mistake it's a high mistake that can be hit out. Then you can add in a drop curve too for different movement. Lots of variations.
