Rachel Garcia

[corlay]

The announcers don't help: anything thrown down is a drop, anything thrown up is a rise, inside and outside are screw and curve, regardless of spin axis

new, these last 2 seasons maybe, is I hear announcers describing a "low-rise";
acknowledging a back-spinning ball throw low in the strike zone.
that is a new and welcomed development.

 

[WiLD53]

i think this video might explain how the bullet spin can make the ball move in any direction... keep in mind, i pitch in slow pitch softball and i use this method to get movement... looking at some of these videos and comments it seems no one really knows why this gets so much movement... this is well known in cricket but i find most americans don't know about it yet... pay close attention to the part about curving a baseball...

 

[coach james]

I know she is really good, but just talking spins here. Is it my eyes or are all three pitches bullet spin? It looks like the movement is from the different way she flips her wrist at release, not different spins.

Its called YAW.... The axis orientation creates a smooth spot between the spinning seams... where ever this smooth spot is the ball will move that way as a path of least resistance.

 

[STRIKE3]

Against OU

Garcia with the K

 

[Ken B]

Just getting starting on spinning the ball with DD... Is this the ideal grip and spin for a rise ball? It looks like its not a 6-12 spin to my eyes, but I'm new to this board and softball pitching in general...

Did you get the answer to this? I’ve played with several but it was spending some time with javasouce and his RevFire that sold me on a thumb-off grip. As a I recall, I gained 4 RPS and kept good, if not better backspin. I’ll try to post some video and stills tonight.

 

[Ken Krause]

new, these last 2 seasons maybe, is I hear announcers describing a "low-rise";
acknowledging a back-spinning ball throw low in the strike zone.
that is a new and welcomed development.

Actually, they've been saying that for years. Any ball that starts low and goes up a bit is a "low rise." It's the pitching equivalent of "She really inside-outed that ball" for hitters. In other words, she was late, the ball got deep on her, and she managed to hit it weakly to right.

For the "low rise" it's a rise that didn't get up most of the time. Why would you want to take pitch at the knees and bring it up to the belt? Seems like kind of a bad strategy.

 

[DSU10]

Did you get the answer to this? I’ve played with several but it was spending some time with javasouce and his RevFire that sold me on a thumb-off grip. As a I recall, I gained 4 RPS and kept good, if not better backspin. I’ll try to post some video and stills tonight.

Would love to see these!

Josh

 

[Ken B]

Would love to see these!

Josh

Hi Josh,
I tagged you in a couple threads that cover this pretty well and sent you a couple tidbits in a message. Let me know what you think?

 

[cnardone]

Why would you want to take pitch at the knees and bring it up to the belt? Seems like kind of a bad strategy.

I am not saying that throwing a rise at the belt is a "go to" pitch. But if you have good run and sink on your fastball, good hitters are going to start to lay off of the knee high pitch knowing it is going to drop out of the strike zone. Once they start staying off of that pitch now you can lock them up with a pitch that starts at the knees and rides instead of drops.

I've watch Cliff Lee throw 2 seamers down and away, that would run down off the corner. Again and again and again. Once hitters started laying off the pitch, he'd mix a cutter in the same location. Bam, hitters totally locked up.

I am only suggesting this is another arrow in a pitchers quiver.

 

[Ken B]

She’s still working on spotting it consistently, but one DD’s favorite pitches is following a drop or change with a rise at the knees. She rarely looks to me in games, but a really good rise almost always gets me a glance and a smile!