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Feb 3, 2010
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And then there's Rachel Garcia who throws bulletspin but throws it hard.




Some of the commentary is bizarre? Garcia throws a spiral with gas. Same as Abbott, Ueno and many other greats. When you can chuck a yellow orb at 70+ with spiral spin, it's not going to drop much. Very effective pitch.

Even at slower speeds, many pitchers can have success with a spiral rise. However, once you've seen a backspin rise, you will hopefully become obsessed with this pitch and work relentlessly to achieve backspin from full distance and full motion. It's truly a magical pitch. Think about the first time you struck out a hitter out with a change up, then multiply that by 10! It's a really cool pitch! Unlike a drop, a bad rise can still work for you. A good rise is a ton of fun!
 
Last edited:
Feb 3, 2010
5,752
113
Pac NW
When I teach the riseball now I start from scratch. I have the pitcher stand sideways and throw backspin from about 10 ft. We don't move from that unless she can get the ball to spin backwards. This is where she needs to find a grip that works. Once she can get backspin we move on to slingshotting the ball faster then go full circle. I don't think it's possible to teach the rise in the same way that you might teach a drop or a curve (use a normal motion, change grip and wrist/finger action). Learning the rise requires radical changes to the normal pitching motion. Once a pitcher can reliably produce backspin then she can start adding speed and go to the full circle. You have to be prepared for a significant drop in velocity at the start. When the fingers slide under the ball to give it the proper spin they are not adding energy-velocity. There seems to be a compromise in terms of spin vs velocity: pure backspin will be slower, some bulletspin will allow more velocity. This is why it's very rare to see a pitcher throw pure backspin with high velocity, typically the rise will be several mph slower. What usually passes for a riseball is bulletspin up in the zone.

/\/\/\ THIS is how to teach a rise! /\/\/\
 
Feb 3, 2010
5,752
113
Pac NW
DCAF1876-3C17-4866-A077-2200D200D0C0.jpegDCAF1876-3C17-4866-A077-2200D200D0C0.jpeg
commentator says “traditional rise ball grip”. Is that a 4 seam grip?

I really don't know it there is a "traditional" rise grip. I like it when pitchers are willing to try various grips and release cues, but I have to say, after a short session working with javasource and his RevFire, I became convinced that the "fatty grip" is truly the ultimate. Without question, spin rates jump through the roof. Control can be discouraging for some kids because the ball tends to locate REALLY low and inside. With commitment and persistence, the result is amazing.C160A683-BAFA-451C-BD8D-39DFB4DE9B94.jpeg
 

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