Riseball (thumb off grip)

[Ken B]

Looks like a 10 inch ball!

 

[Ken B]

Just had a flashback to Uncle Hal’s bent finger rise!

Teaching the bent-fingered rise and the up-and-in

I am posting this reply from another thread and starting a new thread. The other was getting quite worn out and long. Hal _______________________________________________________ Hi Rick. You pretty much hit the nail on the head. If you would note the exact position the fingernail of the...

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[BT3100]

Hard one to throw for sure!!

 

[Hillhouse]

While this grip is the primary one used by male pitchers, it's not something girls can't do. Obviously there are some changes needed to someone with smaller hands but, that's also true of men with smaller hands. Women do not have the market cornered on having small hands, we all remember President Trump calling out Marco Rubio for small hands. lol. Although that was under a slightly different context, but still funny.

I can promise you that I tried every riseball grip in the world during my youth as I tried learning it. Each time I hoped it would magically bring me the correct spin, but all it did was make me start back at square one. Every one of my students tries this grip too, with adjustments necessary for their hand size. But ALL students are welcome to use any grip they want, from a previous coach, something they've seen online, or any other reason. While some grips have more advantages than others, if someone is getting correct spin on the ball, I'm not going to tell them they need to change.

IMO, the difficulty most girls run into with the riseball isn't finding a grip they like, there's dozens of grips for it. It's that coaches don't correct them or change bad habits when they are younger, which only worsen with age and muscle memory. Not to mention all the drills the do, phrases they hear, and training "aids" which are counter productive. Between throwing footballs and hearing "turn the doorknob" it's no wonder so many have bulletspin.

 

[Bonesaw]

Bill your hands are humongo.

I want to know more about uncle hal's cutter. I would have the opposing team sign a waiver if the dd learns it obviously.

In seriousness good stuff, thanks Bill and Ken.

 

[Hillhouse]

Bill your hands are humongo.

I want to know more about uncle hal's cutter. I would have the opposing team sign a waiver if the dd learns it obviously.

In seriousness good stuff, thanks Bill and Ken.

I'd say my hands are above average, even for men. But I used this grip even before I grew to the size I am now. Bottom line, this grip is still do-able for someone with smaller hands. The fingers have to be placed differently, that's all. But the purpose of the finger tip still remains, it provides one central pressure point to push under the ball creating the back spin. I think that's an advantage.

Obviously I can't speak for Hal, he was a unique guy. So I'm not sure how he taught the 'cutter'. But if the pitcher doesn't have 6/12 rotation, then I am not sure a cutter will work. Because it's a simple finger pressure of the index finger (RHP in this example). Squeezing the ball harder with the index finger will mean the ball rolls off that finger last, turning the 6/12 spin into more of a 7/1 spin, giving it the cut effect. Having bigger hands is almost essential for this pitch, but notice I said "almost". I have no doubt if I had said it's 100% essential to have big hands for a cutter, someone would have told me that's not true because their daughter (with 8 pitches) can do it and she has small hands. So I don't say it's 100%. I will say that I struggled with the ability to do it when my hands were smaller.