Riseball
- Thread starter Phandle
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- Jun 18, 2010
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Let me get my popcorn
I am really new to softball, I have heard a lot about rise ball but yet to see one. To my untrained eye, I can see a screwball curve towards the batter, curve ball cut away from the batter and drop ball reall dip, but yet to see a rise ball do cut up like the pros say it should.
For your reading pleasure. Does a riseball rise was an interesting conversation on here for quite a while. People were posting math and equations I did not understand.
http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-pitching/8272-finally-end-does-riseball-really-rise.html
http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-pitching/8272-finally-end-does-riseball-really-rise.html
Sure (around 16 seconds, you'll see two pitches 'back to back' where the ball breaks up):
[video=youtube_share;Ulp6dsF4iVA]http://youtu.be/Ulp6dsF4iVA[/video]
Oh, you mean using a softball? Sorry...humans can't do it with a softball.
BUT:
A riseball in softball drops less than a fastball over the 40 feet or so of flight, giving the ball the appearance of "jumping" in the strike zone. Find someone who has a good rise and catch for him/her. Wear a mask if you value your teeth. It is an interesting experience.
From your figures, Fig. 1 is the "high fastball". However, the flight path at the end is horizontal when it reaches the catcher. It is not moving down when it reaches the catcher. The attached image is a closer depiction of a rise for pitch speeds under 70MPH when viewed from 3B or 1B.
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halskinner
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- May 7, 2008
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Phandle,
if you look at the sticky 'Grips', you will see many grips for a riseball, including many grips used in the 1960's when it was called the 'Raise'.
If a pitcher does not throw or did not throw one that broke up, they will tell you it cannot be done. Pitching instructors will tell you the same when they do not know how to throw it or how to teach it. Because of computer crashes over the last 12 years, I have lost many video clips. I only have one left of a 10-year-old with her first attempts at throwing the bent fingered rise.
There are a few os old timers that know a riseball will jump, if done correctly. We know because we did it and so did our students.
if you look at the sticky 'Grips', you will see many grips for a riseball, including many grips used in the 1960's when it was called the 'Raise'.
If a pitcher does not throw or did not throw one that broke up, they will tell you it cannot be done. Pitching instructors will tell you the same when they do not know how to throw it or how to teach it. Because of computer crashes over the last 12 years, I have lost many video clips. I only have one left of a 10-year-old with her first attempts at throwing the bent fingered rise.
There are a few os old timers that know a riseball will jump, if done correctly. We know because we did it and so did our students.
Phandle, I'll give you a short history of the "riseball" debate.
In the 2011 College World Series, SportsVision recorded every pitch made by all the pitchers. These were the best female pitchers in college. Sportsvision uses a bunch of cameras and computers to compute the flight path of the balls. To the surprise of no one with an engineering or physics background, no pitch rose above its initial trajectory. No pitch suddenly "jumped" at the plate.
No one has ever produced a video of a male or female pitcher that throws a "jumping" rise ball. If you watch the video Hal posted, you'll see that the flight path of the ball is flat for the last 10 feet or so of the pitch. There is no jump.
Riseballs are very effective. To an untrained eye, they look like they jump. The reason they appear to jump is that people have been trained since 3YOA to catch and hit balls that follow a particular flight path. Since the riseball does not follow that well-known flight path, it looks strange. However, with training, good hitters can and do hit riseballs. Trained catchers can catch a rise without problems.
Bottom line: You can believe in unicorns, leprechauns, the Easter bunny, Santa Claus and softball pitches that magically "jump" up. Or you can believe in reality. Your choice.
Debating whether a riseball rises is like arguing that the earth is flat or that the earth is the center of the universe.
In the 2011 College World Series, SportsVision recorded every pitch made by all the pitchers. These were the best female pitchers in college. Sportsvision uses a bunch of cameras and computers to compute the flight path of the balls. To the surprise of no one with an engineering or physics background, no pitch rose above its initial trajectory. No pitch suddenly "jumped" at the plate.
No one has ever produced a video of a male or female pitcher that throws a "jumping" rise ball. If you watch the video Hal posted, you'll see that the flight path of the ball is flat for the last 10 feet or so of the pitch. There is no jump.
Riseballs are very effective. To an untrained eye, they look like they jump. The reason they appear to jump is that people have been trained since 3YOA to catch and hit balls that follow a particular flight path. Since the riseball does not follow that well-known flight path, it looks strange. However, with training, good hitters can and do hit riseballs. Trained catchers can catch a rise without problems.
Bottom line: You can believe in unicorns, leprechauns, the Easter bunny, Santa Claus and softball pitches that magically "jump" up. Or you can believe in reality. Your choice.
Debating whether a riseball rises is like arguing that the earth is flat or that the earth is the center of the universe.
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<iframe width="816" height="553" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JFWjTjbeSs4?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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