Screwball examples?

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radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
NO, I'm not ok. I've been stuck in the world's smallest apartment for 8 straight days and I'm not sure when the end is. Once again I am wrong. Don't mark your calendars, this happens on a daily basis.... just ask my ex.

Bill

:) Happy thoughts Bill
No errors, team hitting,
a good umpire and
pitches that hit their spot.
 
Jun 20, 2016
46
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I just seen this post and watched the video.... First thing I thought was I've seen Royalty throw before and the commentator was way off. She throws a legit low-rise I've seen this kid throw several times here in SoCal. Granted it looked like she was forcing the pitch a bit with how she was stepping. She is usually not that exaggerated at least not the times I've seen her huck. The first time I seen her throw I was thinking, "who the heck is this shooter" where did she come from??? Found out later it was one of Bills kids, go figure.

Anywho I've seen this shooter throw live not a screwballer, and she has great mechanics!! I really like all the terms you all have in this forum i.e. Monkey butt lol. As for IR and BC I'm assuming thats just a technical way of describing arm whip??????

Glad you got your essentials Bill...... I guess I'm not making Vegas either LOL
 
Apr 24, 2014
19
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Google a report on her. So it is her effective rise ball
"Royalty worked with renowned pitching instructor Bill Hillhouse for a number of years. He taught her the importance of mastering a few pitches, rather than being mediocre at a lot of them. She started with a drop ball, then learned a changeup followed by the rise ball. The rise is her most effective pitch, even when opposing hitters know it’s coming. "
 
Feb 3, 2010
5,752
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Pac NW
I've got an additional $100 (along with sluggers) for video proof of a game speed screwball. I'm talking something that has horizontal break without throwing side arm.

I've seen three scrops. One was a JV HS pitcher who was basically throwing sidearm. Another was a 14U girl and it was her only pitch. The other was from DFP'r Edy who was working on a scrop, but last I heard he was struggling with an illness... Still haven't seen a true screw or scrise...
 
Last edited:
Jul 31, 2019
495
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In 40+ years of watching softball, I have seen *ONE* true screwball thrown at game speed. (I offered a few years ago $100 to anyone who could produce a video of someone throwing a pitch with anything close to 9-3 spin.)

Anyway, this pitcher is stepping left and throwing right. She is probably illegal in NCAA pitching because she is stepping so far left. (Hannah Rogers from Florida actually forced a rule change due.) She has great control, and can move the ball left and right in 3 or 4 inch increments. Although I can't see the spin, but she is probably throwing a bullet spin pitch.

A bullet spin pitch drops less than a pitch with 12-6 spin and "rises" less than a pitch with 6-12 spin.

The way it works is that she throws her fastball with 12-6 spin, and then throws the screwball with bullet spin. So, the batter ends up missing the pitch.
I teach a pitch that has a 1-7, or 2-8 spin. The pitch cuts in and drop. Its a fastball release with I/R, so there is NO stride left to throw across the plate. Some girls throw it better than others, for the pitchers that have "mastered" are incredibly effective. One of my 14U pitchers hit no less than 6 girls last year that were swinging. Buy increasing thumb pressure, the spin is closer to 3-9 (never gets that sideways), but at the end of the day it drops less.
 
Mar 28, 2014
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If you are defining a screwball solely by the spin it has, ie... in order to be a screwball it has to have 3-9 spin then yeah you won't find that. But that is an odd way to define a pitch. Seems better to define a pitch by it's movement so if a pitch moves in on a RH, it's a screwball and I have seen tons of pitches move in on RH batters.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
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If you are defining a screwball solely by the spin it has, ie... in order to be a screwball it has to have 3-9 spin then yeah you won't find that. But that is an odd way to define a pitch. Seems better to define a pitch by it's movement so if a pitch moves in on a RH, it's a screwball and I have seen tons of pitches move in on RH batters.
Nobody calls these two-seam fastballs in baseball screwballs not sure why softball should be any different..
 
Aug 21, 2008
2,359
113
If you are defining a screwball solely by the spin it has, ie... in order to be a screwball it has to have 3-9 spin then yeah you won't find that. But that is an odd way to define a pitch. Seems better to define a pitch by it's movement so if a pitch moves in on a RH, it's a screwball and I have seen tons of pitches move in on RH batters.

But that's the point texasheat. 99.99999999999999% of girls that claim to have a screwball simple throw the ball inside. That's hardly a movement pitch. As I said before, if that's a movement pitch then everyone pitching in Slow-pitch throws riseballs because they throw it up high. Stepping to the left and throwing it inside is not a screwball.

Can a 2 seamer move inward? Yes. So can a 4 seamer with the right hand size and finger pressure for release. And I'd much rather have a tight spinning 4 seamer than a loose sloppy looking 2 seam that hitters can identify easier.

There are all kinds of factors that can help a ball to move. Wind, how new the ball is, and dumb luck play a role. Ever watch a 5 day match of cricket??? The ones where they wear the white uniforms, not the multi-colored ones. Anyway, you will see the bowlers (pitchers) constantly rubbing the ball on their uniform trying to shine one side of the ball so it will sway in the wind as it's thrown. Their uniforms get giant red streaks in them from the constant rubbing and shining of the ball. This can be another factor.

So, my overall problem is calling a pitch by ANY name just because it ends up somewhere. And that's what we have in most "screwballs".

Bill
 

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