Sling shot pitch?

[Coach Stan]

Hey Hal. I taught exactly what JJ described in her interview. However, last 10 years I modified it to almost like the modified deliver where you can bring the pitching hand around and over the pitcher's head and then come back thru to pitch. Or are you just giving me a hard time because I used the wrong terminology

 

[Coach Stan]

Hal, I undertsand what you are talking about. Back in the midwest her style of sling shot is what was used normally. I have seen other styles called sling shot that you described but they were never called submarine style. There was another pitching coach here in San Diego whose name was Byrdsong or called "Birdie". The team he threw for won the ISC Worlds in 1957. He had a very unique style of pitching where he would hit his hip on all the pitches he threw. However he threw and taught the same sling slot I teach now where you take the pitching arm go forward then down and around the top of the head around the yes and then come back around and release the ball. Boy when my allstar pitchers started throwing that up in LA the allstars teams there went crazy, sure caused a lot of delays. Some old timer umpires knew it was a legal pitch and some of the newer ones did not. I have a few kids throwing it now, they and their parents get a kick out of throwing something hard and then being able to use the same style and throw a change up. Batters and coaches go crazy.

 

[Old Man River]

No. Not at all. After watching her video and demonstration, her 'slingshot' wind up was not what the old guys I saw use their version of the slingshot. Her slingshot is much closer to what I saw then use and they called it the Softball Submarine, that is what I used and taught.

There were a WHOLE LOT of hybrids of those two that I saw when I was young. There were a few that drew the ball back almost as high as if they were pulling back a bow and arrow. Those were they ones that called themselves the Slingshotter's.

Hal,
Did you ever see Harvey Sterkel or Herb Dudley, who both used the slingshot style and are in the ASA Hall of Fame, pitch? Both incredible pitchers who brushed their hips as they delivered the ball. I personally witnessed Harvey Sterkel in the finals of the 1967 Open National Tournament strike out 18 of my teammates, the Fairchild Falcons from Mt View, CA, when he pitched for the Aurora, IL Sealmasters. He also, if my memory serves me correctly, pitched 9 or 10 consecutive games through the losers bracket in 1959(?) to bring this same team an earlier National Championship. Herb Dudley performed comparable feats. I would think these are the two best models in the world using the slingshot style and they never varied there wind-ups or deliveries. Their "stuff" matched anything I saw since then. It would be interesting to find some video on these guys which I would pursue if they qualify in your eyes. This is what I mean by "models" setting the standards for what we teach.

 

[PEPPERS]

A link to a lady who teaches the slingshot, this is not how my daughter does it, but thought you may like to see it.

On the right side of the video she has links to other pitches, some are interesting

Kudda: Softball - Softball: Throwing Alternative Pitches - Sling Shot

 

[Lozza]

Some are very close to bush league too. The Wind-up one is also showing stuff that could be very bad for pitchers and their motions. Doing the wind-up like Cat Osterman does it won't affect their bodies (its just a different starting point) or even the pump option (the one pump is my wind up style) But having them imintate Jenny Finch, Monica Abbot or bending in half? Its completly changing their motion, not just their wind-up.

I like some of Rita Lynn's stuff, but a lot of it is showmanship for the point of showmanship.

 

[Edy]

Doug,

In my opinion, mixing the sling shot and the windmill motion will just bring confusion to the muscle memory and the batter will easily read the pitch from the motion, even if done sparingly.
Body has to keep the same motion at all times (except by sutil changes for advanced pitches) to reach optimal mechanics.
I personaly use a technique that keeps the windmill motion but takes a lot of speed from the pitch.

Assuming that the contact of the elbow with the body will trigger the internal rotation (and thus the velocity) I simply avoid making contact with the body. Instead, at the downwind stage I just let my stiff arm pass in front of the body (which is at 45º or so and palm facing first) and release the ball in front of the body. This final motion is just the same as the sling shot, but the windmill motion will fool the batter. To have a good result, the pitcher must throw as fast as she can and the ball will still travel slower because of two reasons: #1-the internal rotation is not working #2- the ball is released in front of the body and at that point the arm is disacerelating.
No matter how hard you throw, it will always be slower than the complete and correct motion.

Hope this helps.

Edy

 

[Doug]

She has been working on her CU, so we will go with it.

I guess I wasn't clear in my original post, but I was just wanting her to try the regular slow-pitch pitch, and just lob it in there. Some of the pitchers in our VERY weak school league pitch it this slow, even when using a windmill, and it gives most batters fits.