Struggling with the drop

[c3scott]

I'm a Hillhouse subscriber. Let go earlier and it will drop. Gotta have proper spin though. We were patient and it is starting to work. Our next step is learning finger pressure to make it move laterally.

 

[greg99]

Try having her stand sideways on her front foot, with just the toe of her back foot touching the ground. It will feel like weight forward but looks vertical. Then have her work on her release from that position with a full arm circle. When my pitching students struggle with the drop we go back to this drill and it seems to help pretty quickly.

Part of it can be the release, too. There are different ways to throw the peel drop. I like to have the pitchers turn palm-down toward the bottom of the circle and pull over the top. Fingers are pointed straight back, and the release starts before the ball passes the hip. It finishes as the ball passes the hip. I tell them to focus on throwing a knee-high strike and let the ball do the work. If it starts too low, which most do, I have them bend the elbow a little so the ball comes up a little higher to start -- somewhere around hip-high.

That solves that problem for them. The bigger problem is getting the catcher to call it, especially with runners on base!

After talking with DD's coach last night, he said DD's curve looks to be the pitch he will be calling most of the time. He also won't call a drop with runners on. Is that a common thing? Maybe with 2 strikes don't call a drop I can understand. Now I'm not sure if she should continue to work on her drop as much and start focusing on her curve a bit more.

Sorry to Hi-jack the thread..just curious about the drop with runners on.

 

[coachdan]

After talking with DD's coach last night, he said DD's curve looks to be the pitch he will be calling most of the time. He also won't call a drop with runners on. Is that a common thing? Maybe with 2 strikes don't call a drop I can understand. Now I'm not sure if she should continue to work on her drop as much and start focusing on her curve a bit more.

Sorry to Hi-jack the thread..just curious about the drop with runners on.

IMHO with 2 stike is the best time to throw the drop....if you have a good catcher. Catcher has to be prepared to block when the drop is called.

 

[greg99]

I was concered with dropped third strike, then you could have a passed ball and Dropped third strike.

 

[97fastpitchdad]

Greg, that sounds more like a problem with the catchers ability to block the ball. Does your pitcher and catcher get an opportunity to work together other than in games?

How effective is the drop for her at this point? That pitch should be knee high a few feet in front of the plate, and hit the ground or the catchers glove right at the point of the plate. I can see a coach abondoning the pitch if it isn't game ready, or is a waste pitch right now.

 

[greg99]

I think its all the above. Sometimes its a great pitch other times she tries to do too much with it and its short/low. Bounces in front of plate. I can agree its not 100% game ready, but for the coach to say he won't call a drop with runners on surprised me. Not to mention she can pull her curve every now and again also.

The pitchers throw almost every practice...well after practice. The coaches also mix up who throws to who.

 

[97fastpitchdad]

I can understand a coach not calling a rise that a pitcher is always getting under, a catcher can only go up so high. But you have to expect that a pitch that is down, or bounces in front of the plate, will be kept in front. It is not just a confidence issue for the coach, but the pitcher can't be afraid to throw it either.

My daughter lives (and sometimes dies) on the drop, so I couldn't imagine giving up on it. In fact, we started throwing it to quadrants this week, instead of just inside and outside. We are hoping it will help her have more control, and eventually move away from the fastball, or lack of a fastball, all together.