Why do softball pitchers have to grunt?

[hallelujah]

As people have said, it is generally used and taught to help with breathing and timing. International and olympic pitchers still grunt, and it's definitely not to distract the batter. It's just a way of timing their breathing.

I've seen batters grunt when they hit too, because of the amount of effort they're putting into hitting the ball. Again, not for distraction.

Umpires would have to use their judgement to draw a line, to see if grunting back for the sake of pissing the other team off, would be considered interference. It's generally not, but if people are going to extremes with it, judgement needs to be made. However, this is a highly unlikely situation.

 

[FJRGerry]

I remember in the "olden days" when I studied karate being taught to 'Ki-Yai" (yell) for maximum power when striking. The Ki-Yai is a powerful exertion of breath from the core at the moment of impact. To equate this to pitching if the grunt was from the core then I could see how it can add power. I'd prefer having the pitcher "woosh" instead so it's not as noticeable to the batter.

 

[PEPPERS]

My daughter grunts when she pitches, she does it without realizing she is doing it. I realized she was doing it and I never said anything. Exhaling relaxes the body and relaxed muscles are faster that tight muscles. If she grunted then I figured she exhaled; or that’s how I looked at it. A few of her friends begin to say something and she became a ware of it. She tried to quit and when she did she quit exhaling and I think she lost some velocity. Her pitching coach has been working to get her from a UUNNNN grunt to a loud swoosh blowing type noise.

I was taught to exhale while batting during the swing and taught my daughter this also, I grunted when swong the bat.

 

[absdad]

Oh come on... sportsmanship?? I hear pitchers do it all the time, and it's incredibly obvious that it's not meant that way, but as breathing. My dd is a catcher, and she does it on a throwdown. She just started doing it one day. She feels she gets "a little extra" in the throw. She used to be into Karate pretty hard core, so maybe she just took her Kiya and added it to her throw, I dunno. But I don't think it distracts the baserunner, and frankly I don't care if it does.

 

[calgofo]

I know when I'm watching a game it gets on my nerves, Whether it has any practical value, I can't say.

 

[Cannonball]

My dd grunts but doesn't want to. So, she tries to hold it in and gets the hiccups after she pitches. We've tried to get her to purposly grunt. She says she can't "purposly grunt" or make an alternative sound. I too hate hearing it but don't think it is some kind of plan for most.

 

[Iggy Ruiz]

My daughter yells this also when she pitches. By the 3rd game the ump who previously ump'd her last game told her to stop it because she was causing a distraction to the batter. I really wish the umpire could stay consistant from game to game.

 

[Comp]

I was watching one of my daughters juco games about 3 years ago, and this pitcher was absolutely screaming when she pitched. After about 3 innings of it I couldnt take it anymore and left. Parking lot was a good 600' from the field and I could still hear the girl screaming in the parking lot. I have no idea how the umpires put up with it, and it was a double header. Daughter told me the girl pitched the 2nd game too.

Watched a friend of my daughters college team play in a tournament and one of the pitchers did a double grunt/yell. She would make a loud grunt just before release and then a very loud yell as the ball got to the batter.

 

[softballphreak]

The "grunt" in martial arts is called a "kiai". Some may do it just to make noise, but there is a very beneficial effect for the ones that are using it properly. Not only pitchers can benefit, batters can also add more power and speed by using a kiai. It's not voodoo, it actually helps activate some critical muscles.

http://www.minrec.org/wilson/pdfs/The Kiai.pdf

There are probably a few martial arts people on here. Help enlighten these people.

 

[lstorie1971]

My daughter makes an audible grunt when she throws the ball in from the outfield.