Windup

[Lozza]

For all those who are teaching the glove hiding the ball until the last minute, be warned this has been banned in the international rules for men. It might not be far off being banned for women.

 

[mnh999]

For all those who are teaching the glove hiding the ball until the last minute, be warned this has been banned in the international rules for men. It might not be far off being banned for women.

Would someone please detail what this new rule allows/prohibits?

 

[mnh999]

Screwball, I'm guessing your respons was meant for me, but I'm still not clear on what the banning covers. What exactly does the new "no wind-up" rule mean? Above it states the glove hiding the ball until the last minute is now banned in international mens rules. I'm just not sure what that means. I would appreciat further clarifcation. thanks.

 

[NVfishing]

I think the best windup is the one the pitcher has the most confidence in. What feels right for them.

 

[redhawkridge]

I think the wideup that comes at the end of the pitcher leaping 4+ feet forward off the rubber, replanting, and then finishing the delivery somewhere beyond the circle, is the one that should be made illegal.
Jim

 

[Ken Krause]

I think the drop and big backswing can be helpful in getting more leg/body drive, especially in younger pitchers. Try this:

Stand with your feet side-by-side, bend your knees and jump forward as far as you can. Do it a couple of times without getting your arms into it, then do it again by swinging them back and driving them forward as you jump. Which way can you jump farther? Most people can jump farther using their arms.

Now, it isn't about jumping far, but it is about developing power out of the body. The jumping merely measures it.

As for picking grips, another approach is to only use a couple of grips to make which pitch you're throwing less detectable. For example, use the same grip for a rise and curve, or a peel drop and change. Those pitches are different enough from each other that a wrong guess could be devastating.

I am not against hiding the grip, by the way. If you can do it and maximize your pitching that's great. I'm just saying a lot of young pitchers especially don't have the raw athleticism/strength to be successful without a little extra help.

One other thought, going back to the original post. If you think your 12 year old can become a "great" pitcher in 18 months you're setting yourself and her up for disappointment. It takes a lot longer than that to become truly great.

 

[Jojo]

My younger pitchers use a swing back to get more power. I have experimented on this with the gun and found much more success with the swingback.
As they get older and stronger changing is fine, it's all about experimenting and find out what you like and what feels right to you--I don't teach cookie cutter pitchers.

When my own DD went off to college she had 2 grips, she was predominately a rise pitcher and also used that grip for her change.

 

[Hillhouse]

For all those who are teaching the glove hiding the ball until the last minute, be warned this has been banned in the international rules for men. It might not be far off being banned for women.

This is a very inaccurate statement. First of all, the rules are not different for men and women. 2nd, this isn't what was changed or "banned". It has to do with "leaping" with hands together. Not the premotion backswing.

 

[Hillhouse]

(It may have came from the old slingshot motion that I never saw a man do.)

I don't think that women's fastpitch follows mens. Not to insult anyone, but the men preferred baseball back in the day--After using softball as a winter game indoors (often with a very large softball), the game predominately became a womens/girls game when it was done outdoors that developed its own rules.

Yes, the men played after they completed their baseball careers. My father played actual baseball after his work hours just like we play slow-pitch today, so it took time for those men to accept also the slowpitch version of softball. But they do now.

So I hope the women don't follow the men on this one.

Screwball, just as many female pitchers "back in the day" used to slingshot, a lot of males did too...including Herb Dudley, Namesake of the Dudley softball.

Not sure where you're from Screwball but men's fp used to be played in parks all over the country as the "only game in town" in many places in the US. It's always fun for me to listen to people at clinics who tell stories about a local pitcher who was "one of the best" regardless of where in the country I am.

Men's softball was an international event before women's, if I'm not mistaken. And Yes, I mean fastpitch. All too often people think the state of men's game now is what it always was, and that's just not the case.

Bill

 

[Hillhouse]

I think the wideup that comes at the end of the pitcher leaping 4+ feet forward off the rubber, replanting, and then finishing the delivery somewhere beyond the circle, is the one that should be made illegal.
Jim

Jim, fair enough. Then stop letting hitters use metal and composite bats. Go back to the balls used in the 1960's the used to get soft, instead of these rocks that NEVER go soft. Why is it people want year 2011 offense but 1950's pitching rules? The leaping that you pointed out only came to be because of the changing technology on the other side. And while I realize you're probably just making a point (which I disagree with), the circle has NOTHING to do with anything involving delivery of the pitch. I am always amazed at how many people think it does and the pitcher needs to stay in there. LOL.

Bill