Pitching is the heart and soul of Fast Pitch Softball. I’ve heard various estimates, 80%, 90%, etc., but suffice to say that the game starts and stops with the pitcher. That’s the very reason that Slow Pitch Softball had such a popularity boom. The pitchers dominated Fast Pitch, and it was perceived that there wasn’t much “action” in the game. As players, we know this to be false.
Things happen so fast in Fast Pitch, that it takes a finely tuned team to make correct decisions and reactions instantly. It’s an exciting game to play and to watch, if you know what to look for. This booklet is prepared in an effort to help you, as a pitcher, fully develop your potential and help your team with games. This is not intended to be an “end all” answer to all of your questions but as a guide.
Hopefully, this information will give you some new things to work on and think about to improve your game. There are much higher levels of sophistication that can be reached, but if you understand and can master the theories and techniques described herein, I guarantee you that you will be a better pitcher.
1) There are three basic pitches, you as a young pitcher should be concerned with and try to perfect.
A) The Rise Ball: The Rise Ball is thrown in much the same way as an overhand curve ball. The ball is released with a sharp upward break of the wrist, and an elongated follow through where the pitching arm is extended up above the head, directly toward the plate. The stride is usually longer which has the effect of putting the body “under” the ball.
A tight rotation (much like a football spiral) is desired. It is important to concentrate on a straight and exaggerated follow through to give the pitch the effect of breaking straight up, as opposed to up and out. The bat is swung in a horizontal position, so it is obvious that anything as near vertical as possible will make the pitch harder to hit. The Rise Ball is normally thrown high and if possible, in on the hitter. A low rise is a hard pitch to throw, but can be very effective if perfected.
The hitter will usually take it, thinking it is going stay low, out of the strike zone. The higher the pitch is thrown, the more it breaks. The truly effective Rise Ball just brushes the top of the strike zone and goes up from there. It is the hardest pitch to bunt, and should be thrown in bunt situations with the idea of getting the batter to pop up the bunt attempt. You should throw Rise Balls to small, fast hitters.
The natural trajectory of the ball off the bat will be up due to the angles involved and will usually result in the ball being hit in the air. The quick runners are usually trying to hit the ball on the ground where they have a good chance to beat it out. Rise Balls will reduce their chances of doing this. In fact, you can throw it right down the middle to these type of hitters, hoping they will hit it good. If they do, it will normally be a routine fly ball to the outfield. Pop-ups and fly balls are easier to handle than ground balls. READ MORE
