Softball Pitching Questions Wanted

[rodj]

After playing for 30 years, and semi-retiring as an instructor, I still enjoy talking fast pitch, and especially enjoy answering pitching questions. I have some experience, and if you should have a pitching or softball related question, just ask, maybe I can help. Together we could put together an informative and a beneficial forum that could be used by all softball players of both genders and all ages.

[boxer156]

Do you still instruct? I'm looking for another instructor for my daughter, so please let me know.....

[Sneakers]

What should be developed first? speed or control?

[rodj]

Sneakers: that's a good question and probably the one I expected first. In my experience, having control over speed is the lesser of two evils. At least with control, you make the other team beat you with their sticks, and at least you give your defense a chance to keep you in the game. However, softball is a game of numbers, and sooner or later people are going to hit the ball and find the holes or they're going to find the fence. I have known pitchers who have had good velocity, but couldn't find the plate consistently. As a hitter, just be patient and let the pitcher beat herself. I have know pitchers who didn't throw hard, but were around the plate all the time. As a hitter you can be a little more aggressive because you know your going to see strikes and you can get some healthy cuts. Most kids that I have worked with will learn one or the other first and then the other one will fall into place. Let me try to explain that. With control comes confidence, with confidence and a little more effort comes speed. If you have control as a young pitcher, as time goes on you will get stronger and also more confident. You will throw the ball with more velocity. On the other hand, there's an old adage in fast pitch softball. "You can't hit what you can't see", so if you're popping the ball pretty good now, but can't find the plate, then you have some mechanical things that need worked on. Nothing that can't be fixed but you will have to work a little harder to get control. Make no mistake about it, there is no substitute for speed. One is not good with out the other, to be good you have to have both. To be better, you have to have movement on the ball. So after all that, there really is no set pattern. Speed first, control first? It doesn't matter, but to be successful, you have to learn both. Good luck and thanks for responding. .

[rodj]

Boxer 156: Thanks for asking. Up to last year I had thirty-some kids that I was working with. As much as enjoyed it, it started to become another full time job. I backed off a little. I have a few girls that I'm working with now. If we can match dates, I would be glad to look at your daughter. Not sure how you can get a hold of me, I'm not sure about posting my phone number on this site. Let me know what you think. Thanks again.

[KobeBallsLikeSwoosh]

Madalyn Lenzi will carry WHHS Softball

[softballfan]

PIAA for two years in a row have had a point of emphasis on proper pitching, however I have yet to see anyone called for the re-plant or crow hop.
I've seen Monica Abbott called for an illegal pitch for less of a re-plant than a pitcher I watched the other night.

Do you think that a lot of umps & coaches have no idea what a re-plant or crow hop looks like?
How do you correct a girl that you are working with who does not drag their toe from the rubber?

[rodj]

Not sure if the umps and the coaches are all on the same page or not with the leap and the crow hop, the umps should be. The rules interpretation meeting that I went to was very explicit on these rules. There was slides, a short video and even some discussion on it. The bottom line is that the pivot foot may remain in contact with or may push off and drag away from the pitching plate prior to the front foot touching the ground. The "and drag away" is where the problem starts. This shouldn't be hard to call, but for some reason it is. The question is, does the umpire want to open up a can of worms and call it or just ignore it, especially on someone's home field, and you can read between the lines on that one. It's definetley a disadvantage to the hitter and I'm on the pitcher's side. I will say this though, when you have a pitcher that's dominating, there's always going to be some kind of witch hunt and the last thing an umpire wants to do is penalize a pitcher for being good by calling illegal pitches.
Trying to break a pitcher from leaping or crow hopping is a tough job. Old habits are hard to break. There are several ways, keeping your weight back, try a longer stride, sometimes a shorter stride depending on the individual. Keep your pivot foot pointed down on the way threw. Without observing, it's hard to say for sure. There are a couple of tricks you can do to circumvent the rules, if you so desire. With your spikes, push some dirt up in front of the rubber so that your drag foot gives the illusion that it is dragging by throwing dust. You can dig a little hole in front of the rubber so that your foot will drag on the way out. You can always show the ump your drag marks. There are other tricks to do to distract the base umpire but we'll keep it low key in case umpires read this. Good luck and I hope some of this has helped.

[softballfan]

It's definetley a disadvantage to the hitter and I'm on the pitcher's side. I will say this though, when you have a pitcher that's dominating, there's always going to be some kind of witch hunt and the last thing an umpire wants to do is penalize a pitcher for being good by calling illegal pitches.

But how can you call a pitcher "good" if she is not legal. I'm on the side of the hitter, and on the side of those who have worked hard to make sure their pitchers are not crow hopping. How is it fair to the teams whose pitcher is legal? No one wants to do the right thing when you have a crow hopping HS pitcher because, "she's been throwing for years" and hasn't been called illegal all along.

The rules interpretation meeting that I went to was very explicit on these rules.

I know they are, but why waste the time talking about it if no one will make the call anyway.

I'm not interested in circumventing rules, I'd just like to see it done correctly.