Softball Pitching Basics - 10 Things You Need to Know Part 4

credit Columbia Tribune for the pic of Chelsea Thomas.
Let's Learn some More Pitches

Ok, you have been throwing your fastball and changeup for about 6 months to a year now and have learned them pretty well. You are throwing 400-500 pitches a week and your mechanics are smooth and you are feeling strong. Now it is a good time to start working on another new pitch.

In Fastpitch softball you really only need about 4 pitches, if you throw them well. You have learned two of them. Those are what you will throw the most. Up next is a pitch that will take you into the next level and allow you to strike out more hitters or at least keep them hitting grounders.

Next up is the Drop Ball. There are a couple different ways to throw this pitch. The PEEL drop is my favorite. The other is the ROLLOVER drop.
The Peel is thrown very similar to your fastball. Many of the really good Fastpitch pitchers throw their Peel drop as their fastball. This version of drop ball "looks" like a fast ball and is much easier on your arm. To throw the peel drop you need to shorten your stride just slightly, maybe 3-5 inches and "peel" the ball off your fingers as you release. Make it spin hard in a downward motion to create the dropping effect.

The Rollover change is a little harder to learn and is harder on your arm and elbow. Basically, you roll your hand over at the release and thrust your arm down to create the downward spin on the ball.

So make sure you use a shorter stride and a slight forward or "on top of the ball" motion at release. Spin the ball as hard as you can and keep all other elements of your motion the same and you will have a really good drop ball.

This Fastpitch softball pitch will take another 6 months to a year to master. You also need to keep working on your other pitches. So go get your Fastpitch softball gloves and a softball and go to work.
Keep checking back for more tips on Fastpitch pitching and other subjects.

Just keepin' it real….

Softball Pitching Basics - 10 Things You Need to Know Part 3

.credit MU softball for this cool photo.

Let's Learn some new Pitches

4. Now that you have gained some good control over your self and your pitching, it is time to learn a new pitch or two. You are already confident with throwing your fastball. That is a great pitch to have. You are now able to hit your spots somewhat consistently. Keep practicing on hitting your spots with your fastball, that will help set up the batter for the next pitch.

The next pitch to learn is probably the most important pitch in a Fastpitch softball pitchers arsenal. This next pitch will; when you master it, make most batters look silly at the plate. It will allow you to strike them out one after the other. They won't even know what just happened. It will be like the ball just appeared from your Fastpitch softball gloves and landed in the catchers mitts.

This pitch is called The Changeup. There are many forms of the changeup. The Shove, the Backhand Fernandez, the Flip, the Stiff Wrist, and others I can't think of at the moment. My personal favorite is a rarely seen one called the Fleeman. It's kind of a secret so we won't discuss it here.

The main thing to remember about your change up is this pitch must have reduced speed of about 10-15 mph, look exactly like a fastball to the batter and is thrown at all different times in the count. In other words, don't just throw it when you have a 2-0 count. Throw this pitch early in the count and early and often in the game. This will mess with the batters timing.

Just as with most of the other pitches this one will take some time to learn well. It may take a year, or just 6 months but it will take a lot of pitches. Maybe as many as 10,000 or more to master this pitch, but it will be worth it. Now go practice your Change up.

Just keepin' it real…