Pitches

= This page is a page to descibe all the major pitches in the art of softball pitching. Keep in mind there are varyations of almost every pitch but these are common ways of throwing them. =

=== This is a movie of a fastpitch dropball, a commonly used pitch in the fastpitch world. The rope in front of the catcher demonstrates how the ball comes in normal and then very rapidly drops right over the plate, and how much the ball actually drops. ===

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=** Pitches **=

====__What does it do__- fastball brings the ball over the plate relatively flatly.A fastball is most always the first thing a beginning pitcher learns to throw. A fast ball is thrown with a four-seem grip, also know as the "c" grip because the seems are the c shape, and can go to anywhere over the plate on a flat line if the pitcher desires it to. There is also a varyation on the fastball that is called a two-seem fastball that is about the same speed but you use a two-seem grip and the ball wiggles a little bit over the plate.The fastest softball windmill type pitch was throw at the 2000 Atlanta olympics, this pitch was throw at 73.2 miles per hour.====

**Rise Ball**-
====__What does it do__- the rise ball uses upward spin to rise. A rise ball is a pitch taught to girls who have a little more expierence with pitching because it is a little more difficult to throw. To throw a rise ball you would grip the ball like a two-seem fastball, or the top of the "c". As your arm comes around out of the windmill and gets to the hip a pitcher will make sure her palm is facing upwards underneath the ball so when she flicks it up and backwards at release it will have upward spin when it gets to the plate. A rise ball breaks upward so it makes it very hard for the batters to hit. Imagine seeing a ball come at you at your waist and then right when it gets to you have it rise to your shoulders. It is a hard pitch to hit and causes many batters to strike out. Rise balls may be reffered to as jumpers or climbers because they jump or climb over your bat but they are most commonly reffered to as the rise ball. Many pitchers at the high school level and up use rise balls.====

**Drop Ball-**
====__What does it do-__ the drop uses downward spin to drop.The drop ball is often another pitch that is taught a little bit earlier than say the curve or screw ball but, the pitcher still needs to hhave some expience for this pitch to work well. To throw a turn over drop pitchers generally grip the ball the same way they would a rise ball. As your arm goes around the windmill and gets to your hip you would turn your wrist from being straight to being sideways and flick the ball down. This creates downward spin on the ball so when the ball reaches the batter it drops dramatically. The video above shows the classic drop ball in action. Another type of drop ball, the kind I throw, is the peel-drop. The peel-drop does just what the name says. Normally pitchers throw the peel with the same grip they would use on a fastball. This time, as your arm comes around to your hip you flick your arm straight up so the ball peels off your fingers and has somewhat of a downward spin. The peel-drop has the same effect of the regular drop ball. Many pitchers every where have drop balls with fantastic amounts of drop.====

**Screw Ball-**
====__What does it do__- the screwball uses sideways spin going to the right to curve to the inside when it reaches the plate. For most pitchers, the screw ball, along with the curve, is taught later along the line of pitching expierence. Like the drop and rise, you grip the screw ball with your fingers on the side of the c. For the screw ball, when your arm comes around out of the windmill your hand will be sraight underneath the ball, your thumb facing away from you. When a pitcher releases a screw ball she keeps her elbow in and flicks her whole wrist away from her towards the right. This causes the ball to have spin turning towards the right. When the ball reaches home plate it is starting to break in, or m ove to the inside corner of the plate which makes it tough to hit. Generally only more advanced pitchers have a good screw ball because it is a tough pitch to throw and master. Some pitchers stay away from the screw ball because it is a pitch that has been know to cause arm injuries in pitchers.====

**Curve Ball-**
====__What does it do__- the curve ball uses sideways spin going to the left to curve to the outside corner as it reaches the plate. As said before, the curve ball is not usually taught untill pitchers are more advanced, along with the screw ball. For the curve ball, like most other breaking pitches, a pitcher will grip the ball with a two seem grip, or the side of the c. When throwing a curve, a pitcher must come around and out of the windmill with her hand underneath the ball, her little finger facing in towards her. When she reaches relaease point she flicks her hand inwards, instead of outwards like the screw, and ends up with her hand facing in towards her. This causes inward spin on the ball so that when the ball reaches home plate it is already breaking toward the outside corner. Since a curve can be thrown high and low, but always outside, it is a very effective pitch to make batters swing and miss. The curve ball is a pitch that is basically opposite of the screw.====

**Knuckle Ball-**
====__What does it do__- the knuckle ball uses different grips on the ball pitch to make it go over the plate with almost no spin. Usually a knuckle ball wiggles and is just a tough pitch to make contact with but some knuckle balls have different ways to move. Certain types of knuckle balls are change ups so I will only talk about one kind of knuckle ball that is not a change up. For a knuckle ball, most pitchers will grip a regular knuckle ball on a four seem, or c grip, but they will use the very tips of their fingers and partly their fingernails. To throw the knuckle a pitcher must try not to spin the ball at all but to push the ball out of the hand at the release point. When done successfully, this creates basically no spin on the ball and this makes it tough for a batter to hit. Most pitchers do not have very effective knuckle balls and use a different kind of knuckle ball as their change up.====

====__What does it do__- A change is a pitch made to confuse the batters. There are many different kinds ways to throw a change-up but most all change ups are slower than fast balls and make it harder for batters to hit. There are many different types of change ups. One common type of change up found in younger kids, even begginers, is the back door change up. The back doore change is called that because instead of starting with your hand underneath the ball, a pitcher would have her hand on top of the ball. This does two things, it creates an odd motion in which the ball will sail in and go up then down, and it makes the pitch slower, or offspeed as in off your fastball speed. Some pithers use the two seem grip for this and some use the four seem but all successful pitchers hold this pitch deeper in the palm of their hand than a normal pitch. Another type of commonly used change is the knuckle change although, this is way more common in expienced pitchers than non-expienced. Depending on which is more comfortable and works better for the pitcher, a pitcher will grip this ball on the four seem with either her first, first and second, or first, second, and third fingers tucked in under the ball. What this does is give the ball hardly any motion, similar to the knuckle ball, but it is more like a change up in the fact that it is so slow and in goes up then down sort of like an arc. A change up is a good pitch to have for pitchers of any age and is a very common but effective pitch.====
 * Change Ups-**

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