Just started pitching this past summer season. Never pitched or even played softball before! Was having a very hard time being consistent or finding someone who could help me get better. After finding your videos and started using your drills and advices, I went from 3string pitcher to 1 pitcher and getting compliments from the opposite team! Thank you very much!! As yes you are very right regarding the empire to call 6 1/2 pitches... :/
been practicing ever since I came across your videos about 18 months ago. played around with different grips, especially for the slider and screwball. i found the straight backspin grip is too sticky for these breaking pitches….stays on my fingers too long. discovered what works best for all 3 power pitches is using the grips u have prescribed, rolling the ball more into my fingers (as opposed to my palms), relaxing my grip and not squeezing too hard (holding the ball rather loosely), starting each pitch with my wrist pre-cocked and release the ball with a quick backward flip as my arm stroke follow-through guides the ball into the arc/trajectory of the ball flight.
Awesome vid. Just joined a league and i have no idea how to pitch. There's not alot of quality slow pitch videos on youtube, but these are great. Keep em coming!
Glad you like the videos geo12345! I'll be publishing 3 of 4 SPPP, next week, Strength Training and Practice/Drills. I hope the information is helpful to you.
That's awesome Abraham! Just stay with it and you'll have a ton of fun. The better you get at, it the more fun it is. I wouldn't play any other position than pitcher, you can really control the game from there.
I videoed myself and the slider and screwball look very different on delivery. How can I make them look the same? Thank you for all the videos. My first game ever is Monday
Three fingers are fine as long as two fingers are opposite and as wide as you can grip the ball. The trick to good rotation is to get your "gipping" fingers as close to the rotational axis as possible.
my initial reaction is that a 3-finger grip wouldn’t allow u to flip ur wrist as much. I’d try flipping the ball over (still maintaining a 4-seam grip) with the open side of the horseshoe at ur index finger before going to 3 fingers.
No problem IronWill. A breaking pitch is a pitch that varies from a straight path. So what's meant by the "break" of a pitch is the amount that it moves left, right or any direction from a straight line. For example, in baseball a curve ball breaks or curves down and to the right from the perspective of a right handed pitcher. In slo-pitch, a curve ball or what I call a slider does the same thing. If I throw it inside to a right handed batter in looks like it's going to miss the plate toward his feet but as it begins to come down from the arc it "breaks" away from him and goes over the plate. If I throw it really well, it looks way inside then breaks away from the batter and just catches the inside corner of the plate for a strike. Good luck with your pitching!
Where I am, we use a 2' x 3' rectangular plate. If the ball hits the plate then it is a strike. So this takes the umpires interpretation of the strike zone out of the game. We also have a minimum height of 6 feet but no ceiling. Would you recommend using higher pitches? Will the breaking pitches still work with high pitches? Is a mix better? Low to high, High to Low? I also was hit with a line drive in my last game, is there any tricks or practice methods to help with this?
Hi Rob, It's not a bad thing that your league uses the "hit the plate; it's a strike" rule. It evens the playing field between hitter and pitcher, no invisible strike zone when the best hitters take the 3rd strike. With a "no ceiling," pitch rule, I would practice an 18-foot, high spin-rate, backspin pitch and mix it in randomly, no curve necessary and put it right on the front of the plate (if that's a strike), very tough to hit. I wouldn't abandon my conventional game as you need it if you ever play ASA or USSSA rules. Go with the highest and lowest pitches you can command, stay away from the middle hight pitch; it's of little use and easy to hit. As for getting hit with a line drive, that's just part of it but protect your head at all times. I don't wear a mask though I probably should. I practice bringing my glove up, in front of my face, out front, palm down, and my eyes looking right over the top with my throwing hand resting on the back of the glove. My feet are wide, with knees bent in an athletic position. This position enables me to react to almost any ball hit back to me and protect the upper part of my body. I have occasionally been hit on the foot or lower leg. My pitching style is to stay inside almost exclusively, so balls don't come back up the middle very often. Letting a fat pitch drift to the outside half of the plate is not good. These come back most often. I hope this helps and good luck!
I signed up to play a fall league slow pitch Rec league, and turns out I’m pitching... so looks like I need to learn. First game is two weeks.. I have 2 weeks to learn to pitch lol
Been watching all your videos but yet to see any mention about pitching from different spots on the pitching rubber. Do you adjust which side you use depending upon pitch, batter, etc?
Roger, I've given much thought to your question, " What is the best position on the rubber for a pitcher?" I've heard arguments about it from both sides, and I don't have a firm opinion about it either way. I've always pitched from the same spot, the left side. As a general rule, I keep my pitching mechanics consistent from one type of pitch to another. For me, this approach is the best foundation for precise location control, which is the most important aspect of pitching. Moving from one side of the rubber to the other depending on the pitch, is just one more variable in the mix. I'm not saying that I wouldn't change my mind. But, so far, I haven't seen an advantage to it. The change in angle to the plate is minimal over the fifty feet, and I think the batter's reference point is the pitcher, not the rubber. Again, this is just my opinion, and I could be convinced otherwise.
Your videos are exactly what I need to learn how to slow pitch. The regular pitcher on my team went down with an injury after the vey first game so I volunteered to try it. I was throwing with backspin before I started watching your videos so when I saw them I was instantly interested and amazed. I am not consistent in my accuracy when throwing either the screwball or the slider but I can at least see that the ball is curving. When I throw the high back spin pitch, the ball is on line but I tend to throw it short of the plate when I miss. Are there any tips that you could please give me? Thanks you for your videos, and for whatever advice you may have.
Bosoxfan, I'm glad the lessons are helping! For me, pitch depth is controlled best with my release point. When training, I focus on consistent arm speed and backspin. Once I establish a consistent depth, I work on release point, earlier for shorter and later for a deeper pitch. This method works for me as repetition develops muscle memory for arm speed, reducing the factors affecting pitch depth to only one, the release point. This method enables me to establish consistent mechanics while not trying to correct pitches by adjusting multiple variables.
That's a tough one. I put myself in a defensive position (self defense) and if I happen to get a come-backer that I can handle then I'll make the play. I have more success in pitching to my defense. I'll generally pitch for the batter to pull the ball and move my infield accordingly. A lot of the shots up the middle are fielded by my 2nd base. Good luck!
Your power or spin-rate is generated by a combination of grip and wrist rotation. I have my next video, "Grip, Release and Mechanics" for SPPP, scheduled for release early next week. In that video I carefully detail the exact mechanics enabling a high-spin-rate pitch. In the mean time, tell me which pitch you were throwing.
@@utah32804 I was just throwing a regular pitch I think. Not sure what called. With palm up. I dont usually engage my wrist I've been trying to keep my wrist straight... is that limiting my power
Wrist straight will definitely reduce your power/spin-rate. I pitched palm up when I started years ago... don't pitch palm up anymore except for the knuckle ball and that's a pitch with mechanics all of it's own. Normally when you pitch palm up, the ball rotates forward and you can't get much spin on it. I recommend pitching with backspin, palm down with a lot of wrist rotation. I'll show you the complete mechanics on my next video.
The only thing I don't like about this video is your reasoning for throwing backspin because your shoulder, elbow, and wrist rotate backwards. In baseball, your shoulder, elbow, and wrist rotate forward, but this produces a backspin on a fastball thrown by a baseball pitcher
You're right Nick; In baseball, a pitched fastball rotates in the opposite direction to the pitcher's shoulder rotation. There is no other way to throw an overhand pitch with backspin. In slow-pitch softball, a backspin pitch rotates in the same direction as the shoulder. There is no other way to throw an underhand backspin pitch - however, this is just a fortunate coincidence, not the reason for pitching a backspin pitch. Since shoulder, elbow and wrist rotation all synchronize with the ball rotation, more consistent pitching mechanics are possible. The reasons I give for pitching the backspin pitch are; improved ball deflection angle off the bat and a steeper drop of the ball from the highest point in the arc. I apologize if I was not clear on this point. Thanks for your comment!
Where have you been all my life?! I've been looking for tips like this about pitching for years.
Watched your video before my college Slow Pitch league and killed it! Thanks for the wins!!!!
you crack me up..... your video shows you pitching right and left handed
Just started pitching this past summer season. Never pitched or even played softball before! Was having a very hard time being consistent or finding someone who could help me get better. After finding your videos and started using your drills and advices, I went from 3string pitcher to 1 pitcher and getting compliments from the opposite team! Thank you very much!!
As yes you are very right regarding the empire to call 6 1/2 pitches... :/
been practicing ever since I came across your videos about 18 months ago. played around with different grips, especially for the slider and screwball. i found the straight backspin grip is too sticky for these breaking pitches….stays on my fingers too long. discovered what works best for all 3 power pitches is using the grips u have prescribed, rolling the ball more into my fingers (as opposed to my palms), relaxing my grip and not squeezing too hard (holding the ball rather loosely), starting each pitch with my wrist pre-cocked and release the ball with a quick backward flip as my arm stroke follow-through guides the ball into the arc/trajectory of the ball flight.
love the first of the series!! want to start pitching myself.
I cant wait to try these pitching methods. I have been a softball pitcher for 3 seasons now (still fairly new). Thank you for your videos!
Sure Nati, glad you like the videos! Let me know if you have any questions once you get started.
Awesome vid. Just joined a league and i have no idea how to pitch. There's not alot of quality slow pitch videos on youtube, but these are great. Keep em coming!
Glad you like the videos geo12345! I'll be publishing 3 of 4 SPPP, next week, Strength Training and Practice/Drills. I hope the information is helpful to you.
These will be valuable to many pitchers, including myself. Thanks!
Hi thanks a lot for the tips im new pitcher AND play on a Rookie league so allá adivices will help keep doing thanks a lot regards from Sinaloa México
That's awesome Abraham! Just stay with it and you'll have a ton of fun. The better you get at, it the more fun it is. I wouldn't play any other position than pitcher, you can really control the game from there.
OK got my answer in this video. thanks
I videoed myself and the slider and screwball look very different on delivery. How can I make them look the same? Thank you for all the videos. My first game ever is Monday
These videos are amazing, thank you! How do you feel about using 3 fingers for the backspin pitch? I have a bit smaller hands!
Three fingers are fine as long as two fingers are opposite and as wide as you can grip the ball. The trick to good rotation is to get your "gipping" fingers as close to the rotational axis as possible.
my initial reaction is that a 3-finger grip wouldn’t allow u to flip ur wrist as much. I’d try flipping the ball over (still maintaining a 4-seam grip) with the open side of the horseshoe at ur index finger before going to 3 fingers.
I also play guitar…have u put out any videos on guitar-playing? If so where can they be found?
Great video. I've never tried pitching before this year. What does it mean by a breaking pitch? Sorry I'm very new
No problem IronWill. A breaking pitch is a pitch that varies from a straight path. So what's meant by the "break" of a pitch is the amount that it moves left, right or any direction from a straight line. For example, in baseball a curve ball breaks or curves down and to the right from the perspective of a right handed pitcher. In slo-pitch, a curve ball or what I call a slider does the same thing. If I throw it inside to a right handed batter in looks like it's going to miss the plate toward his feet but as it begins to come down from the arc it "breaks" away from him and goes over the plate. If I throw it really well, it looks way inside then breaks away from the batter and just catches the inside corner of the plate for a strike. Good luck with your pitching!
Im learning alot ty...
Love your approach to coaching, it's very clear and concise. We'd like to send you some training tools, how can we get in touch?
WeekNightAce@gmail.com
Where I am, we use a 2' x 3' rectangular plate. If the ball hits the plate then it is a strike. So this takes the umpires interpretation of the strike zone out of the game. We also have a minimum height of 6 feet but no ceiling. Would you recommend using higher pitches? Will the breaking pitches still work with high pitches? Is a mix better? Low to high, High to Low? I also was hit with a line drive in my last game, is there any tricks or practice methods to help with this?
Hi Rob, It's not a bad thing that your league uses the "hit the plate; it's a strike" rule. It evens the playing field between hitter and pitcher, no invisible strike zone when the best hitters take the 3rd strike. With a "no ceiling," pitch rule, I would practice an 18-foot, high spin-rate, backspin pitch and mix it in randomly, no curve necessary and put it right on the front of the plate (if that's a strike), very tough to hit. I wouldn't abandon my conventional game as you need it if you ever play ASA or USSSA rules. Go with the highest and lowest pitches you can command, stay away from the middle hight pitch; it's of little use and easy to hit.
As for getting hit with a line drive, that's just part of it but protect your head at all times. I don't wear a mask though I probably should. I practice bringing my glove up, in front of my face, out front, palm down, and my eyes looking right over the top with my throwing hand resting on the back of the glove. My feet are wide, with knees bent in an athletic position. This position enables me to react to almost any ball hit back to me and protect the upper part of my body. I have occasionally been hit on the foot or lower leg. My pitching style is to stay inside almost exclusively, so balls don't come back up the middle very often. Letting a fat pitch drift to the outside half of the plate is not good. These come back most often. I hope this helps and good luck!
I signed up to play a fall league slow pitch Rec league, and turns out I’m pitching... so looks like I need to learn. First game is two weeks.. I have 2 weeks to learn to pitch lol
Been watching all your videos but yet to see any mention about pitching from different spots on the pitching rubber. Do you adjust which side you use depending upon pitch, batter, etc?
Roger, I've given much thought to your question, " What is the best position on the rubber for a pitcher?" I've heard arguments about it from both sides, and I don't have a firm opinion about it either way. I've always pitched from the same spot, the left side. As a general rule, I keep my pitching mechanics consistent from one type of pitch to another. For me, this approach is the best foundation for precise location control, which is the most important aspect of pitching. Moving from one side of the rubber to the other depending on the pitch, is just one more variable in the mix. I'm not saying that I wouldn't change my mind. But, so far, I haven't seen an advantage to it. The change in angle to the plate is minimal over the fifty feet, and I think the batter's reference point is the pitcher, not the rubber. Again, this is just my opinion, and I could be convinced otherwise.
Your videos are exactly what I need to learn how to slow pitch. The regular pitcher on my team went down with an injury after the vey first game so I volunteered to try it. I was throwing with backspin before I started watching your videos so when I saw them I was instantly interested and amazed. I am not consistent in my accuracy when throwing either the screwball or the slider but I can at least see that the ball is curving. When I throw the high back spin pitch, the ball is on line but I tend to throw it short of the plate when I miss. Are there any tips that you could please give me? Thanks you for your videos, and for whatever advice you may have.
Bosoxfan, I'm glad the lessons are helping! For me, pitch depth is controlled best with my release point. When training, I focus on consistent arm speed and backspin. Once I establish a consistent depth, I work on release point, earlier for shorter and later for a deeper pitch. This method works for me as repetition develops muscle memory for arm speed, reducing the factors affecting pitch depth to only one, the release point. This method enables me to establish consistent mechanics while not trying to correct pitches by adjusting multiple variables.
Thank you for your quick reply! I will certainly work on it. I also hope you will be posting more videos in the future.
Tiene k enseñar bien como se hagarra la bola
I been pitching for 10 years . My weakness playing D is fielding middle. Any drills or tips to get better at reacting . Please help thanks
That's a tough one. I put myself in a defensive position (self defense) and if I happen to get a come-backer that I can handle then I'll make the play. I have more success in pitching to my defense. I'll generally pitch for the batter to pull the ball and move my infield accordingly. A lot of the shots up the middle are fielded by my 2nd base. Good luck!
my main problem now is having the outfielders trust playing a few steps in because batters aren’t hitting as deep.
I tried practicing pitching last night. Threw about 50 balls and not one landed in 5he plate. Do you generate power mostly from your arm?
Your power or spin-rate is generated by a combination of grip and wrist rotation. I have my next video, "Grip, Release and Mechanics" for SPPP, scheduled for release early next week. In that video I carefully detail the exact mechanics enabling a high-spin-rate pitch. In the mean time, tell me which pitch you were throwing.
@@utah32804 I was just throwing a regular pitch I think. Not sure what called. With palm up. I dont usually engage my wrist I've been trying to keep my wrist straight... is that limiting my power
Wrist straight will definitely reduce your power/spin-rate. I pitched palm up when I started years ago... don't pitch palm up anymore except for the knuckle ball and that's a pitch with mechanics all of it's own. Normally when you pitch palm up, the ball rotates forward and you can't get much spin on it. I recommend pitching with backspin, palm down with a lot of wrist rotation. I'll show you the complete mechanics on my next video.
@@utah32804 awesome thanks!!! Cant wait!!! :)
The only thing I don't like about this video is your reasoning for throwing backspin because your shoulder, elbow, and wrist rotate backwards. In baseball, your shoulder, elbow, and wrist rotate forward, but this produces a backspin on a fastball thrown by a baseball pitcher
You're right Nick; In baseball, a pitched fastball rotates in the opposite direction to the pitcher's shoulder rotation. There is no other way to throw an overhand pitch with backspin. In slow-pitch softball, a backspin pitch rotates in the same direction as the shoulder. There is no other way to throw an underhand backspin pitch - however, this is just a fortunate coincidence, not the reason for pitching a backspin pitch. Since shoulder, elbow and wrist rotation all synchronize with the ball rotation, more consistent pitching mechanics are possible. The reasons I give for pitching the backspin pitch are; improved ball deflection angle off the bat and a steeper drop of the ball from the highest point in the arc. I apologize if I was not clear on this point. Thanks for your comment!