- May 26, 2021
- 56
- 18
Educate me. I'm just a bucket dad with a daughter in 10u rec. I definitely don't know what I'm talking about, so would love some insight from the experts here.
Baseball pitches very clearly move to me. They actually break because of the spin the pitchers put on the ball. It's super obvious watching a youtube video that these pitches are breaking:
But baseball is different right? The ball is smaller, the plate is further away, and the ball moves faster. All of that in my naive mind would contribute to the ability for a pitch to come off the pitchers hand with one trajectory and literally move into a different one on its way to the plate.
Softball has a bigger ball, is pitched much closer, and the pitches aren't thrown as hard. So do they actually move? If I watch a similar "nastiest pitches" video on youtube for softball pitches, to my naive eye it looks as if they aren't moving at all. MAYBE a little bit on some of them, but it seems so slight if at all that I wonder if there's really any benefit? Sometimes it looks like it's after it passes the batter almost. Then a lot of them seem like they are just throwing the ball at a different trajectory. Like it's coming off their hand higher or inside. The drop ball looks like it's doing something, but other than that I just don't see it.
I've read that there is no real "rise" ball. Does it just not come down as fast? Does it even do that, or are they just throwing the ball at a different trajectory? How much is spin rate really worth?
My daughter's pitching coach has been starting to teach her spin that is theoretically supposed to move the ball, but at least for my daughter throwing it with different spin it definitely isn't moving. I mean she's throwing it 37mph, so that's most likely the reason, but watching these great pitchers play it's still hard for me to see the movement.
Maybe the answer is "yes they move, you're dumb". But I would love to open a conversation on if I'm just looking at these things wrong or what. Are movement pitches less important in softball? Are "trajectory" pitches softballs "movement" pitches? If they are, why do pitchers care so much about spin?
Educate me. I honestly don't understand thank you!
Baseball pitches very clearly move to me. They actually break because of the spin the pitchers put on the ball. It's super obvious watching a youtube video that these pitches are breaking:
But baseball is different right? The ball is smaller, the plate is further away, and the ball moves faster. All of that in my naive mind would contribute to the ability for a pitch to come off the pitchers hand with one trajectory and literally move into a different one on its way to the plate.
Softball has a bigger ball, is pitched much closer, and the pitches aren't thrown as hard. So do they actually move? If I watch a similar "nastiest pitches" video on youtube for softball pitches, to my naive eye it looks as if they aren't moving at all. MAYBE a little bit on some of them, but it seems so slight if at all that I wonder if there's really any benefit? Sometimes it looks like it's after it passes the batter almost. Then a lot of them seem like they are just throwing the ball at a different trajectory. Like it's coming off their hand higher or inside. The drop ball looks like it's doing something, but other than that I just don't see it.
I've read that there is no real "rise" ball. Does it just not come down as fast? Does it even do that, or are they just throwing the ball at a different trajectory? How much is spin rate really worth?
My daughter's pitching coach has been starting to teach her spin that is theoretically supposed to move the ball, but at least for my daughter throwing it with different spin it definitely isn't moving. I mean she's throwing it 37mph, so that's most likely the reason, but watching these great pitchers play it's still hard for me to see the movement.
Maybe the answer is "yes they move, you're dumb". But I would love to open a conversation on if I'm just looking at these things wrong or what. Are movement pitches less important in softball? Are "trajectory" pitches softballs "movement" pitches? If they are, why do pitchers care so much about spin?
Educate me. I honestly don't understand thank you!
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