Bill I'm trying to learn something here but these 2 comments you made seem to be contradictory. Can you clarify why they aren't?
Best and easiest Screwball
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Looks like a cutter.
The top picture shows a curve ball thrown by a rightie to a left handed hitter.
The middle pitch is a "cutter", for want of a better description. The axis of rotation of the ball is looks to be left of the direction of the movement of the ball.
The middle pitch is a "cutter", for want of a better description. The axis of rotation of the ball is looks to be left of the direction of the movement of the ball.
I agree. They all looked like curve to curve-ish spin to me, opposite of the mythical screwball. Also, note her plant foot. She's stepping left, throwing right in all three.
Not Bill, but curving and cutting are different things, in my view.
Cutting would be down and slight in movement, a Scrop for lack of a better term. This is fairly easy to achieve.
A "true" screwball would break mostly flat and into a RHB. Sort of like this curve breaks into a LHB:
In my opinion, both the curve and screwball are inferior pitches. Why would you want a pitch that breaks on a single plane when you can get a pitch that breaks on two planes?
Garcia,
Rollover curve.
Drop screw, about as close to screw spin as you can get.
In the last video a palm up curve.
???? Doesn't a drop break in one plane, a rise does also.
Rollover curve.
Drop screw, about as close to screw spin as you can get.
In the last video a palm up curve.
???? Doesn't a drop break in one plane, a rise does also.
Would you want your pitcher to throw either straight?
Perhaps break is the wrong term. Cross two planes would be more accurate.
I was wondering what spin she has on the ball, looks like curve spin.
- Aug 21, 2008
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I think the others have explained it. But, if you need more I'll reiterate.
When people talk "screwball" they are under the false impression that the ball spins opposite of how a curveball spins. A RHP can make a ball curve by spinning it sideways.... the ball moves in the direction of it's spin. A dropball spins forward, a riseball should be spinning as close to backward as possible, a curveball goes sideways. But, a RHP cannot spin a ball in the direction necessary for a "screwball" which is why everyone steps far left, leaves their arm way outside of their body (having no "brush interference" for all those who rave about that) and they angle the ball towards the RHB. The spin isn't there for the ball to actually curve inward, the way a ball can curve outward. This is why they have to alter their mechanics, which makes no logical sense to me but I digress.
Don't confuse a "cutter" with a screwball. Because as I mentioned, even with a cutter the predominant spin on the pitch is still forward like a drop. But the finger pressure necessary for it to cut only alters the spin from 6/12 to something like 5/11 depending on how you're looking at the ball. So it just off sets the spin enough to change it from a straight dropball into one that has an in-chute.
Most of the people who claim their kid has a "screwball" really believe their kid can make the ball spin opposite of a curve. BULLET SPIN IS NOT OPPOSITE OF A CURVE!!!!! And bullet spin is best someone can do, even with all the crazy movements they do trying to make the ball screw. As I've said before, I was a pretty good pitcher in my day and I could not make the ball spin opposite of a curve. Believe me, I tried when I was younger.
Does that help?
Why is a pitch that 'crosses two planes' more effective? I've seen this line of thinking before and the reasoning behind it escapes me. I repeat, a drop breaks down on one plane.
