Best and easiest Screwball

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
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?
What i find to be an import distinguishing fact is

While some folks want to banter on & on about
'there is no such thing as a screwball' that illusive cant find video, 3-9 spin it cant happen.

The reality is
Yes pitchers can make the pitch break in.

And for a verbal reference to a pitch
People use the word
Screw
To explain direction of spin direction.
A cork screw btw spirals at an angle.
Not 3-9.

Find it very peculiar how some will only use a word they want and not recognize another word is just as good or better for description.

Call it whatever.
scrop
Screwrise
Like a curve can be
Curvedrop
risecurve

Point being
Pitches can break in.
THAT SHOULD BE ACKNOWLEDGED!
Screenshot_20210930-074348_Chrome.jpg
Appears goes in and down.
and it goes in and up.
 
Last edited:
Apr 12, 2015
792
93
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.
I'm sorry, you don't understand why a pitch that moves on two planes would be harder for a batter to square up to than a pitch that moves on a single plane?
 
May 23, 2018
93
18
the smart alec answer is to work on pitches that break up and down, not side to side.

That’s pretty sound advice. Keeping the ball on the same plane all the time is never a great idea. However, a good curveball and a good screwball in addition to a good rise and a good drop are worth their weight in gold - if you can throw it. A good screwball is great because that pitch breaks in and down. Great to throw if you have a bunter or slapper.

In my opinion, the toughest pitch to throw is the rise ball. Go look at some D1 videos of pitchers throwing it. Very rarely do you see a perfect backspin. Also, The minimum speed that you need to throw a rise ball that actually hops is 56 mph. I can’t tell you how many 12u Dad’s claim their daughter throws a rise ball. As an umpire, and as a pitching coach, I have yet to see a 12u Or 14u Player throw a legitimate rise ball.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
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.

The concept is that the batter is required to (1) change her swing plane for the vertical movement and (2) adjust her swing to horizontally get the bat on the ball. The tradeoff is that the more curve the ball has, the less drop the ball has.

In actual games, curve drops don't work very well. The curve drop has quite a bit less drop than a straight drop. So, the amount of adjustment of the swing plane is much less.

The real key to pitching is making the batter adjust her swing plane. "Getting jammed" or "reaching for the ball" doesn't matter much with the "Stealth 3000" bat.

Today's "super alloy space age technology" bats make the curve part of the curve drop somewhat irrelevant. The sweet spot on today's bats are huge, so it the batter is on the same plane as the ball, the ball is going to be hit hard.

My DD threw the curve drop in HS and college, but it was more of a "novelty" pitch in college--something she might throw out of the strike zone on an 0-2 count. She would never use it when the game was on the line--it was too risky.

There isn't much to learning a curve drop--usually, a pitcher will throw curves drops before she develops a really good straight drop. So, there is little extra time invested in learning the pitch.
 
Last edited:

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
The concept is that the batter is required to (1) change her swing plane for the vertical movement and (2) adjust her swing to horizontally get the bat on the ball. The tradeoff is that the more curve the ball has, the less drop the ball has.

In actual games, curve drops don't work very well. The curve drop has quite a bit less drop than a straight drop. So, the amount of adjustment of the swing plane is much less.

The real key to pitching is making the batter adjust her swing plane. "Getting jammed" or "reaching for the ball" doesn't matter much with the "Stealth 3000" bat.

Today's "super alloy space age technology" bats make the curve part of the curve drop somewhat irrelevant. The sweet spot on today's bats are huge, so it the batter is on the same plane as the ball, the ball is going to be hit hard.

My DD threw the curve drop in HS and college, but it was more of a "novelty" pitch in college--something she might throw out of the strike zone on an 0-2 count. She would never use it when the game was on the line--it was too risky.

There isn't much to learning a curve drop--usually, a pitcher will throw curves drops before she develops a really good straight drop. So, there is little extra time invested in learning the pitch.
Mixing a good drop and then curvedrop can be delightful.
Especially with a pitcher who can also control the height and depth of their drop.
Now lets add off-speed in the mix...
Fun 🙂
 
May 15, 2008
1,913
113
Cape Cod Mass.
I'm sorry, you don't understand why a pitch that moves on two planes would be harder for a batter to square up to than a pitch that moves on a single plane?
Nope, it makes no sense to me, it's too simplistic. Sluggers posted an explanation but ended up saying that a drop curve isn't as effective as a straight drop. Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't a drop curve move on two planes and straight drop on only one plane? So I think that he agrees with me, sort of. Maybe you have a better explanation.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Having used both a drop and a drop curve.
There is a good time to throw either.
However the drop curve has less acceptable locations to use.
Yet still the drop curve will cause a greater adjustment for certain hitting mechanics.

Drop itself without control of throwing it at different locations
Higher, lower
Deeper, shorter
Can start getting drilled because without mixing it up it becomes to visually consistent and its a straight pitch.

Control and locations at the right times 👍
 
Jul 31, 2019
495
43
For me it’s not as much about the one plane versus two planes, as it is about the direction of the plane. For all practical purposes, the barrel has more surface area in the horizontal plane, so vertical movement has less of a chance of hitting it than horizontal movement.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
For me it’s not as much about the one plane versus two planes, as it is about the direction of the plane. For all practical purposes, the barrel has more surface area in the horizontal plane, so vertical movement has less of a chance of hitting it than horizontal movement.
Paying attention to hitting
styles and not feeding there sweet spot.
 
Jul 31, 2019
495
43
That’s pretty sound advice. Keeping the ball on the same plane all the time is never a great idea. However, a good curveball and a good screwball in addition to a good rise and a good drop are worth their weight in gold - if you can throw it. A good screwball is great because that pitch breaks in and down. Great to throw if you have a bunter or slapper.

In my opinion, the toughest pitch to throw is the rise ball. Go look at some D1 videos of pitchers throwing it. Very rarely do you see a perfect backspin. Also, The minimum speed that you need to throw a rise ball that actually hops is 56 mph. I can’t tell you how many 12u Dad’s claim their daughter throws a rise ball. As an umpire, and as a pitching coach, I have yet to see a 12u Or 14u Player throw a legitimate rise ball.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Truthfully, how many pitchers at any level have 4 or more pitchers that they can command? Sometimes we make it too complicated for them. Give me a fastball (preferably with movement) that they can locate, a good change-up, and a drop or rise, and she will win a lot of games.
 

Latest posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,468
Members
21,443
Latest member
sstop28
Top