For a couple of years now I have been working with a 12U pitcher who throws a unique curveball. She doesn't know how she does it and can't repeat it when asked. She is very good at noticing break and can throw a legitimate riseball with 80% backspin as well as a pure top spin drop. So she has an above average feel and understanding when it comes to spinning the ball yet is mystified by this pitch. She tells me that in games there are times when all her 'fastballs' have this spin and break. Last week I began to work with an older left hand pitcher who throws the same breaking pitch, she can throw when asked and it is her curveball, but her explanation of how she throws it does not match how the ball spins. The ball has predominantly bullet spin with a spin axis that is elevated about 30 degrees and angled a little to the pitchers glove side. Since the lefty can repeat the pitch I took a lot of video and spent time looking at her release from several angles and looked at the ball flight also. I used the black spotted balls that I always use for spin work. Both pitchers use a three finger grip with the pinky curled up on the side of the ball. When looking at the pitch from the catcher's POV I can see the pinky leading into release and if there is a black dot under the pinky that dot becomes the spin axis for the ball. The easiest way to think about this release is that it is like throwing a football spiral underhand, except the nose is angled up more. As the ball moves past the apex of it's flight and begins to descend the under belly of the ball will begin to receive more air flow so the ball will break in the direction of the spin, to left for a right hander and to the right for a lefty. One possible downside, as a pitcher picks up velocity her ball fight will be flatter and this pitch might not break as much.