Monday, January 18, 2016

REPOST: PITCH CALLS/ RISE BALLS

SEE ALSO PITCHING CALL CHART @ 

Two Gerald Warner columns first posted 
Monday, July 21, 2014 and Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Conventional wisdom
What Pitch to Call
... And When?

Article by Gerald Warner of
PitchSoftball.com at www.pitchsoftball.com

Gerald Warner
Knowing which pitch to throw and at what location…then being able to do it… is an important element of every pitcher’s effectiveness. However, there are nearly as many ideas and answers regarding pitch selection as there are pitchers, catchers, and coaches. Everybody has their own idea on what pitch to throw in what kind of situation, and where the pitch should be placed. And THAT is the key…pitch selection and pitch placement should be situational…NOT a flat rule for every batter.  

We need to know:

(1)  our pitcher’s capabilities with pitch type and placement

(2) the batter’s history…what did she do in her previous at-bats

(3) what we might expect her to do in this situation

(4) whether or not there are runners on base

(5) what her coach might want her to do

(6) how many outs there are and what the current count is

(7) what WE want the batter to do this time

PITCH PLACEMENT –

As mentioned previously, the selection of the pitch and the intended placement should be based on the situation and what you would like to have as the outcome. However, these are some recommendations based on the conventional wisdom of experienced pitchers and coaches…what usually works in typical circumstances:

BUNTING situation – likely runners are on base. You want her to pop it up and perhaps even get the runner doubled-off. Keep it high in the zone, on the batter’s hands.

HITTING AWAY with runners in scoring position – Go for the ground ball. Throw a good drop ball or off-speed up and in.

LEFT SIDE SLAPPER – Up and in again. She’s trying to put it on the ground or through a hole left or right of the pitcher. Be care to not let it go over the middle or outside corner chest high…that’s the easiest place for her to hit it.

Optional pitch – If the batter is standing far back from the plate, or is has the habit of starting down the line early, throw a curve away from her (screw ball from a right handed pitcher) that stays low and just outside the zone…a “chase” pitch

ANXIOUS / JITTERY BATTER – Throw her an occasional off-speed pitch

DEEP IN THE BOX – Up and inside, or an off-speed low and away

CROWDING THE PLATE – Screw ball up and in on her hands

WIDE STANCE (a “no-stride” batter) – Off-speed or drop ball placed low


Again, this is a topic where everyone is the expert.   These guidelines are based on our experiences, and those of veteran coaches, pitchers, and hitters.

A physics lesson
Does a rise ball
really rise? No!

Article by Gerald Warner of PitchSoftball.com at www.pitchsoftball.com
 
Gerald Warner
There has long been differing opinions between fastpitch softball players vs. die-hard students of physics and aerodynamics as to whether a properly thrown rise ball can overcome the gravitational force trying to pull it downward, enough to really RISE.


Author of this article, Gerald Warner, is a longtime softball addict who didn’t gain much from his Physical Science minor in college…so he has had to gain this information during the past several years from people who are a lot wiser. Our thanks to Jaclyn Parlo and Armstrong, Atlantic University’s Physics Department, Gustav Magnus, Angie Triplett and The College of Wooster Physics Department, and many others. 




2016 Wesley Wolverine hurlers, left-to-right, freshman #21 P Sydney Botsch (Smyrna, DE), sophomore #23 P Destiny Davis (Salisbury, MD), junior #9 P/OF Lily Engel (Dover, DE), junior #12 P Lindsay Siok (Milford, DE).
___________________________________________________________

The majority of young pitchers who have been told or “think” they can throw a rise ball do NOT:
  • Release the ball with correct backspin (top-to-bottom as seen by the catcher)
  • Impart fast enough spin speed (at least 23 to 25 revolutions per second)
  • Pitch the ball fast enough (mid-50’s at a minimum)
…so MOST pitchers are not yet able to throw a truly effective rise ball.


More information on the correct techniques for throwing a rise ball are on this website at: Rise Ball Secrets

Although most of us pitching instructors, pitchers, hitters, coaches, and parents feel that we have seen rise balls “hop” over the top of a bat, there is no scientific evidence to prove that a softball can be thrown with sufficient speed and backspin to make an upward arc in its trajectory. Many of us have flicked a table tennis ball to make it dramatically curve, drop, and even rise. However, it has been estimated that a 6.8 ounce softball would have to be thrown at over 90 mph with a spin speed in excess of 35 revolutions per second in order to give the ball even a minor upward arc. So…


A “RISE BALL”, EVEN WHEN THROWN CORRECTLY, DOES NOT RISE…
it simply falls slower than a similar speed fastball that doesn’t have backspin and therefore has a more level plane on its path to the plate. Although the example below is exaggerated to show a more dramatic arc than what is actually less curved on a 60 mph fastball, look at the comparison:

However, because the ball doesn’t have the same gravitational drop as most batters expect, the batter perceives the rise ball to "jump" over the bat... and even major league baseball players have been unable to make contact with a well thrown rise ball from a female pitcher.

THE MAGNUS EFFECT - Although there are many factors that contribute to the success of any “breaking” pitch, the easiest for most of us to understand is that the spinning seams on the ball “dig into” the air, causing it to move up, down, or sideways more than a ball that is thrown without the same spin.

 The principle known as the Magnus Effect (or Magnus Force) lowers the air pressure on one side of a spinning softball, creating low pressure (essentially a slight vacuum), and causing the ball to either move in a specific direction or, in the case of a rise ball, remain in the air for a longer distance and therefore not dropping as much in the trip from the pitcher’s hand to the batter.


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