Learning To Pitch A Softball

Annilee Kazushi
At present, there are a tremendous amount of different pitches involved in softball. First, softball pitching may involve a fastball, which actually goes straight. There is a changeup, which is often referred to as a backhand, horseshoe, or circle change in softball throwing. Also, there is a slowed down pitch. Now this type can take many diverse directions. Then there is the dropball, known as a peel drop. Then there are simply drops too. Softball pitching may involve curveballs, which are customarily referred to as curves, and there is a screwball, which curves inside and then drops a little. Finally, there are pitches that are basically a faster fastball, such as rise balls, or rises.

When you want to throw a fastball, the motion starts out as a windmill. In order to have the appropriate grips you have to grab the two horseshoes. Now, you can use as little as 2 fingers or as many as 4, but this usually depends on the size of the player's hand. Just remember that the more fingers you use, the more easily it will be able to be controlled.

In any softball pitching, in order to control balance, feet should never be a shoulder's width apart, but instead a little less. The front of the pitcher's body should be facing the catcher. The back heel rises putting the entire weight on the strong foot. A rocking motion is then performed by the pitcher's body, which then shifts the weight onto the back leg.

Your pitching arm will begin to move towards the catcher, but through and eventually reaching a twelve o'clock position. In order to keep accuracy and balance at the same time, the glove arm will actually point towards the catcher's mitt. When the ball comes back through the wind-up, it will be released around the hip level and provide a wrist snap at the same time. Without any action or snap at the release point, the rotation or spin will be minimal.

Changeups in softball pitching are a little different. Granted, the wind-up and the grip are the same, but your wrist action will vary. The idea is to release the ball before you reach waist level, and flip both the wrist and the forearm. Doing so will create a slowed movement which creates the changeup.

When it comes to a dropball, the fingertips are utilized a bit more. They have to be placed on the stitching of the horseshoe. It's also important to shorten your stride when approaching home plate. The finishing touch will be landing on your glove leg as opposed to your pitching leg. It will also be important to pull backwards with the tips of your fingers and shifting your weight forward at the same time. This creates the forward spin.

Then we have the curveball. The position of your fingers will be crucial to the success of this softball throwing pitch. The pinky and index fingers should be spread as far apart as possible. Your middle and ring fingers should be positioned properly on the laces. Most importantly the thumb will need to be set at a six o' clock setting underneath the ball. If you're a right hander you will roll the ball counterclockwise and lefties will send it through rolling the ball clockwise.