Posted by: ssarge (ssarginson@earthlink.net) on Sat Oct 9 00:43:36 2004

Hi, Tony.

Actually, I think your predicate is false. The trajectory of the FP pitch isn't much different from baseball.

Cutting to the chase, then considering the "why."

The numbers are my measurements from limited sample data only, but I KNOW they are close. In both BB and FP, a pitch at the letters is generally dropping at a trajectory of 2-3 degrees. At the belt, BB is about 7-9 degrees, FP is maybe 5-7. At the knees, the downward trajectory is over 10 degrees in either forum.

As a quick sanity check to what probably sounds like heresay, consider this - if a softball is released mid-thigh, and ends up at the batter's knees, the trajectory HAD to be down in the last few feet, right? Also, if you have an opportunity, watch pitch trajectory from the 1B coaching box sometime. It's pretty obvious from that angle.

It sounds counterintuitive, I know. The softball is released from a much lower point than the baseball. Seems like it should be going up. And in actuality, the softball definitely IS released by the pitcher on an upward trajectory. If it weren't, it wouldn't make it to the plate. Gravity / downforce on a 60mph ball is very significant, even from 35 feet. But what happens is the pitch reaches the top of the arc on the way to the plate, then starts down.

The POSSIBLE exception is the riseball. If thrown within the strike zone, it is extremely rare to find a riseball that is actually slanting upward through the hitting area. Takes a world-class pitcher, very low release, and a lot of speed. Slightly above the strike zone - as most riseballs are - the pitch might still be on a slight upward trajectory. But it also shouldn't be swung at, since it is a ball.

That's SLANTING upward, which is all a riseball does. If you scour the internet, I don't believe you will find a single video of a riseball, taken in profile, that shows the ball climbing to a trajectory steeper than that established at release. (In other words, climbing UP a ski jump). It sure looks like the pitch does that from the perspective behind the pitcher, or if you're the catcher / batter. No doubt about what it APPEARS to be doing. But video shows the pitch actually flattens out in the hitting zone, at least if it is a strike. Of course, what is really happening is that the backspin / trajectory cause the ball to sink much less than the brain anticipates, so it APPEARS to be rising. Ain't reality, though, and that's why it is such an effective pitch.

This should be the topic of another post, and you may well be incredulous, but you'll look a long time trying to find a video of a riseball doing what is actually commonly believed.


Anyway, the point is that the FP pitch, if in the strike zone, moves through the hitting zone on a downward trajectory. A SLIGHTLY less pronounced downward trajectory than in baseball. But definitely downward. That is why the top hitters in FP - assuming they are not slappers - swing with an upward trajectory, attempting to match swing plane to pitch plane. In fact, the swings of the top FP hitters are virtually indistinguishable - in terms of mechanics utilized - from the MLB swing. I would specifically cite Jung, Freed, Clark, Nuveman, Bustos, Rivera, Galindo, all the ULL hitters, increasingly the Arizona and UCLA hitters (Candrea and Enquist have had a major change in hitting philosophy in the past year), most of the UW hiters, etc. A very dramatic shift in many of the top California Club programs. Elsewhere in the country too, based on what I've seen at national tournaments. The women's swings are not quite as refined, not quite as smooth in most cases. Not quite as powerful, obviously (though powerful enough to get the job done at 200-220, and then some). A tendancy towards top hand dominance and little bottom hand involvement (a "pushing" swing seems to plague most females, as opposed to the much preferable "pulling" type swing). But still, definitely rotational mechanics. More and more common every day from 10U through D1.


If I were in your position (actually, I am), I would get your daughter emulating the swings of the Olympic Team members, or of MLB hitters. If you don't already own Jack's video, it is a great starting point. In fact - with apologies in advance to whoever may be participating on this forum - the swing mechanics of the female hitter on Jack's video are quite a bit better than the boy (IMO).

Best regards,

Scott


Hi all,
>
> How does the swing plane change when hitting fastpitch softball? The trajectory of the pitch being quite different, I wondered whether the ultimate batting tee (instructo swing) would be of benefit to my daughter.
>
> Thanks