Posted by: () on Wed Jul 25 06:11:44 2001

> Guys,
> > >
> > > Thank you for your replies. But I dont know that I agree that throwing from 25 feet is the same as throwing from 40 feet. It may be ok for swing practice but I don't think its good for tracking the ball.
> > >
> > > A pitch that is released from 40 feet will drop more then a ball from 25 feet. A ball leaving the pitcher's hand at 25 feet will be higher at the plate then a ball leaving the pitcher's hand from the same angle at 40 feet.
> > >
> > > Dosen't that sound right?
> > >
> > > Frank Jessup
> >
> > It would be interesting to know what age group of girls you are coaching . I have 16 yr. olds and the pitchers we face throw anywhere from 55 to 60 mph. and their is no drop on their fastball from 40'..
> > I addition to using baseballs as I had also mentioned , I cant throw as fast as these girls with the underhand delivery and have found throwing from 25 - 30 foot very benefical as far as reaction time goes, to more fully simulate the speeds they will be facing. I can remember doing the same thing with my son on a regular basis, throwing tennis balls from 40ft instead of the 60'6''. And this we both feel helped him greatly. And its amazing after doing this for a few weeks , how the number of swing and misses, turns into solid contact.
> >
> > I also like pitching from 25-30' when working on the different bunts. They get use to it and it makes the 40' seem alot simpler.
> >
> > I think it would be certainly worth the time to give it a try before you decide.
> >
> >
> > These are just my thoughts about what has worked for me.
> >
> > I do find the bag drill to be very interesting as I use to have my son swing at a hanging tire years ago. How do you coaches that use it hang a bag up at practice?
> >
> > i,ve only coached a couple of years but have played all my life and as a player now struggling with my swing (timing) i think i would find any variation from game situations like reducing the distance and especially throwing overhand hazardous to my mechanics. in my opinion your best bet is renting a pitching machine for a few hours every second saturday. if you haven't got or aren't yourself a qualified hitting instructor you may agree that most slumps can be solved with a minor placement adjustment in the batters box. works for me anyways.
> >
> >

To The Guy who posted the above,

All thrown balls drop at any distance. It's a unchangeable fact of nature that when the supporting force operating on an object (for a ball it's the pitchers hand) gravity instantly starts to pull it downward.

In the boook "Keep Your Eye On The Ball" the author states that a baseball thrown from the pitcher's mound at 100 mph at a distance of 55 feet (to allow for the release point) will drop 2.61 feet. This is fact.

I wish people were knowledgable about some of the laws of physics that govern the sport of baseball. It's not helpful to the kids if we pass along old-wives-tales and other made up information. It's not like this stuff is unavailable or difficult to find. I have seen the above mentioned book referrenced many times in this place. Any decent libraray will have many sources for this kind of infromation.

FJ