How To Throw A Riseball In Softball
Jennie Finch teaches you lot how to defy gravity, with the hardest pitch to throw, and striking, in softball.
The riseball is a fearsome pitch.
It comes out looking similar a nice straight fastball. And so merely as the batter starts to swing—does the seemingly impossible and breaks upwardly and over the bat.
Near hitters will swing and miss. And for those who practice manage to make contact, information technology volition likely be a pop-upward for an piece of cake grab.
Fortunately for hitters—at that place are very few pitchers who can consistently execute a good riseball.
A riseball is not a high fastball. It is a pitch that defies gravity by moving upwards from a directly trajectory, rather than down.
Making a pitch like this takes skill and dedication. It'due south not uncommon for pitchers to work for months, even up to a twelvemonth, earlier finding success. Many requite upwardly along the way.
Merely for the pitchers who persevere—the payoff is huge.
Mastering the art of the riseball adds an about unhittable pitch to your arsenal.
You lot tin can apply it on demand for a strategic out. Plus you volition stand out compared to all the pitchers who can't throw ane.
Furthermore, only knowing that yous possess this devastating skill keeps hitters constantly off balance and 2nd guessing themselves.
The simply trouble is finding someone who can teach yous how to throw information technology.
Fortunately, nosotros tin can help you out with that.
A Recipe for Success
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016, Jennie Finch is one of the almost accomplished pitchers to e'er play softball.
She fabricated a huge impact on college softball, shattering several NCAA records, including going 32 - 0 her junior season and racking up a whopping threescore sequent wins. Finch left higher softball the career leader in innings pitched, strikeouts, and shutouts, plus was tied for no-hitters.
Jennie was just every bit dominant in professional softball.
She was named co-pitcher of the year for the Chicago Bandits in 2005. Set the NPF'south season ERA tape of 0.11 in 2007. And had multiple no-hitters, perfect games, and extended winning streaks.
Finch's season ERA record still stands. And she continues to hold a top-x spot in several NPF and higher softball all-time lists.
To top it all off—Jennie was instrumental in the Usa winning golden in the Athens Olympics in 2004, then silver in 2008.
While her playing career is nothing short of astonishing. What makes us most excited to have Jennie for this training session is the fact that she'southward likewise an accomplished motorcoach.
Having access to someone who has struck hitters out with riseballs at the highest level is rare enough. But when that person is also a chief passenger vehicle—that's a surefire recipe for success.
In this article, nosotros'll run through the main points from an exclusive video grooming session we produced with Jennie on mastering the fine art of the riseball.
While nosotros've done our best to translate the content of the session into text—anyone serious nearly getting to the side by side level will want to sign up to scout the video as well.
You tin can admission a single session at no toll with a gratis subscription. While our standard and premium options include unlimited video sessions from our roster of elite athletes and world-class coaches.
Versus subscriptions as well enable you to ask interactive questions from your favorite athletes, fabricated possible with our advanced AI-powered technology.
Just imagine, getting stuck working on your riseball and being able to become communication straight from Jennie Finch. Or discussing game strategy with i of the best hitters in professional softball, Amanda Lorenz.
Versus has everything yous need to go the near from your unique sporting potential—all on an easy to utilise app you can access anywhere.
Until and then, let's take a look at Jennie Finch'due south guide to mastering the art of the riseball.
Overview
"The riseball is 1 of my favorite pitches," states Jennie, "simply it'due south probably the hardest pitch to learn."
It requires strict adherence to proper softball pitching mechanics, while dialing in the variations that requite this unique pitch its powerful ability to confuse hitters.
To execute a riseball—you lot have to get underneath and behind the ball as you throw. You as well demand to have a firm front end side and come up to a complete stop.
That'southward the but fashion you can get the high-speed vertical backspin that's required to get the pitch to defy gravity and break upwardly. Or equally Jenny puts it, "make the brawl dance upward through the air."
The riseball is a highly technical pitch with several central components to master. And learning information technology takes time.
There really are no shortcuts. The 'hugger-mugger' is to primary the specifics of the pitch—and so get in enough reps then that you tin can execute it on need.
If y'all need to brush upward on other areas of pitching, please consider checking out the other sessions in Jennie's softball pitching class:
- Generating Pitching Speed in Softball
- Adding to the Arsenal with the Curveball and Screwball
- Proper Softball Pitching Mechanics
Permit'due south commencement with the grip for the riseball.
The Grip
Find a 'C' along the seams of the ball. Place your middle finger forth the bottom office of the C, then tuck your arrow under the acme seam.
Alternatively, you tin use the "buddy organization", like this.
With either grip, the goal is the same: "I want four seams coming backward at release point," explains Finch.
The Pitch
"All of my pitches straight out of my windup should wait the aforementioned," states Finch.
The signal where Jennie starts adjusting for the riseball is right after her standard nine o'clock position, equally shown beneath.
"That's when I first turning my wrist and feeling my fingers the way I need them to brand the ball break," says Finch. She describes the wrist motion as "near like turning a doorknob."
"Imagine you're trying to scrape your knuckles forth the ground,"
...is another cue she recommends for the riseball.
Crucial points at this part of the pitch are:
Leading with your pinky toward home plate and coming underneath the ball.
You want to proceed the pressure firmly on the pointer finger, to execute a powerful wrist snap and spin the brawl backward.
You should finish throwing a riseball with the dorsum of your hand towards the catcher, like this.
To help in getting backside and under the pitch, go along your body in a slight astern tilt. You need to "get underneath information technology, stay back, and pull underneath that ball," Jennie explains.
Consistent with her communication on every other blazon of pitch—Jennie is adamant that you demand a firm front end side to transfer spin and power when throwing a riseball.
Check out how much her back leg is coming off the ground right hither after coming to a complete stop.
In other videos, Finch suggests the cue, "Stick it and spin it," to dial in this point of any breaking pitch.
The magic of the riseball happens in the release, then let'due south take a closer look at that function of the pitch.
The Release
In the video, Jennie reminds u.s.a. that the riseball should be exactly the same equally all your other pitches until you go to the 9 o'clock position at the back of your windup.
"That'south when you're going to start getting underneath the ball."
Scraping those knuckles forth the footing.
Lifting underneath and getting behind the ball.
And creating the half-dozen o'clock to 12 o'clock [vertical] rotation astern."
When it comes to release—the central is working on getting it as tight as possible.
The faster the spin, the more than the ball is going to break. And then really try to focus on a powerful wrist snap and a tight release.
Iteration vs Perfection
An interesting piece of advice from Finch, is to recognize that when you lot kickoff outset trying to throw the riseball, it'due south going to be an angled pitch. "You lot're going to feel almost like you're chucking it up," she explains.
Some coaches get stuck on this betoken. Dwelling on the fact that this isn't a riseball (yet)—it'southward a high fastball.
While they are technically right, nosotros prefer Jennie's focus on iteration vs perfection.
Finch recognizes that no ane starts off really being able to throw a riseball. Fifty-fifty experienced pitchers never get it right abroad.
The logical approach is to have it'due south going to be an angled pitch to showtime,"then just work on condensing it and getting tighter and tighter."
Rather than aiming for perfection—focus on iterating on the post-obit:
- Getting underneath the ball and scraping those knuckles forth the ground.
- Resisting against your front side.
- Tightening upward your backward wrist snap (should feel similar turning a doorknob in fast forward).
- Leaning back to really get underneath the pitch.
Defying Gravity
To assistance with the perseverance and dedication needed to learn this unique pitch—retrieve that you are trying to break the rules of gravity when throwing a riseball.
It's not normal to throw a ball straight and accept it break upwards rather than driblet down.
The spin on a riseball literally has to exist powerful enough to defy gravity. And that'due south not an easy matter to exercise.
Only the attempt and conclusion are well worth it.
Pitchers who put in the work to master the art of the riseball can throw a near unhittable pitch on demand.
Any hitter going up against a bullpen with a killer riseball will forever be 2d guessing themselves. Meaning that even when you don't throw information technology, having the riseball in your repertoire of pitches will assistance you get more hitters out.
If you want to master the fundamentals of pitching for softball. Or add together whatsoever number of other breaking and specialty pitches to your arsenal—sign upward for one of our plans now.
Any Versus plan gives yous access to our library of sectional video training sessions. Plus you tin utilize our innovative AI-powered technology to enquire interactive questions from our star-studded roster of softball legends.
Versus gives you direct access to aristocracy athletes and world-class coaches, who can aid you ameliorate every aspect of your game.
Whether information technology'south mindset communication, game strategy, technical instruction, or training information—we've got you covered. All at an affordable cost, on an intuitive app you can access anywhere.
Source: https://www.versus.co/learn/how-to-throw-riseball-softball
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