Looking for unlimited arc pitching tips..please

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drewmyma

New Member
Hey guys, and girls, brand new here. I used to try and lurk but was unable to, so here I am. I also searched thoroughly before posting. I pitch in a league that is unlimited height/arc and I am trying to get a lot more height on pitches, as of right now they are very flat. I have pretty good accuracy and walk 2 or 3 people a game, but I would love to be able to throw "moon balls" correctly.

I have recently been practicing, and I can get either the height, or the accuracy, but not together. I throw underhand, palm up,and am a righty. I also realize that when I jump, I am able to throw much higher, but also can't figure out proper footing when I do jump.

Does anyone here pitch unlimited, or can at least give me tips on what to work on? I searched for videos online but couldn't find anything. Thank you very much.
 
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pontiacfb78

Star Player
You might try standing a bit further back if your league allows it. Other than that, just keep at it. If you can throw them straight, but are either short or long, your doing ok.
 
Gamble

Gamble

Addicted to Softballfans
Best tip? Don't play UA.

If they enforce a batter's box, try to hit the back edge and mix heights. If they don't enforce one, mix heights and try to drop one short on the front outside edge for your out pitch. Figure out who the UA hitters are and counterintuitively serve them more cookies.
 
ball go far

ball go far

Addicted to Softballfans
put down a 17 x 34 inch mat down and practice

i threw knuckle balls and just focused on my catchers feet
 
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drewmyma

New Member
pontiacfb78 said:
You might try standing a bit further back if your league allows it. Other than that, just keep at it. If you can throw them straight, but are either short or long, your doing ok.
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Thank you, they do allow us to stand as far as back as we want, and when I practice I usually do stand back pretty far. I think I am throwing fairly straight, but definitely not throwing strikes with any consistency.
 
Gamble

Gamble

Addicted to Softballfans
I have never seen a competitive tournament UA team with a pitcher who throws a palm-down pitch...
 
gaternation

gaternation

Addicted to Softballfans
Just a little heads up from a batters prospective as your trying to throw moon balls. The best way to hit against pitchers like that is hitting the middle. I used to play against that type of pitching and would hit a lot of pitchers when they pitched that way. Some of them would complain and I would tell them that when you pitch that way your bringing on yourself. Eventually there would be an understanding and they got the message.
 
M

Mr. Monocle

Member
gaternation said:
Just a little heads up from a batters prospective as your trying to throw moon balls. The best way to hit against pitchers like that is hitting the middle. I used to play against that type of pitching and would hit a lot of pitchers when they pitched that way. Some of them would complain and I would tell them that when you pitch that way your bringing on yourself. Eventually there would be an understanding and they got the message.
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The biggest gaps in the field are generally up the middle. So hitting middle against ANY pitcher would be the ideal spot to hit. But because we have unwritten rules of courtesy we tend to avoid blowing up middle. So basically what you're saying is, you don't like when a pitcher pitches you with an ultra-high arc, because it provides a challenge for you. So instead of rising to that challenge, you try to punish the pitcher for doing his job. The fact that you believe there has to be a message conveyed to the pitcher ever, based simply on him following the rules and pitching a good game, makes you sound like a complete POS and terrible sport. I'm a pitcher. If I pitched against someone with your mentality, I'd tell my infield to "miss the mark" on any plays to first against you. Eventually there'd be an understanding that you shouldn't run out any ground balls.
 
xjarcher

xjarcher

On the mound
I've thrown UA mat ball for many years. Generally speaking if you can get up to 20' with any accuracy you are fine. It does take lots of practice to make different pitches work so set up and practice in your yard. I often put a 5gal bucket in the middle of the mat or on the plate and try to drop them in there. You should be able to get up to the 20' ish range without hopping or strange motions. That will also allow you to get ready for the chaps like gaternation. Backspin pitches are easy to throw high because they tend to be short anyway. I throw one with sort of a "bowling" motion that is really difficult to locate front to rear but it's fun with a 3-2 count. Smart hitters will recognize that a "low one" is most generally your strike pitch so you need to practice to the point where it's not your only strike. There seems to be a general feeling here that you throw lots of garbage and one decent pitch to every batter. That works well with UA because it's often hard to tell if it's going to be a strike or not. Hope that helps.
edit** since we have a 6' minimum I land it on the front of the plate for the guys who like the high stuff. I have to be really ready to field those but some times it saves a few runs.. If the bases are empty I'll throw high and let the longball guys swing away. No damage and eats up one of their 5 HR.s
 
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louconn

louconn

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
i do this

Moving-animated-picture-of-dancin-dude.gif
 
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drewmyma

New Member
gaternation said:
Just a little heads up from a batters prospective as your trying to throw moon balls. The best way to hit against pitchers like that is hitting the middle. I used to play against that type of pitching and would hit a lot of pitchers when they pitched that way. Some of them would complain and I would tell them that when you pitch that way your bringing on yourself. Eventually there would be an understanding and they got the message.
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Thank you. I have realized this same thing, even when I have been practicing the high pitches with teammates, they go up the middle a lot. I think it's more that they are just trying to hit the ball, rather than doing it on purpose. I play in the lower leagues, and I am fairly worried that most people will come right back at me if I throw that high.
 
T

THESHOE

Starting Player
BACKSPIN....

Pull back on the seams and throw it with backspin. Helps it arc and back down not too deep, plus it's work for the hitter to counter the spin so it backspins off the hit and stays in the air. Usually produces short hits unless the guy is a true hitter.
 
OilCountryCanno

OilCountryCanno

Star Player
The moonshot is my specialty.Keep a good grip with your fingers on the seams and drive up with your legs. Lots of core needed. Release the ball when it's around your sternum and make sure you put tons of backspin on it. When you finish the motion make sure you SNAP the wrist at the peak and follow through. It kinda looks like you're cursing at the guy/waving him off.

I'm good at hitting back corner with that moonshot and i induce a ton of pop ups and weak grounders. After you get the other teams respect you can start tossing the ball way off or inside and they'll still swing. That's when you know you got them.
 
geishboy

geishboy

Addicted to Softballfans
I use a bowling type release but when i really want to launch it add a little extra dip and push on your step. Helps me when I focus on releasing it high (shoulder height) too. If you're going for height, spin doesn't matter as much as accuracy! go with what works for you. If you can land 20+ consistently, it'll make batters buckle when you really launch one up there.

And like others said....practice. Best UA pitchers I've seen have been doing it for years, a lot of reps and muscle memory.
 
SMFCLAN

SMFCLAN

MAY I COME IN
UA...

There is no doubht that wrist locked palm down is great for accuracy while still getting decent height... However the ``moonshots`` spoken of will be done with palm up and depending on how much you practice you will feel more comfortable going higher no matter what count ... A good pitchers tip is to pick a spot on the top of the batting cage just over home plate and like a bowler pick your line and let her rip...
 
GrinningBear

GrinningBear

World's deadliest house husband
OilCountryCanno said:
The moonshot is my specialty.Keep a good grip with your fingers on the seams and drive up with your legs. Lots of core needed. Release the ball when it's around your sternum and make sure you put tons of backspin on it. When you finish the motion make sure you SNAP the wrist at the peak and follow through. It kinda looks like you're cursing at the guy/waving him off.

I'm good at hitting back corner with that moonshot and i induce a ton of pop ups and weak grounders. After you get the other teams respect you can start tossing the ball way off or inside and they'll still swing. That's when you know you got them.
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Tnree point shooters are getting their distance and arc from their legs. Accuracy is dependent on upper body form. When one struggles it's usually because their lower half has gone stiff and more of the work load is put on the upper body.

Same with unlimited. You said you get height when you jump. Keep yor mechanics consistent and you'll eventually get it. If not, you need your legs to get it high regardless, if not jumping high.
 
freak98guy

freak98guy

Place Clever Title Here
UA is ***er than ***. Mostly because I suck at it. When I do play it, I drink a lot.
 
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Z

zuke 37

Star Player
learn your strike zone. Practice different hights, speeds, left & right angles and most important
different ETA's. you need t throw the hitters timeing off.
 
Jangle.Leg

Jangle.Leg

Lighter the better!
GOING 4 THIRD said:
My swing swing is much more than 5 mph
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That's good. I'm saying that when pitchers put spin on the ball, it doesn't matter, once the ball comes off the bat it changes rotation. So you can't make people pop up or hit grounds just by pitching the ball with backspin.
 
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