WiLD53
Well-Known Member
here's the file with everything you need to know to throw this pitch... i don't come in here very often but if anyone asks a question, i will address it when i see it... currently, dennis is tearing up his senior tourneys with it and normy seems to have gone fishing but he was getting it too... so if anyone is interested... here it is...
let me say this one time to start... if you don't make a bullseye ball, you won't be able to perfect this pitch... before you even try to throw one, make a bullseye ball like the one i use in practice in the video... i found a roll of masking tape or duct tape fits the seam perfectly...
also, use the pinky tuck... it works... i have a photo posted at the end of the post...
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SLOWPITCH SLIDER
DESCRIPTION
First… click on this link and watch this video. Pay close attention to the physics involved and the segment on how it applies to a baseball... or a softball. That’s what this is about… applying this effect to our game.
THE MAGNUS FORCE
We’re all aware of the physics behind a curveball… high RM’s, with help from the seams, redirect the high and low-pressure areas around the ball thereby pushing it in the direction of the rotation. It’s called the Magnus Force. It was discovered in the Middle Ages by a guy named Magnus who was asked to find out why some cannonballs curved… He concluded that a spinning ball will curve in the direction of the spin.
THE SMOOTH.ROUGH SIDE EFFECT
Now I want to introduce you to a new method of inducing the Magnus Force. It’s well known to cricket players but entirely unknown to baseball players. We’ll call it the “Smooth/Rough Side Effect” since I’ve been unable to find any name attached to it. Basically, it says if a ball has a rough side and a smooth side, and is thrown so the rough side stays on one side of the direction of movement, the ball will curve towards the rough side.
APPLIED TO SLOW PITCH SOFTBALL
So, how do we apply this to slow pitch softball? The secret is to use the seam as the rough side and the round area inside the horseshoe of that same seam as the smooth side. Verbal descriptions fall short so let me just say the Veritasium video explains it well and visually. Basically, you have to align the spin so the axis of rotation goes through the center of the leading smooth spot. Then all you have to do is orient the axis of rotation properly to the direction of motion. Simple.
BULLSEYE BALL… GRIP… AND RELEASE
The following video explains the next 3 sections.
THE BULLSEYE BALL
When I first considered trying to teach this pitch to others, I didn’t know about the rough/smooth side effect. I was just going to say do exactly what I do and maybe it will curve. As I was researching other videos in order to pick up some ideas, I came across the Veritasium video. I’d actually seen it a couple of years before but didn’t realize its’ significance. Once I saw it again, it hit me. This is what’s been making my pitch curve for the past 20 years.
I went through about 3 months of confusion followed by insight followed by more confusion in my efforts to figure it out. Part of my confusion came from going back and forth between the pitcher's perspective and the catcher's. At some point, it crossed my mind to draw a circle around the smooth spot so I could better visualize what was going on. Sometime later I realized that it might be a good idea to use that ball in order to see what was going on with my pitch. And the bullseye ball was born.
I now practice with a ball that has a bullseye on each side so my catcher can give me feedback and I can see what’s happening as well. Now I can also teach it to others in a manner that enhances the chances of learning it, with both the reason it works and a way to learn it and refine it.
THE GRIP
As with any pitch, it starts with the grip. In the video, I showed you a ball with one line drawn around the middle of it… essentially… if you release the ball perfectly even with all fingers… this line is where your middle finger should go in order to get the right axis of rotation… however, we all have little things we do as we release the ball that will change this… that’s why you should start with a grip in between the two bullseyes and then adjust from there to find the grip that gets you a stable bullseye.
How do you adjust? When you throw this pitch with the correct spin, the bullseye should look clear, not wobbly. If you can, try to feel how the ball is coming off your fingers. In my case, it comes mostly off my index and middle fingers, so I try to put them in the middle of the bullseyes. Since I use a 2-seam grip, this means I basically have it lined up straight. If you feel like it’s coming off your ring and middle fingers… then you might try turning the ball even further left in order to get those 2 fingers centered between the bullseyes.
In any case, don’t give up too easily. It shouldn’t take too long to find your grip but you might have to work to get consistency. Also, keep in mind… you won’t throw any sliders with just the right rotation. It needs to be correctly oriented to the direction the ball is traveling as well.
The last thing is perhaps the most important. How do you get the spin oriented to break on the way down? I do a pinky tuck. I don't know why it works and i can't say it will work for everyone. i can say it's worth a try. I suggest you get a slider first before trying this but that might not be necessary... you can decide for yourself.
I've also considered the possibility of bending my wrist back a little to try to get the slightly downward orientation but so far i haven't thought to try it in practice. I'll update this once i try it and get some results.
THE RELEASE
Along with getting a good bullseye, you want to work on orienting the spin so it will slide… here’s a short video showing my delivery and release. In the 2nd clip I show the ball and the hand orientation needed to get the slide. If you pay attention to the backstop post in the 3rd and 4th clips you can see the ball move away from it indicating movement.
let me say this one time to start... if you don't make a bullseye ball, you won't be able to perfect this pitch... before you even try to throw one, make a bullseye ball like the one i use in practice in the video... i found a roll of masking tape or duct tape fits the seam perfectly...
also, use the pinky tuck... it works... i have a photo posted at the end of the post...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SLOWPITCH SLIDER
DESCRIPTION
First… click on this link and watch this video. Pay close attention to the physics involved and the segment on how it applies to a baseball... or a softball. That’s what this is about… applying this effect to our game.
THE MAGNUS FORCE
We’re all aware of the physics behind a curveball… high RM’s, with help from the seams, redirect the high and low-pressure areas around the ball thereby pushing it in the direction of the rotation. It’s called the Magnus Force. It was discovered in the Middle Ages by a guy named Magnus who was asked to find out why some cannonballs curved… He concluded that a spinning ball will curve in the direction of the spin.
THE SMOOTH.ROUGH SIDE EFFECT
Now I want to introduce you to a new method of inducing the Magnus Force. It’s well known to cricket players but entirely unknown to baseball players. We’ll call it the “Smooth/Rough Side Effect” since I’ve been unable to find any name attached to it. Basically, it says if a ball has a rough side and a smooth side, and is thrown so the rough side stays on one side of the direction of movement, the ball will curve towards the rough side.
APPLIED TO SLOW PITCH SOFTBALL
So, how do we apply this to slow pitch softball? The secret is to use the seam as the rough side and the round area inside the horseshoe of that same seam as the smooth side. Verbal descriptions fall short so let me just say the Veritasium video explains it well and visually. Basically, you have to align the spin so the axis of rotation goes through the center of the leading smooth spot. Then all you have to do is orient the axis of rotation properly to the direction of motion. Simple.
BULLSEYE BALL… GRIP… AND RELEASE
The following video explains the next 3 sections.
THE BULLSEYE BALL
When I first considered trying to teach this pitch to others, I didn’t know about the rough/smooth side effect. I was just going to say do exactly what I do and maybe it will curve. As I was researching other videos in order to pick up some ideas, I came across the Veritasium video. I’d actually seen it a couple of years before but didn’t realize its’ significance. Once I saw it again, it hit me. This is what’s been making my pitch curve for the past 20 years.
I went through about 3 months of confusion followed by insight followed by more confusion in my efforts to figure it out. Part of my confusion came from going back and forth between the pitcher's perspective and the catcher's. At some point, it crossed my mind to draw a circle around the smooth spot so I could better visualize what was going on. Sometime later I realized that it might be a good idea to use that ball in order to see what was going on with my pitch. And the bullseye ball was born.
I now practice with a ball that has a bullseye on each side so my catcher can give me feedback and I can see what’s happening as well. Now I can also teach it to others in a manner that enhances the chances of learning it, with both the reason it works and a way to learn it and refine it.
THE GRIP
As with any pitch, it starts with the grip. In the video, I showed you a ball with one line drawn around the middle of it… essentially… if you release the ball perfectly even with all fingers… this line is where your middle finger should go in order to get the right axis of rotation… however, we all have little things we do as we release the ball that will change this… that’s why you should start with a grip in between the two bullseyes and then adjust from there to find the grip that gets you a stable bullseye.
How do you adjust? When you throw this pitch with the correct spin, the bullseye should look clear, not wobbly. If you can, try to feel how the ball is coming off your fingers. In my case, it comes mostly off my index and middle fingers, so I try to put them in the middle of the bullseyes. Since I use a 2-seam grip, this means I basically have it lined up straight. If you feel like it’s coming off your ring and middle fingers… then you might try turning the ball even further left in order to get those 2 fingers centered between the bullseyes.
In any case, don’t give up too easily. It shouldn’t take too long to find your grip but you might have to work to get consistency. Also, keep in mind… you won’t throw any sliders with just the right rotation. It needs to be correctly oriented to the direction the ball is traveling as well.
The last thing is perhaps the most important. How do you get the spin oriented to break on the way down? I do a pinky tuck. I don't know why it works and i can't say it will work for everyone. i can say it's worth a try. I suggest you get a slider first before trying this but that might not be necessary... you can decide for yourself.
I've also considered the possibility of bending my wrist back a little to try to get the slightly downward orientation but so far i haven't thought to try it in practice. I'll update this once i try it and get some results.
THE RELEASE
Along with getting a good bullseye, you want to work on orienting the spin so it will slide… here’s a short video showing my delivery and release. In the 2nd clip I show the ball and the hand orientation needed to get the slide. If you pay attention to the backstop post in the 3rd and 4th clips you can see the ball move away from it indicating movement.