6-FASTBALL MECHANICS IN BRIEF

The following are brief explanations on how to efficiently learn and throw a fastball. Much of the explanation is brief in so that only Carolina Fastpitch members can fully understand without further detail. However, everyone is welcome to contact a Cf instructor to discuss softball. We love to grow the game.

1. Position on the mound. Both fee that should be pointing straight ahead and moderately separated. the heel of the stride foot can be up or down. Stand tall but relaxed. hands together after presentation. Hands can be waist high , or chest high, just hide the ball.

2. Windup: Windups can vary to the extreme. Once a pitcher is advanced she can add momentum building body movements. In the first few years it is usually best to keep everything simple so balance can be maintained a pure circle can be achieved each pitch. To do this concentrate on a pump back that extends no more than parallel to the ground, when full back and try to keep it beside your body so that shoulders will not be prematurely rotated open.

3.The stride: The stride will vary in length and method according to the pitchers skill levels and body build. I try to teach a fast explosive stride that is low and long. Some pitchers will stride off the ground higher by bending the stride knee more. The higher stride can generate more momentum if it is explosive. But it requires a forward lean to begin the pitch and lots more balance. Personally, I have not found better results with this stride, when compared to the low exploding one. However, if a pitcher turns her push foot to open, then she should stride higher, to regenerate lost power. Striding short can work for a girl who cannot stride fast. Usually this girl will have to have a strong upper body to compensate for the lack of leg drive. The more you use your legs the looser your arm and wrist.

4.The push and drag: Push fast and hard. Do not overload the push foot as this will slow the stride. Concentrate on popping the heel up high and dragging the toe lightly and fast all the way to the stride leg. The push foot can slide to the stride foot heel or it can release off the ground just before getting there.

5. Upper body posture: Try to keep everything going straight to the plate. Stand tall , as if you are trying to balance a book on your head as you pitch. This head up balanced position is very easy to learn from and produce explosive striding capability.When you finish the pitch you should look and feel as though you could stand on a balance beam , on one leg.

6. Body rotation: Concentrate on driving forward hard and fast. As your stride foot hits, it should be slanted up to 45 degrees, the glove arm will be extended toward the catcher and the pitching hand will load the ball outward toward the third base line(righties). These three key actions will open the hips and rotate the shoulders enough to release an accurate and fast pitch without causing undue strain on the arm, or body.Total rotation should be no more than 70 degrees to open.Many of my best pitchers never rotate more than 45 degrees but can pitch up to 70 MPH. So concentrate on forward lateral drive and not on rotating open and closed.( Few of the top pitching coaches are concerned with lot of rotation)

7. Glove arm swing: As the pitching hand comes forward the glove arm should as well. At one point they will be out front together, over the striding foot just before it lands. If you rotate a lot, or turn your foot open to pitch, your glove will be ahead of your pitching hand by about 6-12 inches. Once the striding foot lands, the glove arm slings downward toward the outside of the stride thigh, where it will tape or brush, or slightly pass to a point just beyond the leg. The entire glove arm action should be one loose fast slinging motion.

8. Pitching arm windmill circle: Emphasis should be placed on creating perfectly straight and parallel arm circles, in relation to the power line. In other word try not to let your pitching hand create a path that passes very far in front of your body in the be=ginning, over or even around your head at the top and behind the back in the final 90 of circle. However, learn to pitch with a whip. In other words, the pitching arm should be slightly bent at the elbow so that the elbow can lead the forearm down through the circle , generating speed and spin through a loose explosive action. Girls that lock there arm straight will push with their shoulder to pitch. This will bring on undue injury and it is a slower less spin generating way of pitching. Furthermore, try to learn to load around 10-11 in the circle. that is a point just behind your head and is reached by the throwing arm as the stride foot contacts the ground. In doing so learn to make the load an almost effortless, natural motion and not a sharp cocking form that will tighten and slow the arm.

9. Wrist snap: Loose is fast. A loose snap will produce more speed and spin.Make sure you are snapping behind the ball and not under it. The fingers are behind the ball at release. Do not roll the wrist at release, this will slow and lift the pitch.Snap the ball away at the hip.

10. Follow through: If the arm circled properly and the wrist snapped behind the ball cleanly at the hip, then the follow though will be natural and will not detract from the pitch. if this is the case, the arm will be left in front of the pitcher, elbow away and in front of the body wrist facing the pitcher in a loose fist configuration. the elbow will be directly below the wrist, unless the pitcher uses a long extended follow through which i believe should be reserved for more advance girls.


Tips for learning the fastball:

1. Get with a qualified pitching coach.

2. Try to learn the pitch as your pitching coach prescribes.

3. Do the drills that your pitching coach ask you to do .

4. Practice as often as your pitching coach recommends you to.

5. Report soreness and injury as soon as it occurs.

6. Concentrate on the mechanics as speed and accuracy will follow form.