Hitting and Hitters Discussion Take the first pitch, or swing away?

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Warriors21, I will tell my girls to take the first pitch of the game they see just to to get their timing. That said if a girl is an astute players with a good softball IQ she will have done her homework in the on deck circle and has the pitcher timed so if she gets the meatball down the middle - go for it. It may be the best pitch she'll see. Another poster mentioned something I tell my batters when they they are at the plate with less than two strikes and that is to look for their pitch. Whatever their comfort zone is, inside or out, at the knees or above the belt. Look for it and be ready to jump all over it. Also if they fall to 0-2 or 1-2 and the pitcher has a good change she uses for strike outs, to sit on the change. Odds are she will try and throw the change for a strike with the batter either frozen just watching it or so far out in front of it she whiffs. Most girls have a big problem adjusting to the change if they aren't looking for it. On the other hand if she doesn't throw the change in that situation she likely will throw a waste pitch hoping the batter chases a pitch out of the zone.

 

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The Mr. and Mrs. Weekly coaching team at the University of Tennessee has the philosophy of sitting on the change up with two strikes...which is why Candrea threw seven in a row and why he has had back to back championships and Tennessee does not.

When you know what the other teams are doing and their tendencies it is easy to figure out and exploit it....and that is the Truth...in my opinion.

Howard

 

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Warriors21, ?I will tell my girls to take the first pitch of the game they see just to to get their timing. ?That said if a girl is an astute players with a good softball IQ she will have done her homework in the on deck circle and has the pitcher timed so if she gets the meatball down the middle - go for it. ?It may be the best pitch she'll see. ? Another poster mentioned something I tell my batters when they they are at the plate with less than two strikes and that is to look for their pitch. ?Whatever their comfort zone is, ?inside or out, at the knees or above the belt. ?Look for it and be ready to jump all over it. ?Also if they fall to 0-2 or 1-2 and the pitcher has a good change she uses for strike outs, to sit on the change. ?Odds are she will try and throw the change for a strike with the batter either frozen just watching it or so far out in front of it she whiffs. ?Most girls have a big problem adjusting to the change if they aren't looking for it. On the other hand if she doesn't throw the change in that situation she likely will throw a waste pitch hoping the batter chases a pitch out of the zone. ?

I want my batters to get their timing in the on deck circle and before that in the hole. When they get to bat, they are should have all the "timing" done that is necessary. When they are at bat, they should be ready to hit - from the first pitch on.... JMHO

 

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We tell our better hitters to only hit the first pitch if it is "theirs", in their zone. And that varies from batter to batter. It may be a strike, but if its not in their zone, then leave it. Now, if they're facing a real good pitcher then we tell them to hit the first strike, because the second and third strikes might not be "theirs" also, so why waste a chance. Our team is 12u so the pitchers they face right now don't have as many pitches as they will when they're older, so that makes a difference. At 12u, most pitchers will put one of 3 strikes close enough to the batters individual zone. They just need to recognize it and be ready to hit it. The rest of our batters, we play it at bat by at bat, pitcher by pitcher. Most will be instructed to swing at all strikes unless there is a runner(s) on base likely to steal for us or the pitcher is struggling with control. Don't think there is one answer to this though.

 

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Swing away for goodness sake! Most pitcher are trying to get ahead so is the best pitch you will probably see. If you are a low ball hitter definitely be looking as I find when they get up 0-1 they will try to get over your hands and have you chase high. Just my experiences.

 

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There is a local HS pitcher who is doing very well this season who throws a riseball on almost every first pitch. Almost everyone gets sucked in to it. Alot of good hitters are starting out 0-1, and once she gets ahead of you there is no chance. Her statistics prove it. I guess she know that most hitters will swing at the first pitch!

 

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One of the best lessons I learned --when playing against the best male pitchers-- is that their rises were extremely difficult to get on top of--- and normally were not going to be strikes. The answer to the situation you've presented is NOT to lay off the 1st pitch, but to learn to RECOGNIZE the RISE and to lay off the RISE. It takes practice and patience, but once a hitter gets it, she'll have no problem being ahead in the count 1-0 off that pitcher or any other throwing the rise on the first pitch.

It will also help her when she's got two strikes. The rise is a great pitch to throw 0-2, 1-2, 2-2 because it looks like a strike until the last instant-- then ends up at the hitter's chin. It's a strikeout pitch. Being able to recognize it as it leaves the pitcher's hand is a skill that can be the difference between hitting .250 and .350 or better.

Too many girls (boys, too) are swinging at too many pitches waaaay out of the strike zone under the auspices of "protecting the plate." A ball is a ball whether you've got two strikes or no strikes. If the ump rings you up on a pitch that's a foot outside, well, you couldn't have hit it anyway. If it's two inches outside, that's a different story, but if you're swinging at just about anything when you have two strikes because your coach is hollering "anything close!"-- why would a pitcher throw one over the plate? Know the strike zone. Swing at strikes.

 

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....?The rise is a great pitch to throw 0-2, 1-2, 2-2 because it looks like a strike until the last instant-- then ends up at the hitter's chin...... ?

OK truth, what is your take on the riseball. Does it really rise or is it just an optical illusion where it just doesn't fall as much. :-?

 

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Ringer, you beat me to it?

 

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Optical illusion? I've never heard that one! Some guys I used to face could make the ball jump from your kneecaps to your chin. It was damned elusive, but no illusion.

 

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I sat and watched Michele Smith show my daughters how to throw a rise at one of her clinics. I would say it appears as an illusion when you first see it - I had to wipe my eyes and think what was that!

Hers didn't just rise, the best way to describe it is to say it popped up right at the plate - it was amazing to see, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes...

 

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Now just imagine a ball coming ten miles per hour faster than that, and rising farther and quicker--- and you've got what the best men used to throw. Add to that a drop that starts at the belt and finishes at your ankles; a curve that you think is going to hit you and then hits the outside corner; and a change that makes you look like a fool for swinging when it's half way to the plate. That's why hitting .250 used to be amazing.

Softball is exactly like professional golf when you compare men and women. Even the guys who struggle to make a living on the men's tour would crush Lorena Ochoa with all conditions equal. Tiger Woods? Mickelson? Els? Forget it.

Five guys with losing records in half the cities in the U.S. back in the 60s and 70s were faster than Jenny Finch and had more stuff than Cat Osterman. And they all had good rise balls.

 

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The first time I had the opportinity to catch for Bill Hillhouse I almost thought it was an illusion or trick of some sort.

He threw an incredible Riseball at only about 35-40 mph to prove you didn't have to throw 55-65 mph to get a true rise.

If you ever get the chance to catch for him, take him up on it, you won't believe your eyes.

 

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Oh boy!!!! Here we go again :

 

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The first time I had the opportinity to catch for Bill Hillhouse I almost thought it was an illusion or trick of some sort. ?

He threw an incredible Riseball at only about 35-40 mph to prove you didn't have to throw 55-65 mph to get a true rise.

If you ever get the chance to catch for him, take him up on it, you won't believe your eyes.

I caught a riseball from Hillhouse once. It almost busted me in the chops as it skipped off of the top of my glove when I vainly tried to catch it. I'm still not sure it really did rise or if, being used to catching drop balls, my eyes just thought it rised.

After he almost took my head off he had me raise my glove up and away as far as I could reach. He threw the next pitch about 70 mph right into the pocket of my catcher's mitt.

I'd love to get video proof of a riseball actually rising above it's initial trajectory.

 

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cshilt there is no need for video proof. I have seen both Hillhouse and Gillis do the demostration where they place a rope in front of the plate (not sure of the exact distance in front but maybe 6 feet or so) at about belt high and then they throw the ball under the rope and it is caught above the ropes height in the catchers mitt. This is the best visual proof that I know of.

I have also caught Hillhouse (more then I actually cared to) and I have to say that he has made a believer out of me.


BTW, I did not get a chance to tell you the other night...nice job in the Jr. High game. That was a good win.

 

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I have to say I'm confused over the expressed doubt concerning rise balls. When did this begin? Sometime during the game's transition from a man's game to a girl's game? Like I said, EVERYBODY threw a rise back when it was a man's game. NOBODY ever wondered whether the ball actually went up. If you were in the box facing it, you SAW it go up. Some were a lot better than others, with the ball zooming steeper, but they all went up. If you doubt it, then you haven't been around very long.

 

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Well there you have it. The debate is closed. The riseball really does rise.

 

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...and Newton's Laws don't apply when you believe the earth is flat.

;D

 

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I hate to break anyone's bubble, but we have ?slow motion pictures frame by frame proving the riseball ". Does not Rise" ?Anyone that attended the ? Greenville coaches clinic was given this information as proof to resolve this argument. ?Bill Hillhouse and Dave Patekau gave ?us this info.
Someone that was there ?can paste the picture's ?on here for us. ?

Ringor I wouldn't want to play poker with you.