Video Clip 2Ī common problem we often hear pitchers say is that their drop ball either breaks too early, or too late. Check out video clip 2 to learn how to get this set up in your practice arena. For the toughest challenge, try to hit both top ropes that intersect with the vertical, followed by both bottom ropes that intersect with the vertical. Equally important to changing speeds, changing your pitch location just by one ball width can make even an average fastball much more difficult for batters. After that, she may try to put the third pitch one ball width outside of the river. The next pitch try to miss the rope one ball width closer to the plate. One way that pitchers can practice command of their fastball is to hit a vertical ropes in the river. We also added two vertical ropes that are placed in the river (space between plate and batter’s box) on both sides of the plate. However, we’ll save this topic for another post. When a pitcher develops good topspin, she will learn how to hit both ropes with her fastball. So the top rope over the plate is 17 inches off the ground and the bottom rope is still 6 inches lower. To make this more challenging, we added two additional horizontal ropes 4.5 feet back from the initial set (so they sit just over the plate) with an 8 inch drop. The set up pictured below includes the first two ropes discussed above with Beginner Ropes. One ball width or height can make all the difference when it comes to dominating hitters. “Control is a dominant pitch” This concept was another one of the takeaways from the 2016 Pitching Summit. Video Clip 1Īdvanced Rope Set Up Fastballs and Change Ups Watch the video below for more details on setting up ropes for beginners. One important concept that was discussed at the 2016 Pitching Summit, hosted and led by the brightest pitching minds in the college game, was the notion that the same pitch back to back works great as long as the second one has a slightly different location or height. (Almost like climbing the ladder in reverse). When thrown immediately after the top rope pitch, the bottom rope pitch deceives the batter and tricks them into thinking it’s on the same plane as the pitch before, causing them to swing and miss. The bottom rope is the “set ’em down pitch.” It sits at the very bottom of the strike zone. The top rope is the “set ’em up pitch.” When the pitcher throws at that height over the plate, the umpire should call that pitch a strike. You can use PVC pipe, batting tees, or even hooks on a wall to fashion the ropes to your liking. Set up your top rope approximately 25 inches off the ground, and a second rope 6 inches lower. Do not teach your pitcher to throw meatballs!!! Our set up consists of 2 ropes that are 5 feet out in front of home plate. We want pitchers to learn to throw low in the zone, as well as encourage our catchers to keep their glove at the same height as the rope. Beginning with the first lesson, we expect our pitchers to use ropes to help them learn control and accuracy.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |