How to Slow Pitch Softball
Learning how to slow pitch softball can be time difficult, especially if you are the one that is pitching. If you have never done it before, there are valuable tips that can help you establish yourself as a solid pitcher, and produce the right results for your slow pitch softball team.
Practicing How to Slow Pitch Softball
Getting good at anything requires practice, which also includes slow pitch softball. Locate an empty softball field that has both the home plate and a pitching mound. The mound will make it far easier to gauge exactly how your efforts are resulting. Take along a friend that can work as both the catcher and the umpire.
Position both of your feet behind the rubber bar on the pitching mound. Maintain your feet at approximately shoulder width apart while keeping your foot (on your pitching arm side) on the rubber when pitching every ball.
Hold the softball in a comfortable grip in your pitching hand. There is a variety of available grips in slow-pitch softball. However, in the learning process, it is always ideal to start with the circle grip. Grasping the softball using your index finger and thumb, grab the softball at the widest part. This often mimics the same kind of hold much like gripping a soda can. Let all the remaining fingers simply rest behind the index finger on the ball.
The Motion of Slow Pitching Softball
Many successful slow pitch softball pitchers start the motion with the ball positioned in front of them. Typically, they can be viewed holding the ball inside their glove at the first moment of the pitch.
Not every slow pitch softball pitcher starts with their foot on the rubber. Part of their momentum is achieved by stepping forward until it lands directly on the rubber. However, it is all based on comfort and style.
Next, create an arc like a pendulum that hangs from the shoulder, move the pitching arm back behind you. In a smooth single movement, move the left foot forward in front of the rubber while moving the right arm, much like a pendulum, at the same time. The movement of the action produces a natural elasticity of the pitcher’s arm and also helps direct the ball down a specific path.
When the ball is released at waist level, it is easy to teach yourself through experimentation the exact moment of release that produces the best results. It is always best to follow through the entire motion to ensure that you are standing at a fielding stance, in case the slow pitch softball come straight back toward you.