Fastpitch Screw Ball

The screw ball moves in toward a right hand batter when thrown by a right handed pitcher and is sometimes called the 'in-shoot'. The ball spins from right to left as seen by the catcher (when thrown by a right handed pitcher).

Perfect Rotation Screw Ball as seen by the catcher

Bullet spin - NO movement as seen by the catcher

Typical spins are shown below and depend on how the screw ball is thrown. These views are from the catcher's point of view and are for a right handed pitcher.

This Spin will also drop

This Spin will also rise

There are a number of ways to throw the screw ball and none appear to be "Best." The pitcher should experiment with methods and grips to achieve the best spin and subsequently the most ball movement.

One method is gripped like a fastball but the ball is released off the side of the hand or the pointer finger. See the drawing at the right.

For the other method the ball is still gripped like a fastball but the ball is released off the finger tips with the hand tipped to the right as shown in the drawing at the right.

Frequently, both methods are combined to achieve the fastest rotation with the best angle. Techniques that help include leaning a little to the right and stepping a little to the left while pulling the hand across the body. The following videos from the USA 2004 Olympic team members show how they throw the screw ball.

Lisa Hernandez
     Windows Media
     Real Video
     .mpg format

Jenny Finch
     Windows Media
     Real Video
     .mpg format

Few pitchers can make the screw ball move dramatically so the pitch should be used sparingly.

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