Softball Techniques on Pitching

Fast-pitch softball pitching requires skill and attention to technique. It is important to develop good softball pitching techniques early on to avoid repeating bad habits throughout your career. Once the basic technique is learned, it can be applied to the variety of pitches available such as a fastball, change-up and curve ball.

  1. Weight Transfer

    • Use the pitching rubber as a starting block for transferring your weight into a pitch. On the back swing, shift your weight to your back foot and have your foot planted firmly on the edge of the pitching rubber. As you follow through with your motion, transfer your weight as you move the ball from your back swing to your follow through and push off on the pitching rubber for added power.

    Grip

    • Holding the softball properly can increase speed and help you to maintain control over your pitches. Hold the ball with your finger tips, and apply pressure from your thumb to help hold the ball in place. Your thumb will be pressing the ball against your fingertips, and it will create a gap between the ball and the palm of your hand. The wider the gap, the greater pressure you are putting on the ball from your thumb and the more control you will have over your pitch.

    Focus on Your Target

    • In baseball, the pitcher is told to throw at the target created by the catcher's glove. The same principal applies to fast-pitch softball. Do not aim the ball. Throw the ball at your target, and practice being able to hit that target consistently. Try to focus on the spot you are hitting and remove the batter from your view.

    Follow Through

    • Finish your pitching motion on your follow through by making sure you are standing up straight and have your hips close together. This helps to put your power behind your pitching motion, and it also allows you to be able to react should the batter hit the ball back to the mound.

    Each Pitch is Different

    • Know your hitter's tendencies so that you understand how to successfully pitch to her, but do not linger on past pitches. Create a unique situation in your mind for each pitch that allows you to focus on that current situation. Put bad pitches out of your mind. If you threw a bad change-up to a hitter that normally cannot hit a change-up and she hits it out of the park, do not be afraid to come back with a better change-up the next time that batter is up.