Are you ready to add a new pitch to your arsenal? Learn how to throw a drop ball in softball and become a force reckoned with on the diamond. With our easy-to-follow guide, you’ll be throwing strikes and baffling batters in no time. Read now to start your journey to mastering the drop ball.
When we talk about the importance of drop ball pitch in the softball game, it is really important to take this position because it provides the full grip throughout the game. When there are many bases in, and you want to pitch the ball in some specific way that will send it to the ground if it creates the link with the bat of the player.
How to Throw A Turnover Drop Ball
We will discuss how to throw a drop and, more specifically, a turnover drop. So many players and softball viewers will tell you that they throw a peel drop, and that’s great because peel drops for a lot of pitchers do create a lot of movement. We strongly prefer a turnover drop here at fast pitch power because we feel it allows for a looser wrist, creating more spin, speed, and bite.
Easily throw a Turnover Drop
We are describing here how to throw turnover the drop and like we did for changing up our topic. We will shower over the two most important things to remember when you are throwing a drop, and we are going to show you how we go through the pitch and will demonstrate it for you in a little bit.
Using shoulders to create spin For Drop Ball
The next most important issue used to see in players with the drop is trying to create that downward spin movement by using the shoulders. The hips and shoulders are trying to create spin by rolling over with their shoulders instead of focusing on the lower arm, wrist, and fingers.
What’s going to happen here? What are you going to see when pitchers do this? You will see a lot of inside-outside misses because the hips are getting in the way, and the arm is getting away from the body because we are using the shoulders instead of the lower arms.
We will see slower speeds for our drop and less spin because we could not be as quick with the wrist and fingers and because we use mostly the shoulders and a lot of inside-outside misses. It is very important for any pitch you throw to keep your arms nice and close to your body when we deliver, which means we need to stay nice and tracked. Facing the power line as we are delivering this pitch.
So, the tip number
- ensure we get to the correct spot at the end of the throw zone.
- Make sure that delivery comes from the lower arm, wrist, and fingers, and we stay nice and tracked, not trying to turn that pitch over with the shoulder or the upper body.
Drop Ball Grip & spin Method
Now before we go into showing you what this is going to look like. Let’s talk about the grip and the spin real quick. The drop is pretty easy. We grip this like a fastball, so we have our grip; the thumbs go on the bottom seams, and then the other four fingers reach across to the other seam on the other side of the ball.
So we can get really good for seam rotation and then the spin. We want to spin over this ball, so we are getting that four-steam rotation down, but again, we want to ensure that our release is down past the front leg.
How to throw a drop pitch
Let’s look at what this pitch will look like, and we will freeze on the finish. Let’s talk about a few things. We don’t know if you guys could hear that, but that perfectly hit my drop ball target. We are proud.
So Let’s talk about players finishing positions here where the hand will immediately get to its finishing spot. The player must turn their hand over. The good clue for this while you are learning the turnover drop is to; focus on your pointer finger, pointing down toward the ground when you deliver.
The drop ball angle To Throw Drop Ball in Softball
So that you know your wrist and fingers are nice and relaxed and you are getting your hands to the correct spot. And now you will also notice that we froze on this finish here. The player’s body is slightly forward. My front shoulder is lower than my back shoulder. This is our drop ball angle, and it is important to get into this position.
Shoulder positioning For Drop Ball
When players are freezing, the player is getting to power, so unlike a fastball where players are in power, and their shoulders are nice and level, and we are a nice back foot for a drop ball, we want to get very slightly, not a lot we still need front side resistance.
You still need our upper body behind the front leg but to get slightly forward over the front foot and have a drop ball angle in our shoulders. This creates a nice drop ball path for us to deliver. If you were to freeze in power for a drop ball, you would see that my front shoulder is lower than my back.
My glove hand is lower, and we are a little forward over the front foot and then from here.
We are going to deliver while maintaining that position. So let’s take another look. So we are going to load, push off and go.
Common problems while Throwing the drop Ball in Softball
The most common issue with the drop is players just not getting their hands to the correct spot at the end of the throw zone. So, remember, when the player releases a drop, they want their hands to be very low, and we want it to be spinning down, but that hand still needs to get down and out past the front leg.
The most common thing we see with the drops is the players spinning by their back hips. So they will let go of that pitch back here, and while you might have a very good spin on the ball. It will not reach the plate because you are not getting to the end of the throw zone.
So, that’s when you have a pitcher and you see that the ball is bouncing before the plate a lot. They are probably releasing their drop too, but the other common thing we see is the players coming out first, like a fastball, and then pulling their hand down.l It is important to immediately get to the correct spot at the end of the throw zone for any pitch you are throwing.
As soon as you come up first, even if you pull down afterward, that pitch is going straight like a fastball because that’s how you are firing it. You are firing that hand out as if you were throwing a fastball instead of immediately getting to the end of the throw zone.
So tip number one for your drop.
- Always ensure you immediately get down and out past the first leg.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Drop ball in the Softball Game?
It is a pitch that goes straight toward the dirt and benefits the ground ball going out from the field.
How do the players throw a drop change in softball?
The main thing you must remember is to note the mindset about the thought of dropping the ball. Your throw ball must be shortened, the same as the fastball.
Can We Throw a Drop ball in baseball?
Yes, you can surely throw a drop ball in the baseball. The most important thing you need to know is your proper command and grip on the baseball.
Closing words about how to throw a drop ball in softball
Throwing a Drop ball is a great pitch to get a ground ball out. It is really helpful to feature players throwing it when there are runners on second and third to keep the ball in the dirt in the infield. So you infielders can make a play for you and not let the ball go to the outfields.
It’s important to keep the drop ball down in the zone; the higher it gets, the further the ball goes, and the more strikes you have, the lower you make your drop ball down in the zone. Drop ball can go on any corner, and it’s really important to throw it on both corners so you keep them guessing and mix it up.