Tip # 1 - The Grip
"First, you start off with the grip. You want to make sure all three of your fingertips are on a seam,
something you can really get underneath the ball."
Tip # 2 - The Spin
"Obviously, the more spin on the ball, the more movement you're going to have, so with the rise
ball, it's really important to get a lot of tight spin. You want backspin. You really want to focus on
getting the right rotation on the ball. When you come to your hip, it's almost like you're turning a
doorknob."
Tip # 3 - The Release
"You release behind the hips, snap underneath the ball. When you're releasing it, you really want
your weight against that front foot; you're spinning off the landing of your front foot."
Tip # 4 - The Location
"You need to practice location … rise ball in, rise ball out, low rise ball, high rise ball."
Tip # 5 - The Follow Through
"You want to show the catcher the back of your hand when you're finished."
Tip # 6 - The Situation
"A lot of times, when you're seeing someone drop her back shoulder, someone has a big swing …
they're pretty good candidates for the rise ball. When you're ahead in the count, that's a great
time to go with it, because it's a junk pitch … so throw it above the eyes, hopefully getting them to
chase the ball. So coming down to the Pan Am Games, the rise ball is really effective, because (a
lot of these teams) are not use to seeing a real moving rise ball, so you'll see a lot of rise balls
down here."
Don Copple
St. Louis Heat (MO)
EQUIPMENT NEEDED :Two pitchers with glove and ball.
EXPLANATION: After warming up properly and pitching from regulation distance, two pitchers
can start backing up and throwing to each other. Start by backing them up about three to five
feet. Have your pitchers cut the ball loose, throwing hard, using their regular pitches. They
should try to keep the ball on line, no looping tosses. After a few minutes, back them up
gradually, five or eight feet more if they are able. The distance also forces them to throw with
a good follow-through, and the ball moves a lot more at these longer distances. It's fun to see
how much their pitches move. You can have them spread their feet apart slightly beyond
regulation placement if necessary. Then after a brief rest, have them go back to regulation
distance. They should be getting more use of the legs and more velocity as well as getting
their whole body into the pitch.
A Couple of Cautions: This is a 10-12 minute drill. They should throw reasonably hard, but not
quite their hardest. Watch for arm fatigue and be careful not to strain the arm.
