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Originally Posted by WestMichBlue
Opinions are nice, but let's deal with facts.
Fact: ASA required both feet on plate.
Fact: NFHS followed ASA in its earliest book ('70's) and required both feet on plate.
Fact: ASA changed to allow step back (there was no separte male/female rules then).
Fact: NFHS followed ASA and changed to allow step back.
Fact: ASA changed rules for females only.
Fact: NFHS did not follow ASA this time.
So ask your contact if there were in the NFHS meeting 27 years ago when the ASA rule change was discussed and see what the reason for the NFHS position was at that time.
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So what? I'm not talking about 27 years ago, nor do I care. I'm talking about now. Just because one changed and the other did not is irrelevant to the issue.
Not all schools have a girl who can pitch at the travel ball level. I have been told (because I never had the skill to pitch in the FP game), that requiring just one foot to be in contact with the plate made it easier for some to adjust and learn to pitch or at least get it near the plate. Let me tell you, I saw quite a few games where the #1 pitcher for a school couldn't pitch the ball without a hump on it. I could only imagine how bad it would be if these girls couldn't use a rocking motion. They are not all that bad and some are pretty good, but those are also the travel ball kids that play for their school.
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My definition of "Rec League" is local community programs (L.L. or local organizations) where the parents pay their money and every little Johnny and Suzy gets to play - and the caliber of play is terrible. (I know; I am coaching a 12U boys team now!) Obviously no comparison to H.S. teams that are competitive, and often cut to get down to team size.
Travel Ball is another story. All-Star type teams; the best players from where ever; usually try-outs are required. I know of girls that travel 100 miles to play; I used to drive my granddaughter 70 mi (she didn't make the teams in our area); one top player from my town is playing with a team from CA! Obviously, no comparison of these teams to H.S. teams.
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That's my point. Some school teams are horrific and some do a great job. Not every school even has a real coach, but a teacher who needed the extra money. In this area, if a teacher applies for the job, they get it before any outside concern. It's getting away from that, but not soon enough.[/quote]
The argument express in this thread is that the step-back method is for inferior players than cannot match the ASA standard! So why do ASA men need the step-back? Are they inferior?
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#1, I never made that assertion. I simply stated I was told that it was kept in Fed was for participation purposes. Anything else you presume is supposition.
As far as the men are concerned, see below
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Typo in my original post; I should have typed L.L. Big League Softball (instead of Senior League). Around here there usually is a single team per L.L. District, put together soley for tournament action. Our coach can recruit the best girls from about a hundred high schools. Plus they can go outside the District if there is no adjoining District. Those L.L. teams are good. One young lady I know only lost 3 or 4 games in 4 years pitching varsity ball, plus she led her team to a State Championship. But she wasn't good enough to pitch on the last L.L. World Series champion from this area. (But she did pitch on several travel teams over the years that reached high levels of national competition.)
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A few years back, ....well, let's just say a national LL champion softball team didn't really participate in any LL ball until the quest for the championship began. I don't think that is fair, but apparently it happens.
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Mike - I pitched men's fastpitch for years; I umpired men's FP in upto last year. Men are spoiled when it comes to pitching. There are several parks within 30 miles of GR that support men's FP; all the umpires are told in no uncertain teams not to call IP's. ASA give's men's fastpitch what they want, including step back and making the leap legal. That is the rulebook, and at the local level we are told not to call anything. I don't think that ASA has the guts to stand up to the male FP players.
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No argument from me, but that is a direct result of the competing sanctioning body which basically has no rules for the pitching corps in their game.