STEP BACK DURING PITCH (FP) ONLY

[chuck chopper]

Do you think the ASA folks will ever allow the high school age girls to do as the Federated rules allow. RE: Stepping back with non-pivot foot, then coming forward with the delivery ?
Most of the Rec. Councils in my area have already altered their league rules to allow it, and some others are using a no-windmill pitch also allowing the step back with a straight arm delivery.

[Skahtboi]

I hope not.

I, for one, have never understood why NFHS and USSSA allow the step back anyway. What is the point? Good pitching mechanics need only the forward step. Most pitching coaches that I know will discourage the wasted motion of a backward step. JMO.

[Dakota]

Originally posted by chuck chopper
Do you think the ASA folks will ever ...

"Ever" is a long time. I don't think such a change is likely in the near future. JMO, though, from the outside looking in.

One thing you need to remember is the scope and objectives of the two bodies are different.

NFHS is exclusively concerned with high school girls and school teams. They, at least officially, are concerned with education and with participation. The back step is an easier mechanic for inexperienced pitchers, as testified to by your local rec leagues adopting it.

Of course, if I was writing the rules...

[WestMichBlue]

"The back step is an easier mechanic for inexperienced pitchers"

Ouch! Man, Tom, if I could reach you I'd put a fastball upside your noggin! Try justifying the above statement to all the men that have been pitching under ASA rules for nearly 70 years.

"One thing you need to remember is the scope and objectives of the two bodies are different."

Actually we can say that the scope and objectives of the same body for men and women are different. ASA wrote the rules for FP softball for Men, but then they changed the rule for female pitchers. I have asked this question many times on this and other boards, but nobody can provide an answer as to why. My guess is that it was a sexist thing; that they didn't believe that women could hit fast pitching so ASA restricted the women pitchers.

Fortunately, NFHS refused (and continues to refuse) to follow ASA on that issue. And many of the summer alphabet leagues also follow NFHS pitching rules.

Now I wonder, is ASA going to change it’s Men’s rules to match the ISF pitching rules (both feet must contact the pitching plate)? Is there not some controversy about men’s ASA teams not wanting to play international tournaments because of issues like the pitching rules?

WMB

[Dakota]

WMB,

I'm not saying that the step back is ineffective, or that top pitchers cannot gain speed with it, what I am saying is that it is easier for an inexperienced pitcher to do and be somewhat effective than keeping both feet nailed to a little 2 foot wide by 6" deep piece of plastic before taking the forward step.

I suspect it is kept in the book by NFHS not as some kind of recognition of the athleticism of female hitters, but rather to allow smaller schools to field a team.

[whiskers_ump]

I agree Tom. Most of the small areas use LL as the
stepping stone towards higher levels. They utilize
the backward step thingy also. When this area did
finally go ASA, that was the hardest habit to break
these gals from. I was calling with a guy the other
night that has only done AFA, ASA, and NCAA until
this year and he called an illegal pitch on the gal.
This was NFHS game. After getting reamed by the gals
coach, he is learning.