illegal Pitch?

[bluecoach]

I am a new coach and a new umpire and feel that I should be teaching my girls by the correct rules.
I am confused as to illegal vs legal pitch.
1. Pitcher starts with her hands together above the head, breaks them, does a backwards swing and then proceeds into a forward windmill swing, is it illegal?
2. Pitcher starts with her hands together infront of the boddy, breaks them, does a backward swing and then proceeds into a forward windmill swing, is it illegal?
3. Pitcher starts with her hands above her head, breaks them, does a backwards swing and delivers pitch, no windmill, is this legal??
Thanks

[SamNVa]

All three pitches sound legal to me. The pitch starts when the pitcher breaks her hands. From that point she is allowed to drop her pitching hand down and to the rear, then deliver the ball directly to the batter (the slingshot method) or after 1 revolution (the windmill method). The delivery must be accompanied by a single step with the non-pivot foot and the step must be forward.

BTW, the pitcher is not limited to one pitching style and can intermix the slingshot and the windmill deliveries between pitches.

SamC

[bluecoach]

Thanks for the reply, but isn't 1 and 2 more than one revolution?

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally posted by bluecoach
Thanks for the reply, but isn't 1 and 2 more than one revolution?

Actually, you would need to define "backswing". ASA notes that dropping the pitching hand down and to the rear is not to be taken into consideration. However, if the pitcher is going so far back as to assimulate a modified pitch motion, you may have a point.

[Del-Blue]

Actually #1 sounds just like Jenny Finch, and isn't two revolutions.

For you to have two revolutions with the hand starting straight down by the hip, and a swing back, you would actually have to pass the hip three times.

Same as #2 with hands starting in front of the body and a swing back the ball would have to pass the hip three times to make two revolutions.

Actually SamNVa, the pitch doesn't have to have a step, but if it does, it must be forward and simultaneous with the release of the ball.

Bob

[SamNVa]

Actually, "1 revolution" is generally defined as "Not 2 revolutions". This is usually interpreted to mean that the pitcher's arm cannot continue up past her ear after she releases the ball. The same criteria is applied to the slingshot pitch as well, where there are "no" revolutions involved.

I interpret this to mean that after the pitcher separates her hands, she can swing the pitching hand down and back to almost the vertical position (pointing at the sky). From this point she can bring her hand down and forward, make a complete revolution amd release the ball on the second time past her hip (going forward), then follow through until her arm is again pointing mostly up as long as she doesn't get back to vertical again. That is if you assume that zero degrees is straight up, then she can swing her arm through ~710 degrees and still be ok.

SamC

[Edited by SamNVa on May 31st, 2002 at 12:44 PM]

[AlabamaBlue]

" This is usually interpreted to mean that the pitcher's arm cannot continue up past her ear after she releases the ball."


I'm pretty sure the pitcher could do cartwheels after she releases the ball if she wanted to...

[SamNVa]

To Del-Blue: ASA rule 6.4.G says that in "delivering the pitch, the pitcher must. take one step..."

To AlabamaBlue: Cartwheels may be ok, but continuing to swing her arm around after releasing the ball is not.

SamC

[Edited by SamNVa on May 31st, 2002 at 03:57 PM]

[Gulf Coast Blue]

Agree with Sammo.........

The pitcher may (or may NOT) do a cartwheel.......but she may NOT continue another revolution after the ball has been released.........

So......IOW........the pitcher cannot do whatever she wants.........

Joel

[bluecoach]

Thank-you all, that makes everything much more clear.