How to Get Hitters to Swing at Your Down Movement

Hey There Friend!

Were you able to catch the first weekend of the NEW "Athletes Unlimited" professional softball league?! If so, you undoubtedly were impressed with the incredibly talented, 37-year old pitcher, Cat Osterman!

She made some of the BEST hitters in the world look silly with her deception - especially DOWN in the zone! Take a look at THESE swing and misses she gets on some pitches that are in the dirt by the time they got to her catcher, Gwen Svekis!

So WHY do these hitters swing at BALLS so much against Cat? It's because her pitches LOOK like strikes to them!  

So, HOW does she get them to look like strikes?

Lots of things go into creating very deceptive pitches including:

1. Correct Spin: The ball should spin in the direction of the desired break. Downward movement is created best when the ball is spinning forward.
2. Posture/Weight Shift: This is set when the pitcher strides and will be subtly different based on the type of pitch being thrown. For example, fastball posture should be neutral - belly button/head centered between the legs at stride set. If throwing a drop ball, the posture should be slightly forward - belly button/head more towards the stride leg.
3. Release Point: Where the ball is released and the angle it's released at will determine the chance for the pitch to work. For example, if throwing a drop ball, the ball must be released on a slight downward angle. If the ball is released on an upward angle, the pitch will NOT move down...even if the spin is correct AND the pitcher sets the correct posture!
4. Spin Speed - The faster the ball rotates in the correct direction, the more drastically the ball will break. This is why, once a pitcher learns a spin, she should train to turn the ball as fast as possible!

Now Cat Osterman does ALL of these things really well! It's WHY the bottom falls out of her drop ball!

Did you watch the video at the link I include up above?! If not, HERE it is again! Watch some of the BEST hitters in the world swing and miss at pitches that are obvious balls to the observer. These pitches look completely different when you are standing in the box, deciding whether to swing or take!

So how do you get hitters to swing at your pitcher's movement pitches? First, you work on getting your pitchers to have correct spin, posture/weight shift, release point/angle and to create as much spin in the correct direction as possible. Once she can do these things pretty well, you SHOW her where the ball cuts!

This video shows pitchers working their drop ball and off-speed pitch over a piece of elastic. This simple drill is one of the BEST things you can use to help your pitcher understand:

1. WHERE the bottom of the zone is actually located!

Pitchers MUST be able to throw knee high pitches for CALLED strikes if they want to throw low movement. If they can't throw low strikes, it will be very difficult for them to convince good hitters to SWING at low movement. Using a knee high rope will show your pitcher if she is hitting the bottom of the zone or if she is actually  throwing the ball 6-8 inches ABOVE the knees for her "called" strike pitch. If she can't throw a knee high strike, and the ONLY pitches that she throws low in the zone are typically balls, all the hitter must do is not swing at pitches low in the zone - because they aren't ever strikes!

If a pitcher can establish the knee high pitch as a called strike, she has the hitter right where she wants her! The key to getting a hitter to swing, is making every pitch LOOK like a strike!  If a pitcher wants to throw something low in the zone that moves OUT of the zone, she must first have proven to the hitter that she can throw a low strike.

2. SELLING her pitches as a strikes

Setting a knee high rope 3-5 feet in front of the plate gives the pitcher a visual for WHERE she wants the break to start. Her goal should be to sell the pitch as a strike by HITTING the rope with the ball. The MOVEMENT should happen AFTER she hits the rope. If the ball goes UNDER the rope, it's an easier take for the hitter because it doesn't look like a strike!

3. WHERE where the ball starts to break

The pitcher should try to get the ball to cut immediately after the rope. You can see in the video above that all of these pitchers are doing a great job of getting the ball to go down right after the rope. This late, sharp break is what makes hitters swing and miss or hit the top of the ball. 

Once a pitcher is consistent with deceptive movement, she can start adjusting where the rope is located to simulate a batter standing in the front or back of the box. She can also move the rope 4 inches above or below the knee to work on getting her low movement to be a called strike OR a believable ball.

Working with a rope during bullpens will help your pitchers understand what their pitches are doing AND give them a visual to work on making small adjustments that will help them get more hitters to swing and miss!

Give it a try with your pitchers and let me know how it goes! You can contact me anytime at: [email protected]!

Have a great weekend and I'll be in touch again soon!

All my BEST,

Myndie