“The mystical rise ball defies sheer logic,
confounding hitters of every level of softball...”
- Alex Byington and Angel Verdejo from their Killeen Daily Herald article
Probably so...
Is a good rise ball closest to
THE unhittable softball pitch?
Advice from “Michelle” edited and summarized from a much longer article titled “8 Tips for Hitting a Riseball” at the Winning Softball blog.
TIPS FOR HITTING THE RISEBALL...
" KNOW THE PITCHER’S TENDENCIES- watch when you are in the dugout … how often she relies on it.
" RECOGNIZE THE SPIN EARLY– The spin of a rise ball is a more rapid spin that will go directly underneath the ball and up. The spin will not be sideways like a curve ball or screw and it won’t be going over the top of the ball like a drop ball or drop curve/screw.
" STAND IN THE FRONT OR THE BACK OF THE BOX- (Stand in the front) to hit the ball before it breaks. If you stand in the back, it challenges the pitcher to keep her rise ball under control. If the ball rises too much, it will be called a ball...
" Keep your HANDS A TOUCH HIGHER than normal...
" As you go to the ball SWING ON A LINEAR PLANE OR DOWNWARD at the ball. Swinging upward will allow your back shoulder to drop which makes you get under the ball…
" KEEP YOUR HELMET LOW– This helps me to see the ball off of my dark helmet and eliminate glare on the ball. I can see the rate at which the ball is approaching my brim which helps me to recognize if the pitch will be a ball. This also helps me to recognize the spin on the ball more clearly.”
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| From top, Wesley Wolverines junior #13 Utility Ashley Royer (Lititz, PA) and senior #99 OF Lauren Hoffman (Middletown, DE). |
