In today’s video blog post, we are breaking down the “Drop Curve” pitch, and demonstrating an excellent pitching drill for working on this tough pitch!
The Drop Curve Pitching Drill
The Drop Curve Pitch can be a complicated pitch for some pitchers. So, the focus of this pitching drill is to get comfortable with the feeling of the pitching hand coming over the top. The better your young players can get familiar with this feeling, the easier it will be for them to shorten up and get on top of the ball.
Breaking Down the Drop Curve Pitching Drill
– The grip is just like the grip of the fastball, focusing on using two fingers instead of three.
– The pitch begins the same, getting on top and bending the elbow, and then you are going to let the butt of the hand lead as you twist across the body, and then snap down into the front leg.
– You want to tuck the elbow so the hand can twist around the torso. If you don’t do this, the elbow is going to fly out to the side and that affect the pitch. The hand should be tucked straight out on your finish.
Fine-tuning the Drop Curve Pitching Drill
You should notice a couple of things about the pitcher’s body — they should stay in a strong position where their weight is going down and to the left. And you should be able to see her pulling hard, but without letting the backside come through too much, which will leave the ball over the middle of the plate.
Sometimes you get a little more curve, sometimes you get a little more drop. You really want to work on the timing of where you want the curve and where you want the drop, and that is all determined by how much you are coming across and when you are starting to go down over the top of the pitch.
Looking for more awesome softball pitching drill ideas and tips? Then be sure to check out Championship Coach Sue Enquist’s other Softball Coaching Videos! Sue will share some great tips and softball pitching mechanics, hitting and much more! And don’t forget to Like Us on Facebook, where we share more great ideas and suggestions for your practice plan! You can also Follow Us on Twitter and Hangout with us at Google+!