Ripping the Rise

The Riseball is probably the most glamorous pitch to throw, and at the same time it's the most dangerous. Pitcher's love to throw fast and the riseball is one of the faster pitches and when it works, batters swing and miss a lot. But, it's dangerous for the simple reason that it tends to go right into the hitter's power and vision zone making it easier to hit, and hit HARD! The keys to throwing a good riseball are the difference between having a dominating riseball or a ball that only rises after the batters hit it!

I tell pitchers all the time, if you're going to throw a riseball you'd better throw a good one! Remember that anything on this planet that goes up - like airplanes and rockets and helicopters - have engines on them since we have gravity always pulling us back down. So if you want your riseball to really rise, you better "put an engine on it", meaning that you better put some force and explosion into the release and spin speed.

So, let's look at some keys to having a good riseball:

• Dominate the BOTTOM of the ball (to create the proper spin)
• Get Low with your hand at release
• Longer Stride
• Strong, Firm front Leg as if pushing up against a wall
• Keep your chest still once you start releasing the ball. Too many pitcher try to throw this pitch using their chest and that only slows down the spin and forces your rise to drop.
• Make your spin speed faster than the pitch speed! Try to have your wrist twisting faster during the release than your hand is moving forward. It's the spin that will or won't make the ball rise - so make sure you focus on explosive spin!
• Release the pitch a little bit in front of our hips to allow your hand to complete the snap. If you release too soon you can't get to the front of the ball, only to the bottom, and that isn't enough to make the ball have enough force and spin to rise.

For more details and video clips on how to throw the perfect riseball, check out our: Holiday RevFire Special!, Our Advanced Pitches - RiseBall and Screw Ball DVD, and Our 4 Pitching DVD collection.