Throwing a ball overhand is not all that natural, it doesn’t feel all that great at first, and it’s going to wreak havoc on your muscles and your joints – especially in the shoulder – if you do it over and over again. $99.99 $85.00 Check Today's Price on AmazonĪnother reason that softball now requires their pitchers to throw underhanded is that there is a lot less wear and tear on the shoulder joint, something that every single baseball player (especially pitchers) can attest to. You have to get different parts of the body to move at just the right time and in just the right way to do so efficiently and effectively – whereas throwing underhand (or pitching underhand) is a pretty simple and straightforward alternative. Learning how to throw overhand is a pretty involved process (which is why people without a lot of practice doing so often look so funny when they try). The underhand motion just feels really natural to us, it’s something that makes a lot of sense from a biomechanical standpoint, and it’s something that sort of resonates from an instinctual level when you want to throw or toss something. This is especially important for new players that are just getting into the sport and it’s a big part of why you see so many young kids that are learning to play baseball and softball both using an underhand motion. Right out of the gate, throwing underhand is a whole lot easier from a purely mechanical standpoint than throwing overhand. There are a couple of reasons aside from history and tradition that softball pitchers throw to the plate with this kind of motion, with the most common reasons highlighted in this quick section. The delivery (of a softball pitch) must be an underhanded motion, with the hand below the hip and the wrist not farther from the body via the elbowĮvery other player on the softball diamond can throw the ball overhand if they wish, but the pitcher absolutely has to pitch the ball underhand when they are throwing to a batter. The specific rule according to the World Baseball Softball Confederation (located on page 27 of their rulebook, to be specific) states the following: Later on, as softball rules really became codified we saw underhand pitching become mandatory. Not only did this slow thing down (not just because the bigger ball is harder to grip but also because you aren’t using leverage underhand the way you are overhand), but it also made things quite a bit safer for indoor play as well. Many of them lived in cooler climates with weather that wasn’t conducive to all-year-round outdoor baseball, and that’s where softball was created.īecause they were indoors (because they were using a larger ball) it was established that you have to throw a softball pitch underhand. Sure, millions and millions of people watch baseball each and every year – but it’s impossible to argue with the fact that baseball has slipped and slid a little bit when it comes to overall popularity, often times ranking behind football as well as basketball (particularly with younger generations).īut when baseball was absolutely dominant there were players all over the country desperate to continue playing, developing their skills, and practicing. Final Word Softball Designed to Be a Lower Scoring, Safer GameĪs highlighted above, when softball was first invented the idea was to create a game that traditional baseball players could enjoy when they were stuck indoors during winter weather.Īt the time baseball was unquestionably the national pastime in the most popular sport in America, dominating newspapers and radio coverage in a way that is almost difficult to imagine today.
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