Unlock the Perfect Screwball with SpinDr Softball
"My screwball was the pitch that made me an All-American pitcher." - Team USA Pitcher and SpinDr Founder Jamie Southern
Everything You Need to Know About the Screwball
For a right-handed pitcher, the screwball breaks in towards a right-handed batter.
For a left-handed pitcher, it would break in towards a left-handed batter.
Because it's a pitch that stays on the same plane as the batter's swing, pitchers should always start this pitch on the corners and have the pitch break off of the plate.
The screwball will become unsuccessful when they start the ball down the middle of the plate to have it break to the corner.
Hear from SpinDr Founder and Team USA Pitcher Jamie Southern
"My screwball was the pitch that made me an All-American pitcher."
"What I feel like I do different than most pitchers who throw the screw is I come down the back of my arm circle with my pinkie being the leader and my hand inside of the ball (back of hand brushing my back leg). As my hand gets to my body, I start to get on top of the ball with my fingers and palm facing the ground. This is allowing the ball to get more of a 4 seam rotation which will lead to more break on the pitch versus the ball drifting over."
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Find Your SpinDr
Now Let's Practice Your Screwball with The SpinDr Spin Trainer:
When using the SpinDr spin trainer to practice your screwball, follow these steps:
1. With the SpinDr ball, start 3-5 feet away from your catcher. Your hand/ball should be in between both of your legs with your elbow in front of your back hip.
2. You will start with your palm and fingers facing down or the flat part of the ball towards the ground and your pinkie pointing to the catcher.
3. You will then turn/twist the ball by dropping your thumb backwards allowing the flat part of the ball to continue to face the ground as it goes to the catcher.
4. When you have mastered this you can move 10-15 feet from your catcher and starting from the "K" position you will spin the ball the same way to your catcher as the drill before. Focusing on keeping the flat part of the ball towards the ground allows the 4 seam rotation to spin in the direction that you want the ball to go.
Extra Challenge:
One challenging way to work on perfecting this pitch is by standing 20-30 feet from your catcher to pitch the screwball with a slower, controlled motion. This will allow you to better see the spin axis and tell you how you are spinning the ball out of your hand.
This pitch is game ready when you have mastered the spin, you feel confident to throw it as hard as your fastball, and your control is on point!
Use Your Screwball Wisely
Using this pitch can help you get batters out. Great pitchers have great pitches on both sides of the plate. The screwball is a perfect pitch for the right side of the plate.
If you find the slapper is running towards first base, the screwball would become out of her reach. If you have a big time hitter who has power when extending her bat, you would throw the screw to jam her or let her pull it foul. A lefty power hitter might struggle with staying with a pitch and a screwball wouldn't give her hit on the end of her bat.