Contact Pitching in Softball
In baseball, pitchers are typically divided into two categories: those who pitch for contact and those who go for strikeouts. Slow pitch softball places the emphasis squarely on the former variety of pitcher. The ball won’t be coming at a batter with much speed, but there are still plenty of ways for a pitcher to get an advantage. She may vary the height of the pitch, for instance – from 6 to 12 feet off the ground.
It’s also smart to alternate the spin applied to the ball upon its release. Great pitchers will mix up their delivery, pitching for speed at certain stages of the count and throwing in a curveball or a high, arcing pitch for variation. By keeping opponents off guard, a pitcher can increase the likelihood of slow pitch softball bats whiffing time and again. And even if you don’t get many strikeouts, you can still find ways to induce groundouts.