2. ISF Fastpitch Pitching
Rule 2010
• This presentation has been
provided to assist in understanding
the changes to the ISF Fastpitch
pitching rule adopted at Congress
2009
• It includes the ISF Points of
Emphasis clarification issued
January and April 2010
3. There are five main changes
or rewording to the ISF FP
Pitching Rule
1. Strengthening the requirement that the feet
must start and maintain contact with the
plate at all times
2. Strengthening the Two Second Stop, no
movement
3. The pitcher can be airborne/leap (both feet
off ground)
4. Hands must separate before or as the
pitcher pushes off from the pitcher’s plate
5. Fluent continuous motion
4. New Rules
• The hands must separate before,
or as the pitcher’s pivot foot leaves
the pitcher’s plate
• The pitcher may be airborne
causing the pitcher to leap through
the air with both feet off the ground
5. There are six basic features
clearly outlined in the ISF
Points Of Emphasis
• Contact with the pitcher’s plate
• The signal
• Preliminary to the delivery
• The start of the pitch
• The delivery
• Step and release
6. Contact with Pitcher’s Plate
• The pitcher must start with both
feet in contact with the pitcher’s
plate
• The feet do not have to be on top
of the plate
7. Contact – Heel and Toe - Legal
Pivot foot
Leading/Stepping
foot
9. Contact With Pitcher’s Plate
• The catcher must be in position to
receive the pitch
• The pitcher may not be off the side
of the plate
• Video - Off the side of the plate
10.
11. • The pitcher must take or appear to
take the signal from the catcher
while in contact with the plate
• The hands must be separated and
the ball may be in the bare hand or
in the glove
• Video - Signal
Signal
13. Preliminary to Delivery
• After taking the signal the pitcher
must come to a complete stop with
the hands together
• The body must be motionless with
the hands together for a minimum
of two seconds and a maximum of
five seconds
• Video - Legal stop
16. Preliminary to Delivery
• Holding the ball in both hands to
the side of the body, or above the
head is considered legal
• Video - Side of body & above the
head
21. Preliminary to Delivery
• During the entire preliminary
process the feet must remain in
contact with the plate - the contact
may be heel and toe
• Video - Heel and Toe
26. Start Of The Pitch
• The pitch begins with separation of
the hands, or with any motion that
may be considered part of the
wind-up
• Video - Start of pitch
28. Start Of The Pitch
• The pitcher may remove himself
from the pitcher’s plate, prior to
separating his hands or starting
the pitching motion, by stepping
backwards off the plate
• Video - Removal from pitching
position
31. Start Of The Pitch
• The pivot foot may slide across the
plate providing contact is
maintained
• Lifting the feet a minimal distance,
“clearing the cleats” to allow foot
movement is permitted
32. The pivot foot must push off from the pitcher’s plate…
1. Both feet in contact.
Pivot foot legally
rotates.
Start Of The Pitch
2. Both feet in contact.
Pivot legally slides
forward and may
legally rotate.
3. Both feet in
contact. Pivot legally
slides forward and
may legally rotate.
39. Start Of The Pitch
• The heel of the pivot foot may lift,
allowing the pitcher to twist on the
ball of the pivot foot and then push
off, providing the foot does not
move forward off the pitcher’s
plate
• Video - Pivot foot twist
41. Delivery
• The pitcher may drop his arm to
the side and to the rear before
starting the windmill action
• The pitcher’s arm may pass the
hip twice, however there cannot be
two full revolutions.
• During the delivery there cannot
be a stop or a reversal of the
forward motion
• Video - Stop in motion
43. Delivery
• The pitcher after having the ball in
both hands may not remove one
hand from the ball, take a
backward and forward swing and
return the ball to the glove
• Video - Returning the ball to the
glove
45. Step and Release
• The pitcher may take one step with the
Leading/Stepping foot simultaneous with
the release of the ball
• The step must be forward and within the
61cm (24inch) width of the pitcher’s plate
• Only the Leading/Stepping foot must land
within the width of the plate
• Video - Width of the plate 1 & 2
48. Step and Release
• Both feet must remain in contact
with the pitcher’s plate until the
forward step is taken (the stepping
foot should be the first foot to
leave the plate)
• Pushing off from a place other
than the pitcher’s plate, prior to
separating the hands, is a crow
hop and is illegal
52. Step and Release
• It is legal to drag, leap or hop and
then land and throw, as long as the
original push starts from the plate
Legal - pushing from the plate Legal - Still in contact with the plate
even though hands are together
53. Legal - Hands have separated & leaping. Legal - The pivot foot may land and push
Legal - Provided there has been no stoppage in the action and fluent continuous motion.
54. Step and Release
• The pitching hand with ball must
begin separation from the glove
when the pivot foot loses contact
with the plate or ground
• Video - Legal separation
58. • Both feet may be off the ground,
leaping. However, the hands must
be separated
Step and Release
59. Step and Release
• The pitching arm must maintain
constant motion throughout the push
off and landing, or the end of the
push off.
• Once the pitching motion starts, the
pitching arm may not stop in its
motion
• Video - Illegal action, constant
motion of the arms not maintained
62. Step and Release
• After beginning the pitching
motion, the pitcher may hide the
ball behind the glove; however, the
hands must be separated and all
movement of the pitching arm
must be fluent and continuous
• Video - Hiding the ball
64. Step and Release
• The pivot foot may land and twist
during the follow through with the
release of the ball, provided there -
Land has been no stoppage in the
motion or delivery
• Video and twist
**** There are lecturers notes attached to some slides to help with explanation and interpretation ****
Congress rules changes are submitted by Federations (not umpiring body)
Federations submit rule changes along with other whole of sport recommendations, they are voted on, then the rules are set, interpreted and implemented by umpires at the request of the federations.
History
Note, when a pitcher drops back from the toe position the stepping foot may come away from the back of the plate, this is acceptable providing there had been no physical step or twist back
The start of the pitch video, shows actions where the pitch has started, you may need to play several times
A rocking motion creates a pendulum action increasing the thrust of the pitcher therefore increasing the speed
There are several actions a pitcher can use to deliver the ball.
The Sling shot, where the pitcher drops his arm to the side, and takes the arm back and then immediately sling shots the ball in an underarm motion toward the batter.
The pitcher may also use a windmill action where the pitcher rotates the arm in a 360 deg circle and lets go the ball toward the batter.
It is important to understand that only the leading/stepping foot has to land within the width of the plate.
The foot would have to land completely outside an imaginary line drawn from the edges of the pitcher’s plate toward the home plate to be illegal.
The imaginary line is considered within the width.
The pivot foot may land outside the width, land and twist and still be considered legal.
Note: Dependant on the speed of the pitch the plate umpire may have difficulty being able to watch the pitcher’s leading foot land, judge the legality, and then track the pitch into the zone.
The number one priority should be calling of balls and strikes.
The term carrying the ball describes the pitcher not separating the hands from the plate, he is holding (carrying) the ball in both hands while moving away from the plate with the intension of landing out in front with the hands still together, or delaying the windmill action to maximize the arm speed and reduce the distance and time from the release point of the ball to the batter
There are several points on pitching actions
The speed of the pitch comes from four things.
1. The push off and momentum of the body through the air.
2. The speed the pitching arm moves through the circular motion.
3. The wrist snap/movement.
4. The land and re-push.
With the windmill action, (arm speed through the 360deg circle) the longer the pitcher can delay the windmill action and the closer to the batter he can time the release point, the faster the ball will arrive at the batter.
So if they stop the windmill action momentarily or hold the hands out stationary horizontality while moving through the air toward the batter, the closer to the batter they will be, if they then whip the arm through the 360deg the faster the pitch speed will be, therefore the less reaction time the batter will have
Umpires are reminded that, if after a few pitches they cannot decide if the pitcher is legal, they should stop concentrating directly on the pitcher and spend more time on the game itself, coaches and players are also requested to move on with the game
Remember the rule is written to allow the pitchers to pitch and umpires should not be looking to find illegal pitches, in the game we should only call them if we see them and have no doubt
