Softball is a competitive game played at a high level by professionals and elite amateurs and also a recreational game played by friends, family members and co-workers at picnics and other social events. There are several different styles of pitching, depending on the type of game that is played.
Windmill Delivery
The windmill style is the primary motion used by pitchers who play competitive fastpitch softball. With the windmill style, the pitcher makes a complete circle with her arm and brings it around to thigh level before releasing the ball to home plate. The windmill style gives pitchers a chance to put maximum power behind their pitches and get full velocity on the fastball. The windmill style requires a large step toward the plate in order to remain on balance in what is a challenging delivery to master.
Modified Delivery
Many pitchers use a modified delivery before they learn to throw the windmill pitch. There are also leagues that do not allow the windmill style because it is so dominant and effective. If the league wants to see more offense in the game, it often restricts pitchers to use the modified delivery. With this style, the pitcher may bring the ball back to shoulder height before coming forward. Additionally, she may only step forward when she delivers the pitch. There is no backward rocker step to gain momentum when strict modified pitching rules are used. Pitchers feature fastballs, risers, drops, curves and changeups with both the windmill and modified delivery, but the speed is significantly less with the modified delivery because the pitcher does not build the velocity in her arm that she does with the windmill.
High-Arc Delivery
In slow-pitch softball leagues, pitchers use the high-arc delivery in an attempt to get batters out. The best-slow pitch pitchers are not trying to throw strikes in a traditional manner. Instead, they are merely trying to drop a softball onto a mat located behind the plate. If the ball is thrown with an arc between 6 and 12 feet and drops on the mat, the umpire will call the pitch a strike even if it did not cross the plate between the batter's knees and shoulders. A well-placed high-arc delivery will usually offer the hitter just a limited area of when and where the ball can be struck with authority.
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