Chinese change-up - legal?

This just posted on the Georgia Fastpitch Message Board. Is it legal or not.



I had 3 umpires tell me this weekend that a chinese change up is legal. When my pitcher threw it last year I was told it is illegal. Help!! The pitcher is releasing the ball on the first pass of the hip going forward. The ump said the hand must pass the hip twice but the rule doesnt say when you have to release the ball. Huh??

 

A pitcher from Florence Darlington Tech threw it several times on us last weekend. No call about being illegal and we didn't ask as it wasn't effective. So, I'm assuming it's legal.

 

I've also heard called a quick pitch,flip pitch, a California change up , and Texas change up...My daughter threw it for years and to my understanding, its only illegal if you cross your hip after you release the pitch. Thus basically flipping the pitch without any arch to the ball...she never was called for it...but it did fire-up some coaches...lol!

 

Edit #1 was cool, Edit # 2 made sense but Edit #3 was classic.....folks will never believe this but I actually wrote it in Chinese. So after further review of my dialect and loss of words in a foreign language, what is this change up and what is the rule governing its release?

Thanks, Marlin

 

You have probably seen this before, I have heard it called a bunch of different names. When the pitcher starts forward with her pitching arm she releases the ball and then continues around with the rest of the motion with no ball. Looks strange, a girl tried that pitch against us a few years ago and the ball ended up in the parking lot, but just left of the foul pole. She did not try it again.

 

+1, specifically, the rule says: "The pitcher may not make another arm revolution after releasing the ball."

 

Haven't checked the book but I agree

And that is the part that makes the pitch illegal. Most won't throw it without doing this. I have seen a few but as someone else said it wasn't effective.

 

AGREE!

 

Forget this pitch

Haven't seen it since 14U. Never seen it thrown at the college level. Time is better spent learning a real change . . . . . something thrown off the pitcher's go-to pitch but about 7-10 mph slower.

 

good hitters will hit it....bad hitters wont. if you teach your hitters to see the ball then the trick pitches just make them laugh when they are jogging around the bases getting fist from the coaches.

the only rule i found in my ASA book is that the arm can not make more than 2 revolutions....i didnt see anything about what the arm can do after the ball is released.