Required reading for . . . . .

Note that I'm not talking 12" at the plate, I'm talking 12" during the course of the pitch.

1) Pitcher releases ball.
2) As the ball travels the first 10 to 15 feet, I "see" a straight line to where I think I should put my glove to catch a fast ball.
3) Starting at 20-30 feet, the ball leaves the straight line path, with the curve angle increasing as it progresses
4) At 41.5' from the pitcher's plate, as the ball begins to cross the plate, it's probably already moved 8"-9" from the original projected path.
4) At 44', as the ball reaches the glove, the glove is 12"-14" from where I would have caught a fast ball.

A pitch with more velocity starts breaking closer to the plate, thus has less time to break and breaks less distance. One of these pitchers was probably 12-13 at the time and throwing in the 45-50 MPH range. The other's curves were probably not up to 55 MPH either.

 

From hand to glove is only 32 to 35 feet.

Everything about the ball begins slowing down the moment it leaves the hand. The speed, the spin, everything. Physics-wise, any change in motion(the curving) would begin immediately as all characteristics about the motion have begun to degrade. Air velocity over the surface that would "lift" the ball into the curve would be slowing, not increasing.

Until, someone can produce some high speed video that proves the contrary, I am of firm belief that much of what we perceive as late "breaking" is an optical trick on the mind. The mind expects motion to occur as in nature, ie, objects go in straight paths, objects follow trajectory curves, etc... but when the ball begins to curve, our mind doesnt believe it so it "straightens" the path out until the mind finally admits that the ball is curving and then it readjusts its perception into a "break" in the path.

The best batters have trained their minds, either naturally or through brute force of practice and times at bat, to see the ball in all its motion.

 

A few pitchers actually stride out of the circle. The release point is nearly always inside the circle. Given the prescribed 8' radius circle, and the 43' between the back tip of home plate to the pitcher's plate, I'd say 35' is the minimum distance from release to the glove.

You'll note the distances I gave as from the pitcher's plate, not release because release point varies.

Agree with most of what you said, but not all components of the pitch necessarily break down at the same rate. If the rotation rate drops at a rate less than the forward velocity, then the rate of horizontal change per forward distance traveled could increase. Since I do not have the figures, I am relying on how my brain intepreted what my eyes saw, which is only my perception.

We'll see if this pitch tracking ESPN puts up this weekend tells us anything, though I doubt it'll produce a viewpoint useful for this discussion.

 

I would love to see some high speed video of the pitches, both from directly overhead and from the side.

There is also the gyroscopic effect of the spinning ball which causes it to precess a certain direction with the forward motion. Maybe has more effect than any lift created on the ball's surface.

My DD usually hits the circle's line with her foot putting her release put pretty close to the circle.

 

Riseball

Scroll about half way thru this thread and you'll see a photo with analysis of an Osterman rise ball . . . . of course, like every else's it don't really rise

http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-pitching/83-does-riseball-really-rise-6.html#post3510