When you compare the way pitches are thrown in softball and baseball, youll immediately notice that softball pitches are thrown in an underhand manner as opposed to baseballs overhand pitch.

In general, pitching in softball works that way. You throw the ball in an underhand fashion (often referred to as windmill) at the catcher whos behind the home plate. However, simply doing that just wont cut it if you are going to be a pitcher in a competitive softball game.

You want to have an arsenal of pitches that you can use in every game and with every batter. Thats how you become an effective pitcher.

So in this article, Ill show you some softball pitching tips and Ill be focusing on the most basic types of softball pitches out there. Read on and learn more.

Softball Pitching Types

The first one is the so-called fastball. This is probably the most common type of pitch used both in softball and baseball. As its name suggests, a fastball is thrown at high speeds. This type of pitch is good if you want to get the ball straight into the strike zone at a high velocity causing the batter to miss the ball.

Another one is the curve ball. Just like the fastball, this is also another type of pitch used in baseball. The curve ball is good if you want to send the ball in the outside zone and lead the batter to think that the ball is coming straight at her. This could cause the batter to commit a strike, although if the batter chooses not to hit it, it will result in a ball.

Then theres the change-up. This ones fantastic if you want to mislead the batter into thinking that youre throwing a fastball. When you throw a change-up, the ball eventually slows down as it reaches the batter which destroys the batters timing, causing her to miss the ball.

Making Your Pitching More Effective

Once youve got the different types of pitches nailed down, you must learn how to use it in a real world setting. You see, its not enough that you just know how to throw the different pitches. You must also learn when to throw a particular type of pitch.

Knowing the right type of pitch to throw comes with experience. The more you pitch during games, the easier it will be for you to decide.

But if youre just getting into pitching, heres a simple softball pitching tip you should remember: create variety in your pitches.

It may sound simple, but there are pitchers who rely solely on the type of pitch theyre comfortable with. Creating variety with your pitches keeps your opponents guessing about what youre going to throw at them next. And when they dont know how to react to your next throw, they diminish their chance in hitting your pitch.

So there you have it, some of the most basic softball pitching tips that you will ever come across. Use them if youre a beginner, although these tips will be great too for pitchers who want a refresher course on how to throw the ball more effectively.