Ever wondered how fast Olympic pitchers spin the ball on their different pitches?
If so, then check out some spin rotation numbers for 4-time Olympian Tanya Harding.For those of you with spin rotation/pitch movement devices, you’re probably accumulating a good amount of spin numbers for your different pitchers. To help you manage these numbers and use them more effectively, here are some suggestions:
- Record spins for each of your pitchers, and for every one of their different pitches.
- Use these numbers to help a pitcher see that she is making improvements on a pitch, even though she might not yet be seeing actual movement on the pitch. Remember – it first takes increased spins and spin speed before a pitch begins to move.
- Use spin numbers from elite level pitchers to help your pitchers have a spin goal to shoot for. Click here for a free chart showing spin rates for all levels of pitchers.
| Pitch | Average | Top |
| Fastball | 20.8 | 22.7 |
| Riseball | 25.2 | 27 |
| Dropball | 18.8 | 19.7 |
| Curveball | 25.1 | 25.8 |
| Change Up | 13.8 | 14.1 |
| Pitch | Tanya Avg. | College Avg. | Tanya Top | College Top |
| Fastball | 20.8 | 19.2 | 22.7 | 23.1 |
| Riseball | 25.2 | 21.7 | 27 | 26.6 |
| Dropball | 18.8 | 20.9 | 19.7 | 25.7 |
| Curveball | 25.1 | 21.2 | 25.8 | 26.6 |
| Change Up | 13.8 | no numbers | 14.1 | no numbers |
What made Tanya such a successful pitcher on the world-class level is that her average spin rates were so high, and that there wasn’t much of a difference between her Average and her Top spin rate. This means she was very consistent on her pitch movement which resulted in almost every one of her pitches having great movement and location – the signs of an elite pitcher!
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