What affects pitching?Weather,spin or rotation ,speed,momentum,inertia,all  play a role in the Art of Windmill Deliverance!I will go into detail about each,please remember ,I was self taught and found these out by being obsessed to learn and improve. When I was very young ,a well respected sportsman ,told me ,not to try and pitch,I had too short fingers ,naturally,so I would find it tough going. He recommended infield ,so ,I started playing second base,however,I always practiced pitching,now I was driven and challenged, I will come back as to how the short fingers really helped me!

• WEATHER: One of the most and severe effects on pitching is the conditions   naturally,wind,rain,humidity. All of these affect the rotation and  allowances have to be allowed. The higher the humidity the heavier the ball is ,all stuff put on the ball ,is dramatized to a certain degree. the dryer conditions produce a lighter ball and  a catcher can tell you .
• Umpires: one of the most important aspects of pitching----know your umps,their habits ,their strengths,their demeanor and their weakness;.I stole many a pitch by understanding the umpire,for example,one ump is weak on low balls ,then I would throw drops and low risers,some gave you high inside strikes, so,you use them ,and I mean ,use them a lot!!
• Rotation::The way the ball spins has the desired affect on the pitch,a drop ball comes from the ball rotating,top to bottom,cutting its own path in the air tunnel as it gathers speed! A rise ball would rotate bottom to top ,cutting the path to rise as it gathers momentum!Curve balls are the same ,spinning right to left results in an out curve ,spinning left to right is an in to batter curve,all these are related to me being a right hander! The other rotation is the---hip,yes the trunk and hip play a big part in creating your desired pitch. From a stand still position it all take place in a second and timing is as important as release time. The shoulder and arm play the sling whip part of the delivery,follow through and the bigger the forward step the better,also ,planting your forward foot hard has good results on the desired pitch.
• The change up pitch is a self inflicted slow down pitch,but,maintaining your same delivery as a fastball!!  I found two changes,a knuckle ball,and a far out of reach out curve.,away from the batter. Also I  learned ,when in doubt,throw low and out,taking away the power of the hitter
• Short Fingers:: I would use them to throw hard and fast drop ball,all four fingers would be on the seam,thumb in cocked marble flip position,then I would pull my arm up and flip the thumb ,giving the ball the absolute most down spin possible and I would have a sharp drop,often ,pitching it shoulder height and drop in for a strike,I enjoyed watching that take place myself.
• Practice::: always practice your best pitch,at least twice as much as the others,that is your go to pitch in trouble and that gives you the confidence to use it anytime!
• The difficult part of this game,is,understanding,the simplicity of it CJF©