Additional Pitches

[Haroldm814]

Hey everyone, first post (hopefully of many!) and let me begin by saying this forum is a treasure trove of information and I liked it enough to join!

Anyway, on to my question haha

I'm a 3rd baseman and catcher but I also play 1st and surprisingly a little ShortStop.

But since we play non competitive ball I'll pitch every now and then. Now, sad to say but I can only throw a fastball in the 60's and a 2-seam has no movement for me, so I decided to learn to throw some other pitches.

I have a pretty good knuckle-curve that breaks straight down or down and away (from righties) depending on how I flick my finger. I can also throw ( =O ) an eephus. Now I've practiced the eephus so I can drop it anywhere I want in the strike zone so I use it a fair amount.

Now being able to throw these 3 is great but I'd like to know how to throw some other pitches too. I'm not sure which pitches I should try to learn now though so I come to you for help!

Does anyone have some suggestions for pitches that are not too hard to throw and that I might have some success with?

Thanks in advance! =]

P.S. Please don't say change-up because it's useless to throw one when I throw 60 and already have an eephus, and I already do know how to throw that but never do.

[TG Coach]

I have a pretty good knuckle-curve that breaks straight down or down and away (from righties) depending on how I flick my finger.

How do you flick your finger to have an effect on a pitch? My son throws a KC. It's about grip. He throws it with the same release as a fastball. I don't see how you can flick a ball on release. I've never heard of this.

You don't need more pitches. You need two pitches you can throw with command (where you want them) that are at least 10 mph apart in speed.

[Chris O'Leary]

P.S. Please don't say change-up because it's useless to throw one when I throw 60 and already have an eephus, and I already do know how to throw that but never do.

You need to learn to throw a real change-up (e.g. circle change).

A change-up can be thrown perfectly effectively off of a 60 MPH fastball (or a whatever MPH fastball). The key to a good change-up is that...

- It comes in 10% (not 10 MPH) slower than your fastball. That way it's slow enough to screw up a hitter's timing but not so slow as to obviously be a change-up.

- You throw it EXACTLY like your fastball , except for the grip.

[Chris O'Leary]

How do you flick your finger to have an effect on a pitch? My son throws a KC. It's about grip. He throws it with the same release as a fastball. I don't see how you can flick a ball on release. I've never heard of this.

You have to grip it like this.

http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/images/pg_cb_knuckle.jpg

Then you can flick your index finger to get topspin.

[Haroldm814]

You have to grip it like this.

http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/images/pg_cb_knuckle.jpg

Then you can flick your index finger to get topspin.

Thats exactly how I hold mine. If I flick my finger it goes straight down and if I don't flick it breaks down and to the left.

Also i did mention that I know how to throw a change-up but I never do, it gets shelled everytime.

I really just want to learn how to throw more pitches for the fun of it. Like I said, non-competitive.

[Chris O'Leary]

Also i did mention that I know how to throw a change-up but I never do, it gets shelled everytime.

You're probably either tipping it somehow (e.g. throwing it too soft) or throwing it too hard.

Also, a circle change that moves down and in can be a lot of fun to throw. It's like a screwball. You achieve this movement by pronating, which in this case can be done by thinking about throwing the circle at the target.

[Haroldm814]

Eh maybe, I'll give it a shot tommorow in warm ups.

But like I said I really just want to learn for the fun of it and noones really made any sudgestions =\

I've been trying to learn a sinker, but I just don't know how to throw it =\

[TG Coach]

You have to grip it like this.

http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/images/pg_cb_knuckle.jpg

Then you can flick your index finger to get topspin.

I understand the grip. I taught my son. Flicking a finger is not going to effect a ball moving out of the pitcher's hand at the arm motion velocity used to hurl a ball to the plate. The KC is about grip. Besides, I asked the poster, not you.

[Chris O'Leary]

I understand the grip. I taught my son. Flicking a finger is not going to effect a ball moving out of the pitcher's hand at the arm motion velocity used to hurl a ball to the plate.

Yes it will.

It will entirely reverse, or at least negate, the spin of the ball.

[Xavier&Trin...]

chrisAlso, a circle change that moves down and in can be a lot of fun to throw. It's like a screwball. You achieve this movement by pronating, which in this case can be done by thinking about throwing the circle at the target.


Horrific advice. The change will run in due to keeping your hand on top of the ball, not by playing make believe screwball. I have thrown it, taught it, and studied film on it......Its not thrown with forced pronation.

[Xavier&Trin...]

Then you can flick your index finger to get topspin.

This is a joke-----right?

[Haroldm814]

Hey everyone, let's not turn this into an argument. All I know, is that when i throw my knucklecurve, if I flick my finger, it breaks straight down, if I don't, it breaks down and to the left.