Throwing a cutter - pitcures?

[ozzyman527]

Anyone know anywhere I can find a good picture on the cutter grip?

Something that shows views from all angles, see, I am trying to throw a cutter rather than a slider because of all the problems I read about throwing a slider before you are 21, but the problem is, the book I bought only teaches about a slider, so please someone help me.

Thanks in advance.

[Yankee Pride]

Well , I was just in the book store and I saw a few different books on pitching. If you have a barnes and noble or borders type bookstore , look in the sports/baseball section. I think one is written my Rich Montelleone , I Think Drysdale wrote one. But anyway , there are plenty of instructions and photos. I just dont want to discourage you , but dont expect to throw that pitch like the King Rivera. It is very difficult. So be patient. Good luck.

[hiddengem]

A cutter is a half slider. Nothing more, nothing less.

[hplant25]

Jeez there is some bad advive going on here. A cutter is a 2 seam fastball or 4 seam baseball with more pressure applied by the middle finger to move it right to left for a RH pitcher. It has fastball mechanics and fastball wrist-forearm relation to home plate. A slider is no harder on your arm than a curveball, wich if thrown properly will never hurt your arm. The problem i see today is that pitchers fall in love will the curve or slider and throw it to much or throw it wrong to begin with.

[CanadianKid]

Cutter is off-centered fastball grip. It's between slider and fastball, less break and more velocity than slider and more break less velocity than fastball.

[hplant25]

You "cut" the fastball with your middle finger to give it spin to one side or the other.

[PullFactor]

Where are you getting your information hplant? More importantly, why do your opinions change every ten seconds?

[Billybob622]

ok ive always put more pressure on the middle finger. But mine goes the opposite direction. (left to right). I use both four seam and two seam. Two seam really works good. But still left to right.

[hplant25]

Interesting. So your getting more of a Maddux tailing sinker rather than a Rivera cutter. Try moving the thumb twards the pinky, keep index and middle finger in the same place. Then let me know what you get.

[hplant25]

Are you left handed or right handed

[Ali_Alzaidi]

hold a basic 4-seam fastball only move your thumb to under your middle finger instead of between your index and middle. Throw it like a fastball, it should have natural break to it.

[Billybob622]

1. I am a righty pitcher
2. It has no drop/dive/sink
3. I hold my thumb more to the left side of the ball/under my index finger.
4. If i hold my thumb under my middle finger or between the two fingers, all it does is sink drastically, no cut at all.
5. Works with both 4-seam and 2-seam, although more break/cut with the 2-seam.

So basically, if i want it to dive i usually hold my thumb between my middle and index finger or under my middle finger, and for a cutter i put my thumb under my index finger/left side of the ball, it cuts alot, from left to right. It gets me a lot of strikes so i guess ill keep it.

Originally Posted by hplant25

Jeez there is some bad advive going on here. A cutter is a 2 seam fastball or 4 seam baseball with more pressure applied by the middle finger to move it right to left for a RH pitcher. It has fastball mechanics and fastball wrist-forearm relation to home plate. A slider is no harder on your arm than a curveball, wich if thrown properly will never hurt your arm. The problem i see today is that pitchers fall in love will the curve or slider and throw it to much or throw it wrong to begin with.

That is how I throw it, and teach it to be thrown, but there are other ways as well. I've helped players use different grips when for various reasons they couldn't get it to work for them in action or accuracy.

Whoops! The link I had didn't show the cutter. Removed.