Pitch grips thread

[MarkB]

Ask about pitch grips, or show, with pictures, what pitch grips you use.

Please remember that if you are under 18 years of age, attempting to throw certain pitches, such as sliders and curveballs, may do some very serious and irreversible damage to your arm. Your arm hasn't grown and developed the necessary muscles and tendons to be able to throw these pitches without doing serious damage. If you can, consult your coach or trainer before attempting to throw any new pitch that you haven't tried. If you don't have anyone to contact, don't try to throw them.

Here are some images to get you all started.

4 seam fastball

2 seam fastball

Splitter(Split-fingered fastball)

Curveball

Slider

Knuckle curveball

Change-up

Circle change-up

I'll add more as I find them. I'll also try to take some pictures later with my digital camera.

[Pirate]

I can throw a curve now that is wicked sharp, but I am eratic. One will buckle your knees the next will fly over the backstop.

[nittanylionfan3]

I can't wait till I get older, it's not that much fun just having a fastball and a changeup. I really don't feel like destroying my arm, yet.

[nutts55]

speaking as a HS and legion coach, who has talked with many d-1 coaches about the stress, the curveball can be thrown so many different ways. Some that create more torque than others. Mazzoni Teaches a great curve ball that does not tend to put as much pressure on it. He has a great Book out on pitching. The splitter is one of the pitches that create more torque because of the fingers being spread tightens the tendion. With all this said the most important thing any pitcher can do is take care of their arm. Icing every night after throwing and than some kind of throwing program. With my pitchers we implamented long toss after a days pitching.

Also Dluxe, If you have a good change up and can spot it. It is by far the best pitch in baseball. Throw it 2-0 or 3-1 and watch that hitter pop it up in the infield. On last thing no matter what the pitch the most important pitch is STRIKE 1. I believe the stat is somewhere around .150-.200 point difference in averages on an 1-0 to 0-1 count

[nittanylionfan3]

I don't have a very good change, but I have a good hard fastball. I haven't measured its velocity, but its pretty good.

[nutts55]

Radke made a career out of a change. While your playing catch. throw your change. Always have a purpose. Work on throwing it like a football, where your wrist rotates the other way. Always throw at a spot.never just throw.

[Expos4Ever]

A question for nutts55, I can only throw a curve side-arm(not even a good curve)and that's not my usual pitching delivery. The problem with me is that I don't have a GOOD pitch, I have a bunch of mediocre one(slow fastball, splitter, a little better circle change) so I need every pitch I can throw. But again, I can only throw a fastball sidearmed to go with my sidearm curve. Do I give up on the curve and focus more on those pitches with my normal delivery.

[Schrades]

I dunno if I can help anyone here, but I pitch in college, and I don't throw hard so this is for those of you who like me weren't blessed with the physical requirements to dominate. I throw about average speed, mainly cause of good mechanics, but I'm only 5' 10" 165. Ever since little league I still go by my dad's influence,

1. Throw strikes

2. Mix your pitches

3. Be a pitcher

I play a lot of mind games out there little things like shake off a bunch or dig my arm in my glove looking like I am loading up a change-up but still come with the heat. I also throw a lot of pitches, I have a 2 and 4 seam fastball, a change-up (which is my best pitch and should be everyone's best pitch if used propersly) a curve, a screwball, and I occasionaly drop down submarine style with a fastball.

Just be a pitcher use location and don't be predictable, keep the ball down and hit your spots.

P.S. I sometimes get people looking really silly on my change by making them think I'm throwing heat with a face like this :twisted: before the pitch, only to drop a 60 mph floater in there.

Pitching is mental, always be the coolest head on the field.

[janne1720]

Wow Schrades, when did you pick up the screwball? I understand that it can be taxing on your arm, unless you are built a cetain way anatomically. I also understand there a a few different versions that mirror a curve or a slider. What movement does yours have on it?

[mooseknucks]

I'm a basic pitcher; I throw a 4-seam, across the table slider and a sinking changeup. Most sinkers are fast with a hard dive, mine is borderline eephus but drops 12 to 6. My slider cuts hard across, since I'm a righty, it fades left very hard at the end. Even my 85 MPH 4-seam slices down and away. I call it a 4-seam cause it's my fastest, but it's almost like a 2-seam/hard curve. I can break 90 on the rader with a regular motion-less 4-seam, but it usually winds up WAY above the catcher and umpire.

[Schrades]

janne; well the screwball can be taxing, but I picked it up the same why I picked up my submarine pitch. Saw it on TV, went into my driveway when I was younger and threw it seemingly a million times until I could control it. I only throw it when the wind is either blowing from RF to LF, out to LF, or straight out. The wind against the spin can make it nasty, like with all pitches. It basically has a cut down and to the the right. More like a mirrored cutter. I hold mine going with the 2 seams and push it off the outside of my middle finger while turning my wrist to the left. (I'm right handed by the way.

[KenDammit]

A question for nutts55, I can only throw a curve side-arm(not even a good curve)and that's not my usual pitching delivery. The problem with me is that I don't have a GOOD pitch, I have a bunch of mediocre one(slow fastball, splitter, a little better circle change) so I need every pitch I can throw. But again, I can only throw a fastball sidearmed to go with my sidearm curve. Do I give up on the curve and focus more on those pitches with my normal delivery.

If I were you, I'd drop all the pitches besides the fastball and change-up and work on perfecting those while still practicing the others with your usual delivery during off-time and practice. The most important part of pitching, way way way beyond anything you can throw, or how hard you throw, is locating your pitches. After that comes working the count. You have to understand the game of pitching, and you can accomplish it all with just a decent fastball and a good change-up, at least until you hit the college level. Most guys make the mistake of just trying to throw hard, thinking thats how the big leaguers do it, but every pitch needs to have a purpose. It needs to be thrown low and away, or in tight and a bit up, or down and in, off the plate outside, etc..etc.. I would tell you to really work on mechanics, leg strengthening exercises, and locating pitches. Grab someone you can always get with and work as much as you can, but don't overthrow and hurt your arm.

[northpaw]

Ask about pitch grips, or show, with pictures, what pitch grips you use.

Please remember that if you are under 18 years of age, attempting to throw certain pitches, such as sliders and curveballs, may do some very serious and irreversible damage to your arm. Your arm hasn't grown and developed the necessary muscles and tendons to be able to throw these pitches without doing serious damage. If you can, consult your coach or trainer before attempting to throw any new pitch that you haven't tried. If you don't have anyone to contact, don't try to throw them.

As a pitcher who has taken pitching lessons from both Tom House (pitching coach to Nolan Ryan, Mark Prior, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, and many more) and Ron Wolforth,for 9 years, probably the most influential pitching coach in the world(program has been adopted by 18 mlb clubs as well as dozens of d-1 schools, several countries including Italy and China, and the MLB international program)I can assure you that throwing different pitches at a young age causes no harm to the arm...if u throw it correctly. Problem is you can seriously hurt your arm if you throw it incorrectly. All a different pitch is a change in hand posistion but for some reason kids (and adults) try to throw curveballs and such by rotating the wrist. This is absolutely wrong and kills the arm. The proper way to throw a curveball is to grip the ball with two fingers together like teh diagram and throw exactly like a fastball except throw it with your hand in a karate chop posistion. Same goes for all pitches and there different angles. Ive been taking lessons since i was 8 from Ron Wolforth and have been throwing curves and others ever since than and to this day ive never had a sore arm. And yes I DO throw hard. Im 17 and throw 85 from the mound.

And in case your wondering Ron has his 5 year old son throwing curveballs...and theyre damn good.

[MarkB]

That's fine, pretty much what I meant. The problem is that most people don't have that kind of coaching and won't throw it correctly because they don't know how, leading to arm injuries. There is no-one to tell them the correct way to do it, so they throw the way that looks best, yet might cause damage to the arm.

[northpaw]

its cuz people are idiots...hahaha

[Kccitystar]

janne; well the screwball can be taxing, but I picked it up the same why I picked up my submarine pitch. Saw it on TV, went into my driveway when I was younger and threw it seemingly a million times until I could control it. I only throw it when the wind is either blowing from RF to LF, out to LF, or straight out. The wind against the spin can make it nasty, like with all pitches. It basically has a cut down and to the the right. More like a mirrored cutter. I hold mine going with the 2 seams and push it off the outside of my middle finger while turning my wrist to the left. (I'm right handed by the way.

Strange, I throw it the same way, it tails out like crazy

[Expos4Ever]

If I were you, I'd drop all the pitches besides the fastball and change-up and work on perfecting those while still practicing the others with your usual delivery during off-time and practice. The most important part of pitching, way way way beyond anything you can throw, or how hard you throw, is locating your pitches. After that comes working the count. You have to understand the game of pitching, and you can accomplish it all with just a decent fastball and a good change-up, at least until you hit the college level. Most guys make the mistake of just trying to throw hard, thinking thats how the big leaguers do it, but every pitch needs to have a purpose. It needs to be thrown low and away, or in tight and a bit up, or down and in, off the plate outside, etc..etc.. I would tell you to really work on mechanics, leg strengthening exercises, and locating pitches. Grab someone you can always get with and work as much as you can, but don't overthrow and hurt your arm.

Thanks, now I just need to start working on my fastball that often hit a guy or the screen.

[KenDammit]

a drill I did as a kid with my dad helped me with control. He would stand 45ft. away (little league distance, I was 9 at the time) and he would move his glove to different positions..6 sectors where I had to throw the ball. Bottom right, bottom left, right, left, top right, top left. If I didn't hit the spot, I had to keep throwing at it until I did. After a while, we'd introduce a batter to get more of a game feel..just have someone stand there in a batters position and try to throw to the same spots.

[JP_Frost]

This question doesn't really concern pitching, but it's still something I'd like to ask.

I'm 20 and have been playing basketball for 5 years and before that I've played field hockey ( it's big in holland ). I haven't played sports for about 2 years now, but I really wanna get started again and since I've fallen in love with baseball over the past year/year and a half, I was thinking of starting to play baseball.

However, like I said I haven't had much of a work out and I'm 20 already. Do you guys think it's still worth it to start playing a new sport or should I just stick to basketball? I'm fairly athletic and quick ( well I used to be ) and I'm pretty good at learning ballsports.

So what do you guys think?

[nittanylionfan3]

I guess if you really like baseball you could try to pick it up, but I really don't know because I've been playing for two years and I'm only 14. BTW are you really good at basketball.

[JP_Frost]

I was pretty good yeah. I'm only 5'11'', so I had to use my quickness an outside shot. I was actually pretty good in the post and a solid defender. I didn't really play my size, cuz I was never much of a ballhandler.

Our team was pretty good, we finished 2nd of Holland in the age category between 16-18 ( lost the damn finals, 3 guys fouled out so we got outplayed with just a 6 man roster :x )

[MarlinsFan]

Really good topic, am 16, and practice on pitching, I usually throw 4-seam, 2-seam, change, splitter(I try to throw the forkball but not so good of control at throwing it), and a curveball(2 types the grip like the one showed here and the other one more of a yo-yo type release, slower but Curves more). Trying to learn a slider just it don't break that good.

From time to time I just joke around and throw a sidearm type slider/curve(slow if I do it fast it can hurt the arm), has like a 1 to 8 trajectory, and it is a slow pitch and hard to control.

Way I throw it is sidearm and then rotate my arm as if I were doing a backhand catch then release it. So it will seem like it's coming to hit the batter and then it breaks down and left and ends up in the strikezone.

[northpaw]

yo-yo? hey with ur splitter make sure you dont push it back in between your fingers but also not to far out and make sure your thumb is on it to help break it left or right...

Another quick statement from my coach(see credentials on previous page) sidearm isnt bad for your arm if your head is level and your not leaning, its purely style. However side arm is incredibly easy to hit (no downward movement) and if you only do it on a breaking ball its just like telling them wats coming.

As for holland guy, i dont know bout holland but in the states theres recreational leagues for like ages 18-40.

[40nidesrever]

well, i throw a curveball by griopping the ball as normal,and throwing it like a football.great movement. i made my friend fall down with it.

[janne1720]

People aren't idiots, many just do what they can to improve their game, be it learning ptiches, adjusting batting stances/approach etc. This is healthy but can be taken to the extreme. Instead of learning the right way to do something, they improvise and end up doing serious damage before they know it. The added pressure of becoming the next whoever pushes kids to an unhealthy level.