Switch Pitching 101

The  Change Up  - Pitching Professor The most popular change-up today is the okay or circle change for the very reason that it gets good action on the ball when thrown low.  Pedro Martinez claims that his circle is his most effective pitch. ..................................................... Jamie Moyer demonstrates the changeup grip  Watch the video   >> Other than a fastball, I think the changeup is the best pitch in the game of baseball.  -- Jamie Moyer As taught to him by Quirk, Moyer holds the ball in an unusual fashion. With the open horseshoe of the ball facing toward first base, he lays his middle, ring and pinkie fingers on top of the ball. Moyer's thumb rests underneath the ball and his pointer finger wraps around the outside of the thumb. The loose grip pulls the rip cord on the pitch. He throws the change-up with fastball arm speed to deceive the batters. Read more:  Rockies' Jamie Moyer relies on changeup to foil...

"The Change-up is hand in hand the most important pitch equal to the fastball." - Fred Corral, College Pitching Coach This is a series of little drills you can utilize to master the change-up. Hopefully this clip will assist you with the understanding of why the ball is slower and to also give ideas to how to simplify that process.  The key to the change-up is simplicity and trust. Simplify it by throwing the back-inside, trust it by not overthinking it. The Change-up is hand in hand the most important pitch equal to the fastball. Hope this clip helps - Enjoy! - Fred Corral Fred Corral  - Associate Head Coach/Pitching Coach, Memphis Tigers ...

Amazingly, slow pitching works well against big hitters. Slow pitching worked great for Jamie Moyer in the big  leagues, so it can also work well in youth leagues. At a recent 13U tournament, the small guys locating slow pitches in the zone kept big hitters off balance and swinging early. The big power pitchers over threw, hitting the backstop or bouncing the ball in front of the plate. No pitchers dominated the game, but the slow pitchers forced pop ups and easy ground balls to get hitters out without much effort. Most hitters spend a lot of time practicing to hit the fast ball and don't spend much time working on hitting  slower pitches. In game situations, they slow down their swing trying to make contact with the slower pitch. Swinging a bat slowly will result in a weakly hit ground ball or popup for an easy out. Remember to locate pitches in the strike zone. Work in some off speed pitches including the change-up. Rely on your fielders to make the outs. Keep moving...

Forget about throwing the curveball when you are 9 years olds. Here are three pitches that a Little League pitcher can use to keep hitters off balance and mess up their timing. 1) 4-seam fastball 2) 2-seam fastball 3) changeup These pitches can be thrown with the same arm angle and speed. The key is to locate the pitches on the corners or low in the zone for strikes. 4-seam Fastball - The Heater Use the 4-seam fastball on most of your pitches. Throw the fastball on the inside or outside corner for strikes. If they start fouling it off, then switch to the two seam fastball. 2-seamer - The Sinker Hitters have trouble tracking the movement of a 2-seam fastball, especially when thrown by a lefty pitcher. The 2-seamer thrown toward the middle of the plate, by a lefty, can run low and away from a right handed hitter. The pitch will run to the outside of a left-handed hitter, when thrown by a right-handed pitcher. Cy Young award winner Félix Hernández throws a fast...

The changeup is thrown with the same arm angle and speed as a fastball, but using a looser three-finger grip instead of two. Players with small hands often use the claw grip, while players with larger hands can use a circle changeup.  According to pitcher Steven Ellis -  The key to an effective changeup is deception. A changeup must look like  a fastball , but come in slower and lower in the strike zone. A fastball is held tightly with the index and middle fingers. With the change up, you hold the ball lightly, keeping the wrist loose, and there is more contact with the ball to create friction.  Think fastball arm speed The arm speed of a changeup should be the same as a fastball. Young  pitchers tend to slow their arm motion down and good hitters will soon recognize the pitch as being off speed.  A good changeup looks like a fastball on release, but is 8-10 mph slower than the pitcher's fastball. The slower velocity of the ball causes a hitter...