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With the change, the most important thing is to have the same
aggressive motion, with a slower velocity pitch. You have to sell
the pitch, because a deviation in the motion will tip off the batter
to a change in what normally happens. A good reference is around
10 mph slower. There are many ways to throw the change with many
more grips than are worth showing.
Remember two things:
- The more fingers you have on the ball, the better control you
will have.
- The more fingers you have on the ball, the less snap you will
have.
I like to teach the change that has all of the fingers on the
seam of the ball, with the thumb in opposition, on a seam, for
control. The are only two things left to do:
- Turn the hand (only) so the fingers are off to the side, or
in front of the ball.
- Open the fingers at the release so the hand is accelerated
away from the ball.
- Open the hand, finger tips first.
- Throw the change as hard if not harder than a regular pitch.
SELL IT.
Problems arise from the pitcher:
- Not turning the hand, leaving the fingers behind the
ball, pushing it out.
- And not letting go, with the whipping action pulling the ball
through, instead of accelerating the hand away from the ball.
I like to
teach the change that has all of the fingers on the seam
of the ball, with the thumb in opposition, on a seam, for
control. This seams to be the easiest way to teach the
majority in a clinic situations. After they mature in their
pitching I will show them other grips to keep them entertained.
And it gives them something to play with. |
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Of corse if they cannot reach
the seams, as they would with a 4 seam drop, have them
hold the ball how a smaller hand holds the drop.
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Another way to grip the ball is called
the circle change. The advantage of this grip is it gets
the most coordinated finger (the index finger) out of the
action. Pitchers adopt this grip usually because they can't
get the ball to slow down. You end up driving the ball
on the little finger side diminishing the force behind
the ball. (Refer to problems 1 & 2).
A disadvantage is that the less fingers you use, the
less control you will have. |
 Held like the circle rise.
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Another very popular grip (shown to me
by one of my students, Kim (Smith) Anthony UNLV, and now
teaching pitchers in Las Vegas) is the knuckle change. Not
to be confused with the knuckle ball, this grip will deliver
a slower ball because the driving fingers are tucked so the
fingernails are flat against a flat surface of the ball.
When thrown, the knuckles slide over the top of the ball
without applying leverage. The beauty of this pitch
is that with a combination of slowness, and the down in the
front rotation .the ball has, it will drop right off of the
table. (A little pitching lingo there). A variation of this
pitch happens when the pitcher holds on too tight with the
thumb and other grip fingers, which will force a curve rotation.
Not a bad pitch itself, however control (away from the bat)
is a premium. |
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Another way to hold the change is deep in
the palm of the hand. You release the ball with the fingers
remaining behind the ball, however the heel of the hand
is what drives the ball away from the circle.
At the release, you get your fingers off of the ball,
then force your wrist back toward the rear of the circle,
pushing the ball out with the heel of the hand. |
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Other articles
I have written on the change up.
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