The Basics on How to Throw the Change Up
Out of all the pitches, I throw, the change-up is the second to best pitch I throw, with the cure ball being my first best pitch as mentioned in my second blog post. My change-up used to be one of my worst pitches but as I have practiced more and more its become one of my best pitches. Everyone should have a change-up. A change-up is used to get the batters off-balance, especially if thrown hard. It is a slower pitch than any of the rest of your pitches. It is called the ¨change¨ up because it changes speeds.
There are three commonly known change-ups. There is circle change, flip change, and the knuckleball.
The Circle Change
The circle changeup is one of the best effective change-ups thrown. It is slow and has good movement on the ball. The circle change is also called a push change because you push the ball out of your hand instead of flipping the ball out.The change-up has a screwball-type movement to it, which means it breaks into a right-handed batter and away from a left-handed batter.
When you throw this pitch you want to position your wrist and forearm inwards. You want your arm speed the same as the fastball, this way they cant tell if you are throwing your change-up. Place your fingers like you would a fastball with your thumb and middle finger. Then you will need to make a circle with your thumb and index finger. When you let the ball go you want to release it as if you are shaking hands with someone. You will want to keep your wrist firm and not snap.
Flip Change
A flip change spins with a 4- seam rotation spinning backward but as the ball is moving forward still. When you release the ball, the back of your hand turns to face the catcher and then you flip it out of your hand.
This is the type of change-up I throw. For me, it was the easiest to throw. I grip my change up with a four-seam grip and flip the ball out of my hand. I release the ball by my front hip. The ball has a little drop to it and it is slow, so it throws the batters off balance. You want to catch them out on their front hip so they hit a slow grounder or swing and miss.
Knuckle Ball
I have tried to throw a knuckleball and I just can not do it. The knuckleball sort of floats through the hair with some spin on it but not much.
The first thing you do is grip the seams of the softball really hard with your fingertips. Do not let your palm touch the ball, keep it separated from the ball. The way you grip this change allows for there to be less spin on the ball.
The second thing to do is lean your body weight forward. How you do this is by stepping forward on your front leg, which is your landing leg. When you release the ball release it at your hip. Make sure you squeeze your fingers together as you release the ball.
Thanks for reading! Follow to learn more about softball! Click here to read my earliest post about curveballs!
the softball life today 