Developing a changeup

General Pitching Topics
#1

i havent been throwing my changeup much at all… ever during practice/toss
never have…

havent really needed it due to being able to blow it by hitters… but now as my competition gets better some can get around on my fastball and can wait on a curve… as of right now i use my splitty as my changeup but i want to develop a real changeup so i can save my split as a K pitch

how do u release a changeup? off what fingers do u throw it? how much pronation is necessary? grips?

any help would be great

#2

straight change

no pronation necessary
throw it off the middle finger
throw it like a fastball
fastball grip with the ring finger added

circle

pronate & preset
release of the middle and ring fingers
there are various grips
make the fastball grip with the middle and ring
make a circle with the tip of the index and knuckle of the thumb

middle and thumb always cut the ball in half no matter what change
dont change your mechanics

#3

I wish I had a digital camera OffSet, so I can show you how I toss mines. My changeup takes about 10-15 mph off of the fastball and it breaks right and drop about 6-12 inches (I’m a lefty). Actually, I’m developing another changeup grip. What I throw is the classic circle change. Both grips are the same. On my original changeup I hold it like a normal circle change. I also grip the ball with the joint of my ring and middle finger. I throw it like a normal fastball, but use my joints as a type of hinge. This seems to have the change up rotate a little differently than other folk’s changeup. Using the joints indirectly to spin the ball causes it to break in such a weird way, while keeping the fastball mechanics. I’m still learning more about fingr pressure, so I really can’t say how the otherone works. Try the first example instead. It’s a very fun pitch to throw and get people out with.

So here’s the list…
Circle Change

  1. Release as if it’s a fast ball. Same arm action and everything. Use your joints to create rotation (kinda like with a 4 seem fastball).
  2. Grip with 1st joints of middle and ring finger. Throw off both fingers simultaneously. Try experiementing with using either the middle or ring finger once you get a solid feel with the simultanious delivery.
  3. Meh, pronation. That should naturally occur. Don’t delve deep in it with this pitch.
  4. I’m looking for a digital camera to purchase soon, so stay tuned.
#4

If your like me (Hard thrower who always has guys late and hitting the ball oppo) then a traditional changeup without exceptional movement (Which I never had) is just a barrel finder that lets mediocre hitters pull the ball. Thats why I’ve been developing a split change instead. I hold it as a four seam fastball, split my fingers and have my pointer finger to left of the horseshoe riding the seam. This discuises it well enough to serve as a change for a primarily four seam fastball pitcher. It takes significant velocity away from my FB armspeed and dives maybe 8-12 inches depending on how well I throw it, which means that even if I do speed a guys bat up with the offspeed, the movement can still save my @ss.

Give it a try if you are interested, its a hard pitch to gain a feel for and can be near impossible to bury at first, but it will all pay off when you get that D1 prospect lefty to come out of his shoes swinging 2-0.

#5

Hi Offset,

I think Jay Ayres has given you some pretty good instructions on the changeup in the post. If by chance you are looking for something more, check out this article I wrote on it:
Changeup
http://www.baseballtrainingtechniques.com/Baseball-Pitching/Change-up.html

Best,
Jack Elliott
Baseball Training Tips
http://www.baseballtrainingtechniques.com

#6

why would you throw a change up to a mediocre hitter. a hitter must earn the right to see a change up. if he can’t catch up with the fastball that is all he sees, especially inside.

if yyou do throw these guys a change up, throw it out of the zone and see if they’ll chase.

another thing to consider is throwing the change up in and purposely wanting them to hit it hard foul. this goes against conventional wisdom but maddux does it (quite well)

#7

[quote=“dusty delso”]why would you throw a change up to a mediocre hitter. a hitter must earn the right to see a change up. if he can’t catch up with the fastball that is all he sees, especially inside.

if yyou do throw these guys a change up, throw it out of the zone and see if they’ll chase.

another thing to consider is throwing the change up in and purposely wanting them to hit it hard foul. this goes against conventional wisdom but maddux does it (quite well)[/quote]
Yeah, lots of guys chase the change cause they think its something they can hit hard, looks like a beachball and they look foolish.

#8

[quote=“dusty delso”]why would you throw a change up to a mediocre hitter. a hitter must earn the right to see a change up. if he can’t catch up with the fastball that is all he sees, especially inside.

if yyou do throw these guys a change up, throw it out of the zone and see if they’ll chase.

another thing to consider is throwing the change up in and purposely wanting them to hit it hard foul. this goes against conventional wisdom but maddux does it (quite well)[/quote]
im playing AA next year so i thought i would start to develop my changeup with these hitters since theyre poor hitters

#9

AA pro-ball?

#10

i wish

im 16 so id be playing AA rep ball

#11

tried a few grips today but all of them were always way up and away to my PAS

fixes?

#12

[quote=“Jay Ayers”]I wish I had a digital camera OffSet, so I can show you how I toss mines. My changeup takes about 10-15 mph off of the fastball and it breaks right and drop about 6-12 inches (I’m a lefty). Actually, I’m developing another changeup grip. What I throw is the classic circle change. Both grips are the same. On my original changeup I hold it like a normal circle change. I also grip the ball with the joint of my ring and middle finger. I throw it like a normal fastball, but use my joints as a type of hinge. This seems to have the change up rotate a little differently than other folk’s changeup. Using the joints indirectly to spin the ball causes it to break in such a weird way, while keeping the fastball mechanics. I’m still learning more about fingr pressure, so I really can’t say how the otherone works. Try the first example instead. It’s a very fun pitch to throw and get people out with.

So here’s the list…
Circle Change

  1. Release as if it’s a fast ball. Same arm action and everything. Use your joints to create rotation (kinda like with a 4 seem fastball).
  2. Grip with 1st joints of middle and ring finger. Throw off both fingers simultaneously. Try experiementing with using either the middle or ring finger once you get a solid feel with the simultanious delivery.
  3. Meh, pronation. That should naturally occur. Don’t delve deep in it with this pitch.
  4. I’m looking for a digital camera to purchase soon, so stay tuned.[/quote]

I too would like to see a picture of this grip, and maybe even some videos of the difference between your fastball and your change, as it sounds absolutely nasty. I’m also a lefty and this type of changeup would be extremely useful :smiley:

#13

I may have mentioned this elsewhere—but my pitching coach of many moons ago told me once that just about any pitch I threw could be turned into a changeup. It’s a matter of altering the grip—either loosening it or tightening it (but don’t grip the ball so hard that it would squirt out of your hand when you release it). You might have some fun experimenting with this idea. :slight_smile: