Tobias JunkerTo make it difficult to hit the ball with a batter, pitchers use a wide variety of different innings. According to the methods, pitches are divided into main groups:
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fastballs – the most common direct serve, the meaning of which is the high speed of the ball;
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break balls – the ball goes along a curved path to introduce the batter into error;
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changeups – the opposite of fastball – a slow direct feed, which washed away the complexity of choosing the moment to strike.
Today I’ll talk about the changeup and discuss tips on how to make this serve as successful as possible.
Changeup should go after the abandoned fastball. Despite the fact that the speed of the hand remains, as with fastball, the ball flies slower at 8-12 miles per hour, it is somewhere 13-20 km /h. In order to figure the speed of the throw, you can use one of the best radar guns that we have reviewed earlier.
The whole effect is achieved by capturing the ball, and everything else is done as when throwing a fastball. The butterfly pecks at the speed of the hand, especially if the pitcher has a decent fastball.
The higher the speed of a fastball, the more effective the action of a changeup.
The changeup is completely dependent on the fastball. Basically, it is thrown in the center of the house, without any tricks with zones to make the bat wave. Therefore, if the speed of this throw is very low, the batter will have time to regroup and “slam” the ball over the fence. The grip of the ball is different, but almost always, it is a grip with three fingers. Here are three typical options:
- the circle changeup;
- the star changeup;
- the vulcan changeup.
You need to throw very hard and try to give the same rotation to the ball as a fastball. The development of this throw takes time. Pitchers need to use changeups in the spreads until they feel comfortable.
Technique Improvement
1. Throw the twisted changeup.
The twisted changeup technique is the same as the three-finger changeup, with the exception of capture. For this capture, you need to put the ball in the palm of your hand and hold it with your little, ring, and middle fingers. The index finger and thumb should touch each other, or almost touch, forming a circle. In some versions of this capture, a circle forms on the ball, thereby supporting it. In others, a circle is formed on the side of the ball, so that only three extreme fingers hold it.
2. Turn the ball over.
This is a great way to add more movement to your pitch. You just need to rotate the feed wrist during the throw. That is, you need to rotate the wrist as if you were “boycotting” the catcher.
3. Train a long throw.
If you want to improve your changeup, practice throwing changeups over long distances, for example, further than 27 meters. You can switch between direct innings and changeups every ten throws. This will help you get used to changing the type of feed.
4. Shorten your step a little.
This is a great way to slow down your changeup. Just reduce your step by just a few centimeters when transferring weight to the hind leg. In other words, you should reduce the standard leg movement in preparation for serving. When throwing a changeup, the back foot should be lower than with direct feed.
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