Why you should use 3 speeds in pitching

[halskinner]

PGSA,

I had a very unique and effective way of teaching my students how to throw a change up. No special grip.

If you have my book, look up the chapter that is "The clothes line and blanket change up."

Read that chapter. Then, stand to the throwing side of her and a few feet out in front. Determine EXACTLY where her release point is after several pitches. Then pretend your glove is the blanket.

That is the most I can tell you here.

If the doctors can ever restore my lousy vision some day, that is one of the things that would be on a video I would make.

 

[JNew0872]

I think the response to this thread has been low not because no one cares about throwing 3 speeds or because they do not agree that pitchers should throw 3 speeds. I think it is because the answer is very elementary and is not worthy of debate: 3 speeds keeps the hitter off balance just a little more than 2 speeds. Does every pitcher have 3 speeds? No. Does a pitcher need 3 speeds? No. Does 2 speeds work? Yes. Does 3 speeds work? Yes. Watch college softball on TV. Some of the pitchers have 3 speeds: fast, off-speed, and change up. Some don't. Success both ways? Yes.

 

[CoachFP]

X pitcher, have you ever had to throw multiple games in a day? I have had to throw as many as 5. If I threw nothing but as fast as I could, I might have done well in the first three or 2 and 1/2

Its the full out everything but the kitchen sink fasty pitches that tire you out. That leads to injuries if you push it beyond that point. Using lots of off speed and slow change ups, you can pitch many games in a day. This is the same for men and young girls.



As I have said before, using more than 2 speeds, the hitter cannot be trained to deal with that. 2 speeds, yes. 3 speeds, no.

You need to goi out and watch these kids play.

Hal, here is where you are wrong. The changeups a pitcher throws should be just as taxing on the body as the fast pitches. Unless of course they are slowing up their body. Show me a pitcher that doesn't aggressively throw their changeup and I'll show you a poor changeup.

 

[halskinner]

Most coaches would say, at this point, you have a point there. I am not one of those.

At this point 'I' can only say, I guess it's all in how they are trained

Remember me? The oddball that thinks any change in a pitchers motion that delivers a ball speed that is not in sync with what the pitchers motions would seem to indicate, I consider all those a 'Change up'.

 

[X pitcher]

Give up..........

 

[X pitcher]

If I am mistaken on Ernies resume, then I am mistaken.

However, I will still pick Ernie over any college pitcher. He is extremely knowledgeable and HE KNOWS HOW TO TEACH WHAT HE KNOWS.

If CT was taught by DG, and he taught her his knowledge, from his experience, of pitching the top level of competition in his game, I would chose DG. EP never pitched so where is his knowledge coming from? Monkey see? I would pick CT over JT, but she wouldn't be my pick to teach my DD.
I asked Hal how to control 3 speeds for the same pitch and he says its the same way he teaches his change up. But he won't talk about that stuff on any forum. He likes EPs resume and he and EP teach the same 3 wind ups. Wow. My question to him was a waste of his time, but I doubt he could explain how to control 3 speeds, as strikes. A good change up doesn't have to be a strike.

 

[X pitcher]

Along the topic of Fernandez, at age 16, she was very much a beginning pitcher.

I'd call her a thrower, and not a very good learner. Same with Ricketts.

 

[halskinner]

I think the response to this thread has been low not because no one cares about throwing 3 speeds or because they do not agree that pitchers should throw 3 speeds. I think it is because the answer is very elementary and is not worthy of debate: 3 speeds keeps the hitter off balance just a little more than 2 speeds. Does every pitcher have 3 speeds? No. Does a pitcher need 3 speeds? No. Does 2 speeds work? Yes. Does 3 speeds work? Yes. Watch college softball on TV. Some of the pitchers have 3 speeds: fast, off-speed, and change up. Some don't. Success both ways? Yes.

Jnew,

you must also consider that most coaches and pitchers think 2 speeds is enough. That, I believe, is what makes using that 'Tactic' so effective. Because it is not expected / anticipated. You can train hitters to hit fast and slow, I have assisted hitting instructors in that effort.

However, if you have a pitcher that is very good at making all 3 speeds appear to be fast, all look the same, and you bounce back and forth between them, you cannot train a hitter to deal with that. I have gotten feedback and questions from some of the best hitting instructors in California on that very subject.

 

[T Red]

Hal,

What did you use as an off speed?

Thanks,
Tim

 

[halskinner]

With my catchers, pretty much anything my catcher called for I might throw at an off speed, that was my choice most of the time. They didnt mind me throwing off speed for something they expected fast. However, if they called for a slow change up, I could not give them something fast.

I would throw whatever they called at off speed most of the time. Most of the time a good choice, sometimes not so good. Whatever the call, inside.

My favorite might have been an off speed cutter thrown a little inside. That always backed em away.