Why you should use 3 speeds in pitching

[T Red]

Ok, thanks.

A follow up question. How do you take a little speed off? Palm the ball? Not use your wrist as much? I assume you try to keep the arm speed up to fool the batter.

 

[halskinner]

Hal, when a catcher call the game, the catcher uses a "waggle" to indicate an off speed, correct?

I always had my catchers use that sign for a slow change up. Of all the signs they can give with their fingers that was the ONE sign I could never misread and mistake 3 fingers for 2 or vice versa.

Another thing you can do with signs is (gonna say 2 fingers is a curve ball) flash 2 fingers for a fast curve, flash 2 fingers VERY SLOWLY for an off speed curve. The coach will have a migraine doing all that.

 

[T Red]

A follow up question. How do you take a little speed off? Palm the ball? Not use your wrist as much? I assume you try to keep the arm speed up to fool the batter.

Must be in the book?....

 

[halskinner]

Chapter 22, "The Clothesline and Blanket Change Up". That tells EXACTLY how I stumbled onto that method of teaching myself a slow change up and how to pitch off speed. I taught it in the classroom exactly like it describes in the book, except, I dont use a blanket

The arm speed is the same for any speed the ball is delivered at.

 

[halskinner]

"It took me 17 years to get 3,000 hits on the ball field but just one day on the golf course"

Hank Aaron