Slowing down the Change Up

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
Funny, I am watching the Auburn v OK game right now and you can see Auburn's Makayla Martin slowing her arm down as she throws the changeup. Very obvious to me. Wonder if the Oklahoma hitters will pick up on it?

One of my good friends DD just signed her NLI to pitch for Auburn starting in 2018, and told me that Corey is changing all of the pitchers mechanics based on studies done by the Kinesiology(sp?) department at Auburn. Will be interesting to see how that works out for them going forward.
 
May 30, 2013
1,442
83
Binghamton, NY
Wonder if the Oklahoma hitters will pick up on it?

well, the answer might be: "maybe?"
In the final few innings she did give up a few hits on the Change Up (announcers were calling it "offspeed"...).
But she was pulled before OK could do any significant damage. Carlson did a good job of closing the game out, and holding a 1-run lead.
 

Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL
well, the answer might be: "maybe?"
In the final few innings she did give up a few hits on the Change Up (announcers were calling it "offspeed"...).
But she was pulled before OK could do any significant damage. Carlson did a good job of closing the game out, and holding a 1-run lead.

Agree. And kudos to the OK freshman who pinch hit with two runners on and score them both. That's a pretty big at bat for your first official (non-fall ball) trip to the plate. Nice ground ball right up the middle.
 

Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL
One of my good friends DD just signed her NLI to pitch for Auburn starting in 2018, and told me that Corey is changing all of the pitchers mechanics based on studies done by the Kinesiology(sp?) department at Auburn. Will be interesting to see how that works out for them going forward.

Yes, it will be interesting to see where their mechanics end up, and how they align with what we here believe at DFP. I suspect they will be similar if not the same, but you never know.
 
Nov 15, 2016
26
0
My dd throws a peel drop which for some weird reson she struggles with

She throws a roll over drop and for some reason the Q of roll over works.

The drop and her CROP are similar and sometimes her drop change has to much speed. Basically both pitches have the same action. What makes a pitch a change up...Meaning if its the same action as the roll over then what slows the ball down to make it a drop change...Getting the ball turned earlier is what I have been thinking??? In other words knuckles forward sooner than the CROP or drop change...The drop change is an instant snap or roll over...However the ball is long gone by the time the hand rolls over per say...How do you teach the finish?? On the change we try to finish to the oppo shoulder because it almost tricks her into releasing it earlier...The drop we try to finish to the thigh. Any input would be appreciated as a I struggle to grasp the difference between the slow change/drop and the hard drop. They seem the same to me, only getting the knuckles forward sooner seems to take speed off the ball.

Thanks
 
Apr 12, 2015
792
93
Any input would be appreciated as a I struggle to grasp the difference between the slow change/drop and the hard drop. They seem the same to me, only getting the knuckles forward sooner seems to take speed off the ball.

Thanks

The difference is a hard drop is an actual drop ball (if thrown correctly). In other words, it is thrown with enough spin and velocity that the seams of the ball actually grip the air and cause the ball to move. A change that drops is a ball that simply runs out of gas before getting to the plate. Gravity does all the work in this case. In the case of a hard drop, gravity enhanced by a magnus effect do the work.
 
Jan 8, 2013
334
18
South Carolina
I bought the change up video on rick pauleys site. Well worth the $5. Highly recommend. Pauleygirlfastpitch.com

Agree completely, DD throws a backhand change with the ball rolling out of the side of her hand. She recently learned Pauly's change at one of his clinics and it comes in a few MPH faster than her other CU. So she basically has 2 she can utilize to change speeds. He has good stuff for sure.
 
Nov 15, 2016
26
0
The difference is a hard drop is an actual drop ball (if thrown correctly). In other words, it is thrown with enough spin and velocity that the seams of the ball actually grip the air and cause the ball to move. A change that drops is a ball that simply runs out of gas before getting to the plate. Gravity does all the work in this case. In the case of a hard drop, gravity enhanced by a magnus effect do the work.

I'm not asking what it does. We all know what it does. I m asking the difference in the way its thrown.
 
Sep 29, 2008
1,401
63
Northeast Ohio
My dd throws a peel drop which for some weird reson she struggles with

She throws a roll over drop and for some reason the Q of roll over works.

The drop and her CROP are similar and sometimes her drop change has to much speed. Basically both pitches have the same action. What makes a pitch a change up...Meaning if its the same action as the roll over then what slows the ball down to make it a drop change...Getting the ball turned earlier is what I have been thinking??? In other words knuckles forward sooner than the CROP or drop change...The drop change is an instant snap or roll over...However the ball is long gone by the time the hand rolls over per say...How do you teach the finish?? On the change we try to finish to the oppo shoulder because it almost tricks her into releasing it earlier...The drop we try to finish to the thigh. Any input would be appreciated as a I struggle to grasp the difference between the slow change/drop and the hard drop. They seem the same to me, only getting the knuckles forward sooner seems to take speed off the ball.

Thanks

Here's a thought. I explain this to kids to help them understand and it's pretty successful. I help a 10 year old throwing a great change for a strike probably 60-70% of the time.

I explain-"your two strong fingers, your pointer and middle add velocity to the ball when they push it at release. If they brush around the side of the ball instead of behind the ball you can do everything else the same in your motion and get the speed reduction you are looking for". If you can't get the feel just knuckle those two fingers so they are out of the way and you will get a good result as well. That may also get you the off speed CROP.
 
Feb 17, 2014
551
28
The thing that seemed to help my DD the most with a change up is paralyzing the fingers. This is one of the main things that Rick Pauly teaches. Once DD started doing that, we saw a big difference with her change up.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,474
Members
21,443
Latest member
sstop28
Top