how should changeup cross the plate

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May 6, 2015
2,397
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DD is catcher, and is getting frustrated. Coach is telling the pitchers he wants there changeup hitting the plate, giving her real issues blocking.

is this the desired location for a changeup, hitting the plate? drop ball I would say yes, and she expects it, but changeup I always though should follow as close to fastball trajectory/path as possible, just slower speed.
 
Feb 3, 2010
5,752
113
Pac NW
The trajectory should start on the same path as the last pitch thrown or on the next anticipated pitch. Where it ultimately locates will vary depending on that and how much slower her change is. Not really a right answer here. I do tell catchers they need to be ready to block if they call for one in the dirt.
 
May 6, 2015
2,397
113
she is not calling for it in the dirt, she is (at coaches direction) calling for change, setting up normal target, but HC keeps telling all the Ps he wants it to hit the plate. just trying to get read on if this is normal.
 
Nov 18, 2013
2,255
113
Hitting the plate as in bouncing on it? No, coach is wrong if that's what he's telling the pitchers. That's where you get those high arcing change ups that hitters can spot a mile away.

Ideally no pitch should ever cross the plate, at least not entirely.
 

SB45

Dad, Coach, Chauffeur
Sep 2, 2016
150
28
Western NY
what's the spin like on the changeups? my DD usually has drop spin on her changeup and if it looks like it is anywhere around the knees...it'll end up in the dirt. Gravity and the slower speed will make it drop a lot regardless...spin will make it drop even more. (my guess is the pitchers that spin the ball more are catching her off guard) the hardest part of blocking is recognizing early enough that the ball is headed for the dirt. I would suggest she try to expect it before the pitch even happens (like she is with a drop)...know which pitches...which locations...and which pitchers are likely to require her to block. I'm sure with some more repetition she'll be fine.
 
Dec 5, 2012
4,143
63
Mid West
I want my change ups to be approx 2/3 the speed of her hot pitches, spinning as much as possible, and on a low corner (or just below the knees). I never want a ball thrown with the intentions of bouncing in, forcing my catcher to drop and block... not sure why the coach likes these??? Is he/she just a big fan of passed balls? lol
 
Jan 5, 2018
385
63
PNW
The trajectory should start on the same path as the last pitch thrown or on the next anticipated pitch. Where it ultimately locates will vary depending on that and how much slower her change is. Not really a right answer here. I do tell catchers they need to be ready to block if they call for one in the dirt.

^^^this^^^

I'll just add that a CU that hits the dirt IMHO is more preferable then one left hanging belt high. I don't agree with the OP's coach that the CU should "hit the plate" however I do believe the catchers should be expecting that to happen. Same as with a drop ball. If the catcher knows the pitch that's called they should be able to anticipate what the result will be and be prepared for it. We had this issue with 2 of our catchers. When they understood what was happening and what to expect they were better prepared. One commented "Hey this is much easier when you know what the ball is going to do". All the coaches did a forehead slap. For our catchers it didn't click right away (not calling out your DD bmakj) despite coaching them on what to expect. Our number of passed balls decreased dramatically as well :)
 
Mar 4, 2016
66
6
I agree with Coach James, sounds like HC likes seeing passed balls ;). I tell my DD to try to make it land right in between the plate and the catcher but do not let the ball go higher than the hitters neck. With these 2 queues she doesn't have an arch and the ball dies right as it gets to the batter. Out catcher has no problems catching it or if it does bounce first its generally right in front of her so she can cover it quite easily. Once DD was able to hit this spot consistently without the pitch going higher than an average batters neck height, we focused on her spin. Her change up is her best pitch and can throw it anywhere in the count. Very effective pitch when you can sale it to an eager batter.
 
May 17, 2012
2,804
113
The change-up should be thrown on the "U" that goes through the strike zone.

In other words if you are going to throw an inside change (or outside change) it needs to be thrown on the black part of home plate. If you are throwing the change over the plate it needs to finish at the knees.

This should make sense to anyone that has pitched before. Don't hang the change-up over the plate unless it is at the knees or lower. The most effective pitch is that change-up away that can be thrown for a strike. Mix in some fastballs away and I can get a lot of batters out with those two pitches.

At no point is the change-up hitting the plate (unless it was a bad pitch that got away).
 

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