Change up

[NVfishing]

What's your favorite changeup to teach young girls? Is it best to stick to a flip change from an early age or would you teach the horse shoe or circle change first?

When you start teaching younger girls do the girls lose speed on their fastball?

 

[Carly]

I always start with the horseshoe because the greatest number of my students have had success with that one, but ultimately it's something that should be customized to each pitcher. After a certain amount of time I can usually tell if a particular change-up has any potential with a given pitcher, and if not I switch.

When teaching the change-up for the first time, it's important to emphasize that it works two ways: yes you can strike someone out fooling them with a change, but you can also throw it mid count and then your next fastball will look faster. If you focus on following up the change with a really good fastball every time, the pitcher shouldn't lose fastball speed.

 

[texas4life]

Well with my niece we have tried a few different grips. She started pitching at 10 and is now head on 13 and we have just recently found that the palm is actually more effective against batters. the change in speed is awesome but it had no effect on her wind up so it has become a great pitch for her. So I would say that every girl is different so trying out different grips is the only way to figure out which one will work best.

On the speed part she started to lose a little speed but I showed her older girls pitching and explained how the pitched was to work so she could understand and know why she was not to lose speed on her fastball. It worked in her younger age.

 

[JAD]

Regardless of the grip used, the key to a good change up is the pitcher keeping her arm speed up to sell it like a fastball. A good change up only needs to be @ 10 MPH slower than a fastball to be effective, but a lot of pitchers (my DD included on occasion), want to slow down their motion.

 

[knightsb]

The changup has been the hardest pitch for DD (13yo) to throw consistently. I agree with an earlier post that you may have to experiment to find one that works best for your DD. We have tried the flip, horseshoe, palm/push, and double knuckle, all but the flip, DD throws too fast. One good thing that has come out of the experiment is the speed on the double knuckle is about right in the middle of the speed of her fastball and flip changeup, which makes for a good offspeed pitch. When DD commits to the flip (backhanded change), and by commit I mean throws it with the same intensity as her fast ball it is a really good pitch. Our problem is she tends to slow everything down for the flip change and it either hits the ground or sails high. It is a work in progress.

 

[Momo'sDad]

Since your DD is only 8 or 9 if I recall correctly, there is really nothing to 'sell' at that age. Lots of young pitchers will slow down their arm circles during the course of learning how to achieve success with this pitch and that's fine. Acquiring a new pitch is a process and it's going to be different for each pitcher. Some will get it quickly and be able to completely disguise it, while others will take longer and will be telegraphing it for months.

There are multiple methods available. Comfort level is key and it could change over time.

 

[hillbily75]

The changup has been the hardest pitch for DD (13yo) to throw consistently. I agree with an earlier post that you may have to experiment to find one that works best for your DD. We have tried the flip, horseshoe, palm/push, and double knuckle, all but the flip, DD throws too fast. One good thing that has come out of the experiment is the speed on the double knuckle is about right in the middle of the speed of her fastball and flip changeup, which makes for a good offspeed pitch. When DD commits to the flip (backhanded change), and by commit I mean throws it with the same intensity as her fast ball it is a really good pitch. Our problem is she tends to slow everything down for the flip change and it either hits the ground or sails high. It is a work in progress.

Make her drive it out with her legs instead of throwing it with her arm and wrist...... her fingers should never point to the sky but to the catcher at release. if she drives it out with her legs it will be nasty.... I always tell my 10u dd to throw it faster than her fastball.. which is impossable but it works..

 

[BradB41]

My DD prefers the method taught by Bob Todd in the Maven Changeup video. It's kind of like a cross between a flip and a dropball. I think there are clips online.

 

[NVfishing]

My daughter seems to be a fairly quick study. I just went with the flip change. She threw some good ones and she threw some high ones, short ones, but she did manage to throw a bunch in the strike zone. She followed up with good fastballs after each change. She is a young 8yr old.

I am going to look at the Bob Todd videos.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I use the flip change, but I show them all of the others. The one where the thumb turns towards the body and the little finger is toward the catcher, is pretty neat. Does anyone know the name of that?

Anyway, if you don't have about 20 softballs or so, so to a Play It Again Sports and get any used balls that they have. Put the clothes basket up against the garage door and start practicing your change up fairly close to the close basket. Try to drop the ball in there. Then, back up, little by little. Girls can do this by themselves.