Flip change speed

[FastpitchPros]

Pitchers can have more than one type of change-up (off-speed).

The goals are to keep the batters off-balance, thinking (get in their heads), hit your pitch POORLY and have the same pitching wind-up and "motion/speed" for EVERY SINGLE PITCH. (ie. Sell The Pitch)

With my PI experience, the best way to develop the same look/speed on every pitch in to use a sports video APP that allows you to split the screen. This takes time... rinse and repeat... review video... and so-on.

 

[Hillhouse]

We gave up the flip change a while ago. For us, she was just more accurate with the horseshoe. I too, would think it hard to get the flip change faster.

Sorry to pick on you drew but, I always chuckle at this. "I throw a horseshoe change". To which I say, Ok... that tells me how you hold it, it does NOT tell me how you take speed off it.

If her change up is too slow with the back flip, it means she's flipping it backwards too much. This is a double whammy anyway because the last thing you ever want is backspin on your change up so it floats!!! I always threw a modified backflip change, where I flipped my wrist back and came over the top at the same time. So the back of my hand would come over to my opposite shoulder. This made it look (to the naked eye) like my other pitches too. But, if my hand finishes too high... it likely went to slow and/or too high. Too fast means I came over the top too much and not enough of the back flip part. It's in my "Pitches" DVD where I demo it. I don't think there's any demo's of me doing it on YouTube but, I haven't looked there in a LONG time. I usually only get mad at YouTube for all the pirated stuff on there.. LOLOLOL.

Bill

 

[mmeece]

I'm not a fan of the "true" flip for the reasons Bill mentions. The girls I have seen be successful with what they call a flip usually don't throw a true flip. Most of them roll over it a little or pull up the side of it. Either usually allows it to be thrown a little faster and gives it some side spin so it doesn't float the way a flip can.

 

[Agbracing]

Sorry to pick on you drew but, I always chuckle at this. "I throw a horseshoe change". To which I say, Ok... that tells me how you hold it, it does NOT tell me how you take speed off it.

If her change up is too slow with the back flip, it means she's flipping it backwards too much. This is a double whammy anyway because the last thing you ever want is backspin on your change up so it floats!!! I always threw a modified backflip change, where I flipped my wrist back and came over the top at the same time. So the back of my hand would come over to my opposite shoulder. This made it look (to the naked eye) like my other pitches too. But, if my hand finishes too high... it likely went to slow and/or too high. Too fast means I came over the top too much and not enough of the back flip part. It's in my "Pitches" DVD where I demo it. I don't think there's any demo's of me doing it on YouTube but, I haven't looked there in a LONG time. I usually only get mad at YouTube for all the pirated stuff on there.. LOLOLOL.

Bill

I’m curious as to the spin you would create with this changeup. She use to have trouble with getting her hand all the way over for the flip change and she would almost release with her hand on the side of the ball and then coming over. It was a nasty pitch about 10mph off speed but the axis of spin was off and it would actually drop down and away from rhb. Her pitching coach at the time had her break it back down with the reasoning that with not having true 6-12 spin you could not locate it correctly on both sides of the plate. It seems most girls have trouble getting speed off the changeup and we have the opposite. Thanks for the reply.

 

[coachbubbles]

DD has thrown her change with many different grips over the past 5 years and has used a double knuckle for the past year. She has huge hands and long fingers for a 12yr old so grip has never been a problem. She likes the grip because it puts side spin (I call it UFO spin) on the ball vs backspin and allows her (RH) to run the ball down and away from a righty and in on a lefty. FB speed =55, changeup speed 42/43.

When she was younger the flip change worked ok but at 12A the speed differential is too much and the batters reload and put a mashing on it. She tried everyway in the world to get more speed on it including finger grip etc but the bottom line we observed was that the backspin is too much to overcome. I can see sneaking it in every once in a while but after the opponent sees how much speed differential exists they will set their dials on speed and make the adjustments and slam the ball opposite field.

IMO the change is a pitch that the pitcher will use different grips etc over their career and adjust/adapt as their speed changes and the competition changes until they settle on “the one”. 1000s of repetitions or whatever it takes to get them to throw it with confidence.

 

[uncdrew]

Sorry to pick on you drew but, I always chuckle at this. "I throw a horseshoe change". To which I say, Ok... that tells me how you hold it, it does NOT tell me how you take speed off it.

Not sure why you're chuckling. I was telling which pitch we throw, and was agreeing with the poster above me who I quoted. We weren't discussing how to take speed off of change-ups.

 

[sluggers]

With my PI experience, the best way to develop the same look/speed on every pitch in to use a sports video APP that allows you to split the screen. This takes time... rinse and repeat... review video... and so-on.

This is a great idea!

 

[BT3100]

All along I thought DD threw a flip. But today she told me it is a cat's paw. She learned from Rick Pauley.

 

[Hillhouse]

We gave up the flip change a while ago. For us, she was just more accurate with the horseshoe. I too, would think it hard to get the flip change faster.

Setting aside whether the "horseshoe" is better, more accurate, etc. Saying that you grip the ball like a horseshoe doesn't tell anything. That's the chuckle. Not at YOU exactly just at the phrase which I hear often. Don't take offense. Telling me how and where you grip the ball does not mention how the speed is taken off. USUALLY the "horseshoe" means the pitcher locks their wrist and acts as though they are simply dropping the ball on their toe at release. To which I'd say, fine... but why do you need to grip the "horseshoe" for that? One of the beauties of the flip (or modified as I throw mine) is the grip is completely irrelevant. The flip/turn take the speed off, not the grip.

I have no idea what the Rick Pauly "catpaw" is. But I did have a rabbits foot as a kid.

Bill

 

[uncdrew]

Our particular horseshoe change (taught by Tincher) is more of a push than a whip, while releasing the ball all at once. And a low finish through to the catcher.

I suppose other people use the same horseshoe grip with different mechanics.