Offspeed Drop Grips?

[Traps71]

My DD (16U) is trying to develop an offspeed drop to give herself a third speed. Drop (4 seam) is primary pitch and she has a change up (about a 12-13 mph differential from her drop). She has been trying to move her thumb closer to her pointer finger for the offspeed. So far, she hasn’t been able to find a grip/thumb position that consistently allows her to get, say, 6-7mph off and to feel confident throwing it. She has smaller hands and am wondering if anyone else has worked with different offspeed grips and found something that has worked?

Thanks.

 

[chinamigarden]

Had she tried her normal drop but with a heavier foot drag?

 

[ArmWhip]

I don't know if a grip change by itself will get you what you want but you could try the 'fatty' grip. It involves moving the thumb from it's normal opposing position to one where it almost touches the index finger, it sounds like you might be headed in that direction now. I would also think about trying to stiffen the wrist or about 'shoving' the ball which would mean getting on top of the ball earlier in the downswing and eliminating some of the IR action. Sometimes adding a curve ball will give you a pitch in between the fastball and change up.

 

[Ken B]

I slide the ring and pinky fingers around to where the middle finger would normally go on the seam. Then use a rollover feel using the ring and pinky to impart 4 seam spin.

 

[GunnerShotgun]

She has smaller hands and am wondering if anyone else has worked with different offspeed grips and found something that has worked?

Some practical advice...

I have found that many of my pitchers add or remove knuckles on the ball to vary their speed. Just play around with the number of knuckles that gives you the result you are looking for.

 

[Traps71]

Had she tried her normal drop but with a heavier foot drag?

No, she hasn’t tried that. As it is, she has a pretty heavy drag. She is on her toe/s and just about destroys her Ringor cleat on her drag foot after a season. Wish I’d just let her leap. LOL.

 

[Traps71]

I don't know if a grip change by itself will get you what you want but you could try the 'fatty' grip. It involves moving the thumb from it's normal opposing position to one where it almost touches the index finger, it sounds like you might be headed in that direction now. I would also think about trying to stiffen the wrist or about 'shoving' the ball which would mean getting on top of the ball earlier in the downswing and eliminating some of the IR action. Sometimes adding a curve ball will give you a pitch in between the fastball and change up.

Yes, we have been trying or getting closer to the “fatty grip”, but again she is not consistent/fully comfortable with it. I think if her hands/fingers were bigger it would be fine. Partly I think she is worried about the ball falling out of her hand with the thumb off or mostly off.

 

[Hillhouse]

More hand equals less speed, but you already said she has small hands. So I presume she has all the fingers on the ball. Palm too? If not, suck it back deeper into the palm. If she's already doing that, your only additional option for speed control (without slowing the body down too) is the tightness of the grip. Squeeze the ball. Be prepared, in all likelihood, this will mess up her release. Squeezing the ball will be akin to holding on longer, the pitches will go high. That's ok. The more she works at it, the more the control will reemerge. Adding knuckles to the ball is another way that pitchers add hand and squeeze the ball tighter, the reason I wouldn't advocate that is because adding knuckles usually makes the pitch easier to see (and pick) from the plate.

 

[El Oso]

More hand equals less speed, but you already said she has small hands. So I presume she has all the fingers on the ball. Palm too? If not, suck it back deeper into the palm. If she's already doing that, your only additional option for speed control (without slowing the body down too) is the tightness of the grip. Squeeze the ball. Be prepared, in all likelihood, this will mess up her release. Squeezing the ball will be akin to holding on longer, the pitches will go high. That's ok. The more she works at it, the more the control will reemerge. Adding knuckles to the ball is another way that pitchers add hand and squeeze the ball tighter, the reason I wouldn't advocate that is because adding knuckles usually makes the pitch easier to see (and pick) from the plate.

I don't understand how simply palming the ball is going to take off 20% of the speed of the pitch. Best I ever see it do is take about 5%-10% off which is not enough.

 

[Traps71]

I don't understand how simply palming the ball is going to take off 20% of the speed of the pitch. Best I ever see it do is take about 5%-10% off which is not enough.

About 10% is all I am looking for. She already has a true change up that is 20+% slower. We are trying to nest another speed between the change up and her drop ball.