Offspeed Drop Grips?

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Feb 10, 2018
496
93
NoVA
How does she throw her true change?
Same 4 seam grip as her drop. Hand is on the side of the ball rather than behind the ball at release. I’m sure he didn’t invent it, but this is the “Rick Pauly” change. If thrown well, ball drops and tails away. Can be hard for batter to tell the difference between her drop and the change, as the action looks similar.
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
My DD used the same grip. She said that she would slow her arm from about 8 to release. She would really focus on getting excellent down spin on the pitch. She would usually drop the speed down 5 mph or so.

The trick was to have the same arm speed as normal until 8. You can't slow it beginning at 9 because that gives it away.
 
Aug 21, 2008
2,359
113
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.
Where did I (or anyone else) say 20%? Or 10% or any %? Am I missing where you saw the % he's looking for?
 
Mar 17, 2022
4
3
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.
My daughter was taught the same mechanic for her drop change as described by Hillhouse, now she is 601 and has long fingers. IMO when thrown correctly it was almost un hit able, just like it dropped of a table. Not only was it hart to hit, catching it as not a lot of fun either.
 
Mar 20, 2015
174
28
Here is one way she can build on her existing change up. Use the horseshoe or pauly change up but instead of pushing the ball, release in a complete handshake position and tumble the ball out over the side of the middel finger. Helps to remove index finger from contact. The faster the arm moves it doesn't really pick up any speed just adds more down spin.
 

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