speed differences

[TeedOffDad]

My 11 y.o DD:
44-47 FB
32-34 CU (1-knuckle & circle)
Best feeling in the world swinging out of their shoes on a 3-2 count!

 

[humpty]

Yes it spins like a drop curve, about 5 to 10. They both throw a crop/drop curve and the release looks very similar so when they get it spinning hard it take a while for the batter to pick it up.

How would you describe the hand action thru release? And how do they grip it? Seems like a variation of the flip maybe DD needs to give it a try. With the side spin it would probably be more difficult to miss high compared to the flip.

 

[bucket pinata]

Without knowing the age of the pitcher or skill level I would have a hard time recommending a back door change. I'm assuming if the flip is coming in at 30 she will have a hard time getting it to the plate. The grip is You bury the ball in the palm of your hand. then come across your body like a curve but roll over and finish fingers pointing down allowing the ball to come out of the back of your hand. For pitchers learning their first change up I would stick with the flip or IMHO the horseshoe. I'm sure there is a video on the backdoor out there.

 

[softball88]

My daughter throws 56-58 at 14u...change is 44-48.

I watched an 18u pitcher last night throw 58-60 and throw her change at 40....she threw 6-7 strikes with the change but 3 of them went for hits..with a couple of foul balls. It was too slow to good hitters...gave them time to adjust.

 

[gvm]

i agree with bucket pinata ,it is a set up pitch...
it is great when you get a big swing and a miss...
but it makes your next pitch faster either way

 

[JAD]

12-15 MPH difference between the fast and change should be good for 14U and above. 10+ MPH for 12U and under. The key to a good change up is the pitcher "selling" the pitch to look like a fastball.

 

[wichita]

15 yo DD fastball 53-54 flip change 31-32

 

[FrozenRope]

DD throws a flip and she has the same problem...Flip is about 20MPH slower than her FB...I think it's too much of a change. Even though she doesn't telegraph it...she can never seem to get the low called strike, and she can't get a decent hitter to pull the trigger....they GO for it, but have the ability to hold up. That's why I think it's too slow. When she tries to put a little more juice on it..she hangs it without exception. I tried to have her throw a circle or horseshoe change, but she telegraphs it, or throws it darn near as hard as her FB/drop. I decided to try a knuckle ball of sorts. I started her with one knuckle, now we're working on 2. She throws this one about 10mph off her FB/Drop and you can't see it coming. Needs some work on the location, and it still slips out of her hand quite often, so I have her constantly messing with the grip and how she "Grabs" the seams.

 

[riseball]

Got to love the back door change. Looks like a regular pitch. Can't throw too fast. Does not float. Moves through 2 planes. Sometimes the best way to throw off speed is to do some things wrong.

 

[Fastpitch86]

From what I've read, a good speed difference in about 12mph between FB & CU. Anything slower gives the batters opportunity to reload or poke at the ball to put it in play.