when to learn to throw a change up?

[riseball]

I would not learn a change up if defined as a totally different and often unnatural pitch. Instead learn to throw existing pitches at various speeds. You will in essence be throwing what amounts to a change up, but more effectively and without the drama and fanfare of a gimmick pitch.

 

[Top_Notch]

I agree about needing to be able to throw the fastball about 60% of the time with accuracy first. There are multiple change ups, so try them all but pick the one that works best for your daughter. The flip change is hard to master. Also, as the girls age up it may give too much time for the batter to react. Most of the pitchers I've seen start learning the change around 10U and start using it in 12U. In rec, she'll be fine learning it and start using it in 12U.

 

[CoachJD]

I would not learn a change up if defined as a totally different and often unnatural pitch. Instead learn to throw existing pitches at various speeds. You will in essence be throwing what amounts to a change up, but more effectively and without the drama and fanfare of a gimmick pitch.

I agree with this, but what's the best way to "take a little off" the fastball without changing anything major (no flip change, not altering stride, etc)? Is it grip? Finger pressure?

 

[Ken B]

I agree with this, but what's the best way to "take a little off" the fastball without changing anything major (no flip change, not altering stride, etc)? Is it grip? Finger pressure?

A few ideas:
-Change the last finger touching at release to the pinky/ring fingers
-Grip the ball deep in the palm
-Grip a little tighter
-Grip with an emphasis on the lower pads of the fingers instead of the finger tips

 

[Legendsmom]

My dd throws a circle change and it is probably her best pitch. She has made batters look silly trying to hit it. She started young learning a changeup with a flip but never had good control over it. Switched to the circle this past year. She’s now developed an offspeed by tucking a finger. I think you just have to experiment to find what works best.


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[sluggers]

It takes as long to learn to throw a good changeup as it does a fastball...so start now.

 

[CoachJD]

At many levels (presumably not at high levels, but very few are pitching at those levels when they're just learning the fastball anyway), the changeup probably doesn't even have to be that good to be effective. You throw one somewhat accurate change in the first inning and the team is going to be thinking about it for the whole game. So it makes sense to me to learn it as soon as the pitcher has the basics down.

 

[BT3100]

When to learn to throw a change up?
When your tired of watching any kid with a decent swing hit your DD's fast ball.

 

[Elk Grove Hurricane]

DD learned her change when she started taking lessons with her current coach about two years ago. She throws a flip change and, despite being told by her former coach that the flip is easy to see, I have seen no evidence to support that belief. I recommend learning it early, it will make a fastball look much better. This may just be my DD, but throwing nothing but fastballs bored her, she is a much better pitcher when she gets to mix her pitches. Her command is 10 times better than when a coach just has her thrown fastballs.

 

[mmeece]

I know this is the opposite of what many people will tell you, but I believe if her mechanics are solid (not perfect, but consistently good) she should be working on a minimum of 3 pitches at a time. That doesn't mean they'll all be game ready at the same time, but the sooner she begins working on the release and spin of each pitch, the sooner she will either master them or realize that she may need to move on to a different pitch or grip at that time. Most girls will have one or two pitches that they just naturally have a good feel for, one or two that take a long time to get a feel for, and at least one that they just never get a feel for. Experiment with grips/spins early and see what works for her. I also believe it can really keep them engaged and eliminate boredom when they are almost always working on at least one "new" thing. I understand the 60% strikes idea, but if a kid is struggling to get to that point it can get very boring and discouraging to feel like you aren't making any progress on anything.