How to Throw a Change-Up
No pitcher's arsenal is complete without a change-up. A change-up may resemble a fastball but slows down as it approaches the hitter, making a true fastball look faster than it really is.
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Instructions
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Three-Fingered Change-Up
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1
Hold the ball against your palm with your index, middle and ring fingers spread across the seams at the widest point. These fingers are on top of the ball while the pinkie and thumb are placed underneath.
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2
Rest the ball on the palm of your hand and link the tips of the thumb and pinkie together.
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3
Keep your wrist stiff and exert equal pressure on the ball with all 5 fingers.
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4
Keep the grip hidden in your glove. Try not to show any indication to the hitter which pitch he or she is about to see.
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5
Go into your windup. Remember to pivot and shift your body weight from the back foot forward toward home plate.
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6
As you release the pitch, bring the ball straight down, as if you were scratching a blackboard. The ball should start out fast and hit the brakes as it drops down on the hitter.
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7
Follow through. Your feet should parallel each other at the end of the pitch, and the throwing arm should come across the front of your body.
Circle Change-Up
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8
Grip the ball the same way as explained for the three-fingered change-up, but join the index finger and thumb together in a circle on the side of the ball. The index finger's nail should be tucked within the lower joint of the thumb.
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9
Make sure the pinkie is not touching the thumb and that the circle formation between the index finger and thumb is comfortable.
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10
Wind up, pivot, release and follow through.
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Tips & Warnings
Some pitchers push the ball out of the hand as if they're throwing a knuckleball. This creates little additional velocity on the change-up, however.
Throw the change-up down the middle of the plate and the ball should veer off when in flight. An effective change-up tails away from left-handed hitters.
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Comments
View all 73 Comments-
bedardliz1128
Jun 10, 2008
The essential element to a change(or a circle change) is fooling the hitter by making it look just like your fastball. So, it helps to make your chance-up a variation of your dominant fastball. For me personally, i throw my 2-seam with a lot of tail on it(probably because I'm left-handed)so I never really see the need to throw a 4-seam. Therefore, what you do is simply place your index, middle, and ring finger exactly where you grip your 2-seam fastball. This fools the hitters because it looks like your fastball, but comes in at 8-15 mph slower. You can do the same with a 4-seam change-up. The only way I see a circle change making a considerable amount of difference in movement is when you throw side-arm.
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bedardliz1128
Jun 10, 2008
The essential element to a change(or a circle change) is fooling the hitter by making it look just like your fastball. So, it helps to make your chance-up a variation of your dominant fastball. For me personally, i throw my 2-seam with a lot of tail on it(probably because I'm left-handed)so I never really see the need to throw a 4-seam. Therefore, what you do is simply place your index, middle, and ring finger exactly where you grip your 2-seam fastball. This fools the hitters because it looks like your fastball, but comes in at 8-15 mph slower. You can do the same with a 4-seam change-up. The only way I see a circle change making a considerable amount of difference in movement is when you throw side-arm.
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bedardliz1128
Jun 10, 2008
i feel that a circle change (or any change for that matter) should be a slower version of your dominating fastball. I personally am a 2-seam fastball guy, so all i do is push my fingers together and put the ring finger there as well, holding it just like a 2-seamer. Same if you are a 4-seam type pitcher. This really fools the batters. And I really don't think that a circle change gives the ball any more movement than a regular change does, unless you throw side-arm.
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bedardliz1128
Jun 10, 2008
i feel that a circle change (or any change for that matter) should be a slower version of your dominating fastball. I personally am a 2-seam fastball guy, so all i do is push my fingers together and put the ring finger there as well, holding it just like a 2-seamer. Same if you are a 4-seam type pitcher. This really fools the batters. And I really don't think that a circle change gives the ball any more movement than a regular change does, unless you throw side-arm.
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cnut1016
Jan 16, 2007
What kind of spin are you supposed to put on a circle change? Would some topspin help the ball to sink more, or is it something else that makes the pitch drop?
