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Any application of the techniques, ideas, and suggestions in this document is at the reader's sole discretion and risk. © Knowledge Spot Inc - visit http://www.coachkennybuford.com for more coaching resources 3 Contents The 4 Seam Fastball .................................................................................................................... 5 The 2 Seam Fastball (With the Seam) ......................................................................................... 7 The 2 Seam Fastball (Across the Seam) ...................................................................................... 8 The Change-up ............................................................................................................................ 9 12-6 Curveball ........................................................................................................................... 12 Slurve ........................................................................................................................................ 14 Cutter(Cut Fastball) ................................................................................................................... 15 Splitter (Split Finger Fastball) .................................................................................................... 16 Knuckle Fastball ........................................................................................................................ 17 Developmental Drills ................................................................................................................. 18 Double Ball Drill ........................................................................................................................ 18 Softball Drill .............................................................................................................................. 19 Uphill Drill ................................................................................................................................. 20 © Knowledge Spot Inc - visit http://www.coachkennybuford.com for more coaching resources 4 Pitching Grips 101 Welcome to Ultimate Pitching Grips! In this report, we are going to look at how to grip and throw a number of popular, effective pitches, everywhere from the four seam fastball to the slurve. The number one thing to remember when throwing any of these pitches, is that the goal is to start the hitters bat. A lot of pitchers are scared of making contact with the bat, when in reality, 63% of fairly batted balls result in an out in the majors! If we get the batter to start the bat, we eliminate the chance of a ball, and have the opportunity to get a strike from a missed swing or a foul ball. It’s also a good idea for every pitcher to start off trying to develop the classic fastball, changeup and breaking ball repertoire. While we cover quite a few different kinds of breaking ball in this guide, trying to add more than one to a pitcher’s repertoire, especially at a younger age, is a very bad idea. This is because a pitcher needs to be throwing a pitch at least 15% of the time in a game to develop and maintain command, and there aren’t enough pitches in a game to work two breaking balls. What usually ends up happening is a pitcher takes two into the game, and only one ends up working. And if a pitcher can’t develop any breaking ball pitches to have some real bite and power to it, then the pitcher might have to use a breaking ball as another contrast pitch like the changeup – you have to work with the ability of the pitcher. When it comes to mechanics, all pitches should be the same up until you reach the power position (Figure 1.1). From there all that will change is the angle at which the arm comes forward and the grip of the ball. Make sure your pitchers aren’t trying to make spin happen – trust the grip and the arm action, and the ball will take care of the rest. Every pitcher is going to have days with where they’ll be average, good or exceptional. One great way to help maintain confidence over a long baseball season, is that when a pitcher has a day where they’re exceptional with the fastball, curveball, or anything else in their repertoire,. right after the game, tell them to get a ball, get the grip that they had that day, take a marking pen, and outline their grip on the ball, put the date and the type of pitch on it and put it in their locker. Because over a long season, there are going to be times when they lose the feel for certain pitches, and when they can come back and take that ball that where they had they had that exceptional day, they’ll have a flashback and remember that they’ve done it before, and that they can do it again. Now let's get started! © Knowledge Spot Inc - visit http://www.coachkennybuford.com for more coaching resources 5 The 4 Seam Fastball Breakdown: The 4 seam fastball is your basic fastball, and the first pitch you would typically teach a young 4 Seam Fastball pitcher. It’s also the most important pitch in almost every pitcher’s repertoire, and it’s vital that a young pitcher learns to throw it high, low, inside and outside. It’s called the 4 seam fastball because it is held across the wide seams, meaning all four seams will be rotating towards the plate. Grip: With his index and middle fingers running across the wide seams, the pitcher can point the horseshoe of the ball either inside or outside – it doesn’t make a difference, and is purely up to pitcher preference. It does make a difference however how far apart the fingers are and how deep the ball is. We want the fingers fairly close together – whether that’s touching or just a slight spread is again up to pitcher preference. However we want to make sure the fingers aren’t spread too far apart, as this will put unnecessary tension on the forearm, slowing down our arm speed. We also want to make sure this, or any other fastball for that matter, is thrown out in the hand. Choking up on the ball will increase resistance, thus decreasing spin, and therefore velocity. The thumb underneath the ball should be placed underneath the index and middle fingers, with most players preferring to rest the side of the thumb against the seam. The pitcher does have some flexibility here with his thumb placement. Tucking the thumb in, closer to the rest of the hand will decrease resistance on the ball, while pushing the thumb farther out will increase the amount of movement. © Knowledge Spot Inc - visit http://www.coachkennybuford.com for more coaching resources 6 Advantages: The greatest value of the 4 seam fastball is the increased velocity. It’s also a fairly easy pitch to throw accurately, as there is very little movement, meaning the pitcher won’t have to adjust and allow for the movement of the pitch. Disadvantages: The lack of movement can make it easier