The changeup is an off speed pitch that is usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arrives slower to the plate. Its reduced speed coupled with its deceptive delivery is meant to confuse the batter’s timing. It is thrown the same as a fastball, but farther back in the hand, which makes its release from the hand slower but still retaining the look of a fastball. In today’s video blog post, we are breaking down the Change Up Pitch and demonstrating some great drill ideas that you can use to get your young players more comfortable with this deceptive pitch.
Breaking Down the Change Up Pitch
The grip for the change up is just like the fast ball. Grip the ball on the seam and spread the pointer finger and pinky finger out a little bit more than usual, with the thumb on the bottom.
The mechanics are to come around like a fast ball, and as your hand gets to the back, you are going to sink the thumb down, bend the elbow a little bit to where you are getting the back of the hand brushing against the hip, and then snap around and down into your thigh, almost like a drop curve.
You also want to include a drag of the foot — as you throw your foot will drag to the side and the right hip is going to come through to follow. If you find the change up pitch hanging high, that is because you need to come around on the body tighter, which will bring the ball’s trajectory down to drop more.
This is a great pitch because it is thrown hard,and it is hidden very well because it drops and curves at the same time.
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