Change Up basics

Change-up basics
Joe McFarland

Coaching Pitchers

The change-up, many say, is the best pitch in baseball. A good change-up can do a number of things. It makes the fastball appear to be faster, it is an excellent pitch to use when behind in the count or when the hitter is looking for a fastball, and depending on the kind of change-up, it can also be used as an out pitch. (Many changes break down or away from the hitter.)

There are also disadvantages to the change-up. When not kept down, the change-up has a better-than-average chance of being hit hard. And the change-up seems to be a pitch that can disappear completely if it is not used regularly; of course, the remedy to this is simply to spend more time on it between starts.

The three-quarter-speed fastball is still the best change...

Pitching a change-up originally meant to simply change speeds on your fastball. The three-quarter-speed fastball is still the best change if thrown correctly, but in the past few decades, many other change-ups have evolved. Ideally, a pitcher should take 12 to 15 miles per hour off his fastball for good results. That speed difference is enough to get the hitter off-balance and make him lunge at the ball. The result should be a baseball hit off the front foot with little authority. At speeds faster than this, the hitter will not be out as far on his front foot. At speeds slower than this, the hitter will have enough time to readjust his or her hands and hit the ball hard.

There are several grips for the change-up, and none of them any better than the others. You should try all of the grips, choose one, and then master it. The key to any change-up is for the pitcher to use the same motion as the fastball. The grip is what makes the baseball go slower, so the pitcher must concentrate on throwing the pitch, and not pushing or babying it.

The choke change-up

In the grip for the choke change, the ball moves back in the hand, closer to the palm. How close, depends on the size of the individual's hand and the speed of the change. Generally, the farther back in the hand, the slower the speed and the more difficult to control. The pressure points on the ball also change. Instead of being out on the fingertips, the pressure points now are on the first joints of the fingers and thumb. The fingertips are completely off the ball.

The wrist action also changes for the choke change. Instead of having the loose, floppy wrist of the fastball, the wrist must now be kept straight. (Imagine trying to touch the wrist to the ground instead of the fingers.) This movement affects the pitch two ways: (a) Because the wrist is locked, the ball goes slower, and (b) the locked wrist and pressure points on the first joint cause the ball to slip out of the hand with topspin, creating a pitch that breaks downward.

The advantages of the choke change-up are that this grip feels more comfortable than most because the pitcher is using the fastball grip, except pushing it back in his hand, and the choke change-up is also fairly easy to learn. The major disadvantage to the choke change-up is that the pitcher tends to throw it high when he's first learning it, and high change-ups usually get hit hard.

The OK change-up

The OK change-up is gaining popularity because, except for a strange grip, the pitch is thrown with fastball mechanics. The OK change is gripped with the two middle fingers instead of the first two fingers, as with the regular fastball. The index finger is laid along the outside of the ball, forming the letter 0 with the thumb. (Some pitchers prefer to put the index finger on the thumb nail.) The ball is also held off-center. The thumb and the middle finger are much closer than for the normal fastball. The thumb starts on the line bisecting the two middle fingers and then slides around toward the middle finger. The ball should be held out on the tips of the fingers and thumb to allow maximum movement.

The disadvantage of this pitch is that it is hard to master. Pitchers who choose the OK change-up will have to work on it in the bullpen as much as their curve ball.

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