how do i teach my son a changeup pitch?

Question

he has small fingers,he throws the ball hard he needs a changeup to keep them guessing,what is the right grip and how do you throw it,also what are some drills that would help him as a baseball player

Answer 1

I would work more on fundamentals with him. How old is he??? I read once that trying to teach young pitchers changeups, curves, etc while their bodies are still developing can cause possible arm damage. I would work on basic fundamentals and mental aspects of the game (how to tell when a runner will attempt a steal and how to steal bases).

Answer 2

Why risk your son's arm teaching him a changeup? Teach him the easiest pitch for his arm, the knuckleball. When he is done growing, he can add the good changeup , until then a knuckleball is better than a changeup, very easy on his arm. If you must teach him the change, at his age the easiest for his arm would be to explain how to release the ball. Most pitches require a firm grip, at the release point of his throwing motion, have him open his hand as if he was stretching his fingers from a fist to wide open. It is all in the letting go off the ball at the right moment to throw a strike with no slowing of the arm. It is all in the release and it takes alot of practice to find the strike zone. Change is useless if not thrown for a strike. For every pitch you have him throw in practice, have him go over the mechanics of the release 4 or 5 times. If he finds it hard to find the strike zone, then try the knuckler, he may find the release point easier. Good luck and keep it fun.

Answer 3

best changeup for a kid is the circle change - throwing hand in an "OK" gesture - make sure the circle made by the index finger and thumb run with the half circle stitch on the ball - when he throws the ball it should feel like it rolls right off his hand

Answer 4

Put an extra finger on the ball, hold it like you are holding an egg, and throw like a fastball

Answer 5

THe best way is the ok change. you hold the ball in your hand and make a ok sign with your thumb and first finger then throw it the same way he does his fastball

Answer 6

1. No Fall Ball
So as to give my guys plenty of time to rest their arms, I do not let them play fall ball. Instead, they only play baseball from March to July (and only have games from April to July).

2. Few (Or No) Tournaments
The problem with tournaments is that they create the pressure (especially if you only have a few good pitchers) to pitch too few guys too much. At most I wouldn't do more than 1 tournament a year. It's just not worth the risk. I watched the Little League World Series this year and, while I loved the competition, cringed at how often guys were pitching.

3. Careful Supervision
I do let my older son play on two teams. However, I am the pitching coach for both teams. That way I can track pitch counts, innings pitched, and days of rest for all of my guys. Also, not all of my guys play on both teams so I generally have two different sets of pitchers for each team (e.g. my son pitches for one team and plays 1B for the other).

4. Developing Lots Of Pitchers
The reality is that in all of the leagues around here, everyone starts kid pitch in 1st or 2nd grade. My son loves both baseball and pitching. Rather than keeping him out of the system, I have jumped into it and am working to develop as many competent (can throw strikes) pitchers as possible on each team. That way I can use my below-average pitchers in meaningless games or situations and reduce the load on any one of my guys. I am sure that this has cost me games, but I couldn't care less.

5. Emphasis On Location Over Velocity
I do not own a radar gun, and have never borrowed one, so I literally have no idea how hard my son, or any of my pitchers, throws. All I care about is that they are effective. As long as they are effective, I keep in my back pocket problems that I see in their motions that I know are costing them velocity (but I do immediately fix things that cause control problems). I will only fix the problems that I am aware of when they need that little bit extra velocity.

6. Pitch Counts
I do count pitches. I also think that counting pitches (while a very blunt tool) can be effective, and is a far more effective than is counting innings. On a couple of occasions I have let me son pitch 3.5 innings (with lots of subsequent rest) because he is very efficient. He often has 7-pitch innings. In contrast, I have pulled guys after a single 25-pitch inning. In general, I start to get nervous when my guys (11U) throw more than 30 or 35 pitches.

7. Fastballs And Change-Ups Only
I only teach my guys how to throw a fastball and a change-up. I will yell at them if I see them throwing a curveball or a slider and will pull them if they won't stop.

8. Mechanical Tweaks
I have introduced some of the ideas of Dr. Marshall into my boys' motions...

I do not teach my pitchers to show the ball to center field.
I do not teach my pitchers to always keep their fingers on top of the ball.
I do not teach my pitchers to reverse-rotate their shoulders.
I do not let my pitchers throw curveballs.
I teach them to take what some people would consider to be a shorter-than-average stride.
I teach them to pronate (and am constantly on the lookout for signs that they are supinating their forearms).
I am teaching them to pitch from Dr. Marshall's Wind-Up Set position.
Last year I had a couple of guys who I refused to pitch because of things I didn't like in their mechanics (e.g. short-arming the ball and taking the elbows behind the acromial plane).

9. No Playing Pitcher And Catcher In The Same Game
I will not let my pitchers play a throwing-intensive position in the same game that they are going to pitch. As a result, I absolutely will not let my guys play Pitcher and Catcher in the same game. Otherwise, they will be making a throw on every pitch. Instead, I prefer that, before or after pitching, my guys play 1B, 2B, or RF. If I have to, I will put them at 3B, SS, RF, or CF. But absolutely no playing C in games in which they are going to pitch

Answer 7

Here is a link on change up and how to throw other pitches.

http://www.viewdo.com/browse/browse.php?brdpid=6