How do I throw a curveball without snapping my wrist?

Answer 1

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO STEP 4!!!!

The Steps to a Good Curveball...

STEP 1: Keep your pitch a secret -- don’t let the batter know it’s coming! A mistake often made by pitchers at every level is that they “tip” the batter to the pitch they are going to throw; in other words, the batter knows what pitch to expect. You can gain the upper-hand on the batter by following two basic rules even before you go into your windup: a) hide the ball in your glove, and b) have the ball already in the proper curveball grip. The best way to hide the ball is by having a closed web glove, opposed to an H-web glove, where the batter has a clear view of the ball and your grip.

STEP 2: Expect each pitch you are going to throw to be a curveball. If you have to “dig” into your glove to get the proper grip after you receive the curveball sign from the catcher the hitter is going to know what is coming. It is much easier to change your fingers to a fastball grip than it is to properly grip a curveball while the ball is already in your glove.

STEP 3: Grip the ball by placing your middle finger on the inside half of the seam and apply pressure to the ball. Your index finger should stay as close to your middle finger as possible. If you cannot comfortably grip the ball with these two fingers touching or nearly touching, then your hand is too small and you should wait for your hand to grow before trying to add this pitch to your repertoire. Your ring and pinkie finger should rest under the ball with only your ring finger in contact with the baseball. The ideal location for your ring finger is to have its “door knocking knuckle” on the seam (the same side of the baseball as your middle finger). Finally, the side of your thumb, and not the pad of the finger, should rest directly on the top of the seam. Your thumb and middle and ring finger should all be in contact with a seam, preferably the “horseshoe,” the wide part of a baseball. Another way to look at it is to have your fingers going with the seams opposed to against them to ensure optimal control.

STEP 4: Deliver the baseball to your target. The mechanics of pitching a baseball stay the same, however, the angle by which your hand is positioned as it accelerates toward home plate is what makes the ball live up to its name...curve. This action involves NO “snapping” or “twisting” of the wrist. This popular belief is a good way to spend a considerable amount of time on the disabled list. The proper arm action and angle of your hand is very similar to pulling down a window shade or doing the tomahawk-chop at a Braves game. For right-handers, your palm should be facing first base as you prepare to release the baseball, and this angle should continue as you follow-through (third base for lefties.)

Once the ball is released, the curveball’s trajectory is from north to south. While a slider runs east to west, an ideal curveball is commonly referred to as “dropping off the table” or by going from “12-6” on a clock.

Tips & Warnings

You can also try gripping the ball between and along the seams. Spread your fingers apart slightly and press your middle finger into the ball. Go with the grip that allows you a comfortable release, the proper spin and maximum control.

Develop your fastball and change-up and its placement before moving ahead to other pitches such as a curveball. Also, the belief that “well, I’ll only throw a couple” is not a good strategy. Damage to young, immature arms can happen swiftly and nag the athlete throughout his playing days. It is not something that is progressive or can be staved off by limiting how many you throw in a given start. My advice for any young pitcher out there is to work on your mechanics and your fastball and how to consistently throw baseball’s most effective pitch— a strike!

What slows down your arm? Your body. Just like how your back should stop your bat when swinging, your left hip (for righties) is responsible to stop your arm. To stop your arm before it reaches your hip means you had to start de-accelerating the very thing that gives you velocity—arm speed—before even releasing the baseball. This also puts a lot of added stress on the elbow and shoulder.

Throwing a curveball can cause serious and possibly permanent damage to your shoulder, elbow and wrist. For this reason, most managers and coaches advise that young players avoid this pitch until they reach physical maturity.

Answer 2

Listen to the first three answers and you'll end up hurting your arm !! You DO NOT snap or twist the wrist when throwing a curve ball. A true curve ball is achieved by keeping the fingers on top of the ball and releasing it out in front with good arm speed. If you feel like you have to snap or twist your wrist to get the proper spin, your hand is probably too small and you can't get your fingers on top. The only breaking pitch where there is a twisting of the wrist is a slider.....that's why you see a lot of slider pitchers having Tommy John surgery.

Think about your hand position when throwing your curve ball. It's as if you are holding a hammer in your hand, and pounding in a nail out in front of you. Proper hand position, and the pulling down feeling (out in front) will give you the proper spin. Concentrate on the spin.....not how hard you throw the pitch.

Answer 3

to throw a curveball with out snapping your wrist, hold it like you would, but throw it like a football. By this, I mean to hold it so the back of your hand is facing out to the side, not up.

Answer 4

Finally someone wants to asks me this
I know exactly how, but it is too be hard to explain online, so watch barry zito's curveball, he doesn't snap it, my pitching coach is friends with him, no joke

Answer 5

Go to
www.e-how.com/howtothrow-curveball-baseball

Answer 6

It's not a curveball unless you snap your wrist. You will not get the break that you need if you don't snap your wrist.

Answer 7

law 138 said it perfectly, I would only suggest that you don't have to throw a curve to be succesful just work on a change of pace by throwing some straight changes while you work on that curve in practice.

Answer 8

12-6 curve is a myth. for a 12-6 break your arm would have to come straight over the top.

Answer 9

I used to throw a curve over the top by using my thumb to give it the rotation. You really have to practice a lot anf become comfortable with it.

Answer 10

You can't. That is how it is done.