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Permalink Reply by Zack Fortner on May 25, 2012 at 12:54pm

I threw a circle change with my middle and ring fingers on the seems with the pinky on the outside.  Your pointer finger and thumb making a circle on the other side..  You will get the ball to run back in on the hitter. Worked for me give it a try..

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Permalink Reply by Brandon Bresler on May 25, 2012 at 1:01pm

i throw a type of circle change but its really hard to control until you get the feel for it but its definately worth it once you do. put your ring and middle finger in the spot where you would usually hold your 4-seam fastball your pointer finger and thumb in a kind of ok symbol on the opposite side of the narrow spot where most people hold a 2-seam fastball at and your pinky should be going across the opposite sides laces. between your middle and pointer finger it should kind of feel like your holding a splitter. the trick to the whole pitch to get the most movement is you throw it like a you would a football so when you release the spot between your middle and pointer finger should be on top. hope this helps you

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Permalink Reply by Connor Burke on May 25, 2012 at 1:37pm

I threw sort of a knuckle change. Knuckles right behind the horseshoe and ring finger on the bottom lace of the ball. just throw it like a fastball. It moves away from the hitter and the bottom just drops out

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Permalink Reply by Taylor Morris on May 25, 2012 at 3:43pm

Circle change never worked for me, I didnt really start developing mine before the end of last year, my Splitters my go to pitch but its a down and away break rather than a straight drop so i started developing a fosh change, if youve got big hands the late break can be nasty might be helpful

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Freemyer on May 25, 2012 at 4:57pm

I throw a circle change, throw it with the seams. Like you would a two Sean FB I just hold it very loose, the very last knuckle of my fingers is the only part making contact. Learning to command it is a bitch but it's fuckin dirty

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Permalink Reply by Matt Barger on May 25, 2012 at 6:40pm

most coaches will start you on a circle change. hold it like you would hold an egg. what many pitchers can't do is throw their changeup and their fastball with the SAME ARM SPEED. the changeup is a "feel pitch" so youre not gonna throw a nasty one the first day out.

Personally, i throw a split change because i grip it similarly to my 2 seam fastball, i just spread out my fingers more. being a left handed pitcher, I used to throw a circle change to right handed hitters because it had more horizontal run and i would throw a split change to a left handed hitter because it had more "drop."

again, use your same mechanics as you would with throwing a fastball and let the grip do the work.

 

hope that helps.

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Permalink Reply by Daniel Simonelli on May 26, 2012 at 9:25pm

Thanks. Ill take all these in to consideration. Thanks!!!

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Permalink Reply by Chris Hackworth on May 26, 2012 at 9:44pm

the most effective way to have speed change and movement that i've found is to put your middle and ring finger on the laces, but then roll the ball backwords so that your fingertips of your middle finger and ring finger are down in the horseshoe.  Keep your pointer finger relaxed or in the circle like they've said, and the pinky needs to be out of the way-it's just there for balance.  when you throw it, roll your hand to the inside just enough so that your ring finger is on top of the ball or slightly over the top of it, and keep your arm speed the same.  It will dive hard and late into the hitter's back foot (depending if you're a righty or lefty).  The hardest thing is to trust the ball to do its' thing after you throw it because your hand and wrist are in a different position from where they normally are.

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Permalink Reply by Easton Cornelius on May 26, 2012 at 11:40pm

This may sound a bit odd but I hold my changeup just like my 4 seam fastball grip. However, I let the ball roll of my fingertips slowing the ball down and dropping into the zone. I was taught that at 7 years old and still throwing it today. Not hard to throw give it a go

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Permalink Reply by Aaron Stolley on May 27, 2012 at 1:58pm

Put the ball at the base of your fingers. Your middle and ring fingers are gonna want to be on top. Put your pinky finger on the outside and as low on the ball as possible. With you pointer finger, put it in a similar position as your pinky, maybe a little higher for a regular change. For a circle, make a ring on the outside with your thumb. You can mess around with how you want to hold it exactly, but this grip will slow down the velocity and give you a little movement. I learned this from a pitching instructor/college coach that my high school coach brought in for a clinic. I cant remember his name though.

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Permalink Reply by Scott Herrick on May 31, 2012 at 2:17am

All these are nice just make suer your arm speed is the same as your fastball so you dont give it away, and the change will do what its supposed to do.

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