The Curve Ball

Hey There Friend!

Today has been all about the CURVE ball in both my digital course, "Small Habits to "BreakThrew" Moments" (the video above is from this course), AND in my private Facebook group with the same name as my blog, "All Things Pitching" (It's a completely free group, you should join us if you haven't already! Just click "visit group" to request to join on my BreakThrew Fastpitch page)!

I thought it may be fun to bring together some of the KEY things that help create a DOMINATE curve ball in tonight's post!

1. Sideways spin

A curve ball moves from a pitcher's throwing side towards her her glove side. The FIRST step in developing a DECEPTIVE curve ball is getting CORRECT and FAST sideways spin (think about how a globe spins)!

Developing spin is NOT EASY and takes time and reps to learn. The video above shows a few spin trainers I like to use with pitchers to help them SEE what their rotation looks like when they practice. Start by just fiddling with the spin up to yourself BEFORE attempting to start spinning the ball out. It takes some time to figure out the finger coordination to be able to get the ball to turn sideways. Once you get it, try to turn the ball as FAST as you can.

DON'T get DISCOURAGED if it's hard. It's completely NORMAL for it to be challenging! Invest a little time (3-5 minutes) every day on getting a tiny bit better! The more FREQUENTLY you practice the spin, the more quickly you will LEARN it!

Once you have the coordination to spin the ball up to yourself quickly, start very close to a catcher (or net or wall) and start trying to spin it out. Again, use a spin trainer so you can SEE what your spin looks like and make adjustments if it's not correct. Do NOT be in a HURRY to add distance. Move back slowly a few feet at a time. If you lose your spin, stay in that spot until you can get it from there BEFORE adding more distance.

If it's hard up close, it won't MAGICALLY get easier when you back up! What will happen is you will have sloppy spin and then will wonder why your curve ball doesn't work well against hitters! You MUST pay attention to the details and do the LITTLE things that will make a BIG difference in your results.

Like the video said, this spin will take weeks, months, even YEARS to really master! Be patient with the process and work to make small improvements each and every day with it. I PROMISE you it will be worth it to GET IT RIGHT. Pitchers that try to GET IT FAST will never have anything that is EXCEPTIONAL! There are NO SHORTCUTS to greatness, you MUST do the hard stuff if you want more that what "average" offers you!

2. Body Position - Release Angle

After you have invested the time to get correct spin, the next step is to create a very SUBTLE angle with your stride/release to spin the ball in an environment to get it to cut. SPIN alone will not create cut (for most girls/women anyway). HERE is a short video explaining the slight changes you will make when throwing a curve ball.

Notice that the stride foot sets slightly across the power line which allows the ball to get more plate coverage (adding to the deception) and helps set an angle across at release. You CAN throw a curve ball without stepping across center. It will just typically break OFF the plate. If you want to throw a curve ball for a called strike WITH cut, stepping a few inches (3-4") across center will help you.

It's important that you keep your head on your powerline throughout the pitch. It will feel like you have a slight "tilt" to your glove side when you do this. This small angle will allow you to release/spin the ball in the direction you'd like it to break.

Finally, make sure that your hand continues to move through your release towards where you want the ball to go! Most pitchers will finish just to their glove side of their mid-line (see video example with the vertical line).

These are a couple of the BIG things that are important when trying to develop a DOMINANT curve ball. BUT, never forget, it's the LITTLE things when working on spin/body position that will determine just how GREAT this pitch will be for you!

Don't skip the HARD stuff...pay attention to the DETAILS...and do a little WORK daily!

I promise you it will be worth it when you get to watch hitters swing and MISS!

Have a great weekend!

All my BEST,

Myndie