What does a knuckle curve look like?

Think of the pitch as a spectrum between a knuckleball and a curveball. For pitchers who emphasize the curveball aspects of the pitch (bending one finger so that a knuckle is on the ball), a knuckle-curve is basically just a curveball that spins and moves slower.Think of the pitch as a spectrum between a knuckleball and a curveball

curveball

In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curveball, power curveball, and the knuckle curve.

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Curveball

Is a knuckle curve a good pitch?

The first, more modern and commonly used pitch called the knuckle curve is really a standard curveball, thrown with one or more of the index or mean fingers bent. According to practitioners, this gives them a better grip on the ball and allows for tighter spin and greater movement.

How do you release a knuckle curve?

To throw a knuckle curve ball, place your middle finger just to the left of the long seam in the horseshoe made by the seams of the ball. Then curl your index finger up like a knuckle-ball. Next, throw the knuckle curve ball over the top, pulling the ball down to get tumbling action.

How fast should a knuckle curve be?

You either want to be at least 80 miles an hour plus, or you want to be almost 72 to 73 or slower. [With the slow curve] It's really about how much sink it has when it's entering the hitting area—or at least, to appear that way to a hitter.

What does a curve pitch look like?

Curveball. Has significantly more depth than the slider. Usually has a 12-6 break (as if looking at a clock). Spin is straight over the top, and the ball will look like it has a hump coming out of the pitchers hand.

Does a curveball really curve?

It turns out that the path of a curveball really does curve as it flies through the air, making it unpredictable and hard to hit. Exploratorium staff physicist Paul Doherty explains where the curveball gets its curve.

What's the difference between a curve and a slider?

The difference between a slider and curveball is that the curveball delivery includes a downward yank on the ball as it is released in addition to the lateral spin applied by the slider grip. The slider is released off the index finger, while the curveball is released off the middle finger.

What's the difference between a knuckle curve and a curveball?

Think of the pitch as a spectrum between a knuckleball and a curveball. For pitchers who emphasize the curveball aspects of the pitch (bending one finger so that a knuckle is on the ball), a knuckle-curve is basically just a curveball that spins and moves slower.

Is a knuckle ball a change up?

A knuckle changeup is a type of baseball pitch that includes combining the knuckleball and the changeup. The pitch is thrown with a circle change up grip with 1-3 fingers raised. With more movement, more fingers are raised. It is thrown with a stiff wrist.

What does a forkball do?

When throwing a forkball, a pitcher jams the baseball between his index and middle fingers before releasing the pitch with a downward snap of the wrist. This causes the extreme downward movement on the baseball as it approaches the plate, similar to that of a 12-to-6 curveball.

How do you throw a knuckle slurve?

Another way to throw a slurve is to put your index and middle finger together, and place them on the top of the ball were the seams connect. Don't bend your thumb, the thumb should be on the bottom of the ball. Throw it like a slider. You can also try to throw the ball with a curveball grip and throw it at a 45* angle.

What is a slurve ball?

The slurve is a baseball pitch in which the pitcher throws a curve ball as if it were a slider. The pitch is gripped like a curve ball, but thrown with a slider velocity. The term is a portmanteau of slider and curve.

Who threw the first knuckleball?

Toad Ramsey, a pitcher from 1885 to 1890, is credited in some later sources with being the first knuckleballer, apparently based primarily on accounts of how he gripped the ball; however, based on more contemporary descriptions of his pitch as an "immense drop ball", it may be that his pitch was a form of knuckle curve ...

What type of pitch is a knuckle ball?

Definition. A knuckleball is a very rare pitch, and the pitchers who throw it during games tend to use it almost exclusively. The goal of a knuckleball is to eliminate almost all of the spin on the baseball, causing it to flutter unpredictably on its way to the plate.

Who throws a knuckle curve?

In the 2020s, it is used by Ross Stripling. The third type of knuckle-curve was thrown by Dave Stenhouse in the 1960s. Stenhouse's knuckle-curve was thrown like a fastball but with a knuckleball grip.

Who invented the knuckle curve?

It is a baseball, of course, and it practically begs to be manipulated. Mike Mussina — or Moose, the Yankees' clubhouse physicist — invented his old knuckle-curveball when he was 12.

Which way does a screwball break?

When thrown by a left-handed pitcher, a screwball breaks from right to left, moving down and in on a left-handed batter and down and away from a right-handed batter.

Is a slider or curveball better?

A slider is a breaking pitch that is thrown faster and generally with less overall movement than a curveball. It breaks sharply and at a greater velocity than most other breaking pitches.

What age should you throw a slider?

The right age to start throwing a slider or curveball is between 14 and 15, which gives a player enough time to develop the pitch (takes 1-3 years) so that it's good by the time the college recruiting process heats up.

What is the rarest pitch in baseball?

Definition. A screwball is a breaking ball designed to move in the opposite direction of just about every other breaking pitch. It is one of the rarest pitches thrown in baseball, mostly because of the tax it can put on a pitcher's arm.

Which way do curveballs curve?

Curveballs curve — or break downward — because of the spin imparted by the pitcher as he flings it toward home plate. The way Briggs explained it, the rotation of the seams creates a "whirlpool" of air around the ball and causes the pressure to be lower on one side.

What's the hardest pitch to hit in baseball?

Aroldis Chapman's fastball is widely regarded as the fastest pitch in MLB today. In fact, even after more than 575 career innings and countless pitches hitting 100-plus mph, he also holds the title this season.

Is it hard to knuckle ball?

The knuckleball pitch is difficult for hitters to hit due to the zigzag behavior that the ball makes when traveling to home plate. Since the pitch has little to no spin, the airflow around the ball moves the ball in all sorts of directions.

ncG1vNJzZmiZnKG8tsDFqKatmpGhuW%2BvzmespGeWlr5ww8eaq2acn5rAbq2MpKWum5uhsm6v1KutnmWcpLysecuiop4%3D