In the sport of baseball, pitching is much more than just throwing a ball at the batter. A great deal of planning and behind-the-scenes practice must happen for a pitcher to be effective. In addition to learning and perfecting many different types of pitches, a pitcher must also work with the rest of his team to prevent bases from being stolen and generally be aware of where the other team's base runners are at all times.
Each type of pitch the pitcher throws differs in speed, trajectory, movement, hand position, wrist position, and possibly arm angle. These pitches are generally very slight variations of how the pitcher grabs the ball at the pitching spot, however it does make a big difference in how the ball crosses the base to the batter.
Coaches are usually the ones who decide which pitch to use at any given time, then transmit the decision to the receiver using hand signals, and the receiver, in turn, transmits the choice of pitch to the pitcher. If the pitcher prefers to use a different pitch than the one designated, he has a chance to shake his head and get another pitch from the coach. Hand signals are the way that pitches are kept secret from the other team so that a pitch is not delivered to the batter beforehand.
Having multiple pitches in your arsenal is a sign of a talented pitcher, however learning new pitches isn't necessarily easy. It may be a good idea to master just two or three pitches instead of knowing five or six mediocre pitches.
Typically, professional-level pitchers throw only three quality pitches; and relievers and closers have dominated just two types of pitches. You don't need to know a dozen different pitches as long as you have some very effective ones.
Fast ball
The fastball is the most common type of baseball pitch, and there are several different types of fastballs. The most common type of fastball is the four-seam fastball pitch. This is where the pitcher throws the ball as hard as he can while maintaining control. Some feel this is the most important pitch a pitcher can master because any other pitch works with the mechanics of this one.
Other types of fastball throws include:
• Two-seam fastball; also called the sinker because it sinks and is a very good pitch for inducing rolls
• Fastball court; a little slower than the quad seam, where the pitcher holds the ball slightly off-center, is a good pitch for jam-hitters.
• Fastball with split fingers; he dives hard at home plate, forcing shifts to miss; it is strictly a pitch.
Other popular pitches
Once a pitcher has learned the mechanics of his fastball quite well, he can use those basics to begin learning other techniques. Other pitches use techniques similar to the fastball with variations in the speed of the pitch, the angle of your arm, and how you hold the ball in your hand before releasing it.
• Screwball; it breaks the opposite direction of a curve ball and can also sink depending on the angle of the pitcher's arm.
• Change it; Same technique as four-seam, however, it 3g pitch UK slower, which helps control bat speed.
• Curveball; slower than a traditional fastball, it dives when it hits the plate and is used as a punch.
• Slider control; Harder than a curveball and does not dip, this is a pitch between the fastball and the curveball.
• Knuckleball; it has little to no twist and is very difficult to control or catch. This is a very difficult pitch to throw and very difficult for a hitter to predict what he will do.
• Forkball; throws hard when held between the index and middle fingers and can be difficult on a pitcher's arm. It usually thrashes and falls violently, often diagonally.
Some pitches work better against hitters depending on which hand the hitter uses. Knowing the different types of pitches will help a pitcher expand his repertoire and be more effective in dealing with a variety of hitters.
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