 |
 |
 |
 |
Using Change of Speeds
Nov 5, 2002
Funny thing about change ups. They're misnamed for starters - they should be called "change downs" - but there's other wierd things too.
How come change ups work great against good experienced teams - and then get roped all over the yard by weaker or inexperienced teams ???
I figure it's got something to do with the batter's mental approach. If a batter is thinking "long ball" and maybe a little over-confident, the change works good.
On the other hand, if the batter is protecting and thinking "contact", you're better off with heat.
Another weird thing: how come some of the real hard throwers, especially the young ones, rarely use a change up. Gareau, Underhill, Mckenzie, Robbins... all seem to bear down and go with gas most of the time. The same seems to hold true in girls and womens ball too.
I believe that young guys and gals who throw that hard have never really needed a change up before because they usually overpower their opponents, and that's what they're accustomed to doing.
My point is that if any pitcher wants to win when you're the underdog - your're going to need a change up because thats when it works best. It may cost a few regular season games but it'll steal you a game when you really need it.
So what's the secret to throwing a good change up?
I remember the first time I ever met Conrad Margolis. He was explaining to someone, in the Connaught Park clubhouse, how important it is to have confidence in the change up. He said "you have to be able to throw it on a full count".
I couldn't agree more. Accuracy is everything. But that's not a secret, everybody knows that. The secret lies in when to throw it.
This week's secret:
"Throw it when they least expect it"
I think the best counts are the hitters counts of 3-1 and 2-0. That's when they're most confident and are most likely to be "lunging".
Next week's topic:
