ATTENTION: We do NOT believe that any pitcher under the age of 14 should throw any pitch that alters their arm direction. NO curveballs, screwballs, knuckleballs, sliders should be taught to any pitchers UNDER the age of 14.
How To Grip And Throw A Four Seam Fastball
Four-seam fastball
To grip the four seam fastball, place your index and middle fingertips directly on the perpendicular seam of the baseball. The "horseshoe seam" should face into your ring finger of your throwing hand (as shown in the picture on the left).
Next, place your thumb directly beneath the baseball, resting on the smooth leather (as shown in the picture on the right).
Grip this pitch softly, like an egg, in your fingertips. There should be a "gap" or space between the ball and your palm (as shown in the middle picture). This is the key to throwing a good, hard four-seam fastball with maximum backspin and velocity: A loose grip minimizes "friction" between your hand and the baseball. The less friction, the quicker the baseball can leave your hand.
How To Grip And Throw A Two Seam Fastball
Two seam fastball
When throwing a two-seam fastball, your index and middle fingers are placed directly on top of the narrow seams of the baseball (as shown in the picture on the left).
Next, place your thumb directly on the bottom side of the baseball and on the smooth leather in between the narrow seams (as shown in the picture on the right).
A two seamer is gripped a little firmer than the four seamer. A firm grip causes friction, which causes the baseball to change direction and slightly reduces the speed of the pitch.
One thing I did with this pitch in college and in professional baseball was to always throw my two-seam fastball to the throwing-hand side of the plate and my four seam fastball to the glove-hand side of the plate.
How To Grip And Throw A Three Finger Changeup
Three finger changeup
A three-finger changeup is a good off-speed pitch for younger baseball pitchers – and for those who do not have big hands.
To throw an effective three-finger changeup, center your ring, middle, and index fingers on top of the baseball (as shown in the third picture at right). Your thumb and pinky finger should be placed on the smooth leather directly underneath the baseball (as shown in the middle picture).
A lot of pitchers that I work with like to "touch" their pinky and thumb when gripping this pitch (as shown in the middle picture). It helps to develop a good "feel" for the pitch, which is important since the changeup is a finesse pitch.
OK, now that you've got your grip, hold the baseball deep in the palm of your hand to maximize friction and to "de-centralize" the force of the baseball when the pitch is released. This helps take speed off of the pitch. Throw it like you would a fastball: Same mechanics. Same arm speed. Same everything.