quote:i really wish young kids would learn the importance of a change up rather than a curve. I have coached high school and youth baseball and i have not coached or seen one pitcher who had a change up with enough off of it or they could throw for a strike consistently in a game. Then i go watch 12,13 year olds play and the kids throw 40% curveballs its ridiculous. I am the perfect example of how a good change up can take a mediocre pitcher to the next level. I am lefty dont throw hard enough to break glass but i have a good change up i can throw for a strike whenever i want...when my change don't work i get hit around pretty well ha but i love it i can use it whenever 0-1 0-2 3-2 2-0 its an amazing pitch when you can command it and no one consistently hits a good change up hard.
I see a few players each year in travel ball that have good change-ups. The problem is however that they don't believe in the pitch and seldom throw it. The problem I see with kids throwing Change-ups, or trying to throw them, is that they are taking "too much" off of it and turning it into a lob ball of sorts. The general rule of thumb is 10% slower than the fastball. At our age this would equate to 6-8 mph slower. But what I constantly see is about 10-15 mph slower which is too much. I always tell these kids that it is too slow to be effective and yet they just won't listen. They honestly feel that the change should be more of a drastic change. It should be a subtle change to be effective. I have video of son throwing effective change-ups and if you slow the video down by the batters swing it shows that the batter just barely swings too early through the zone missing the ball by mere inches. Sometimes they do hit it but they are so far ahead that the ball is off the end of the bat weakly hit back to the pitcher or shortstop.