Knuckleball control

Just my opinion, but there comes a point where you can have too many pitches. I believe you said before you have upwards of 8.

You should focus on mastering 3 or 4. 8 pitches are just too many.

And my thought on the knuckleball ... it's a good pitch to have when you have lost the ability to throw other pitches.

weaver,

thanks for the response

i would like to know wat pitches u think are worth being learned. reason being i have some pitches that are for inducing groundballs and weak hits (knuckle, sinker, 12/6 curve) and others that are for when i need the strikeout, for example bases loaded 1 out or man on third, close game

Fastball and Changeup are the two most important pitches. I also throw a curveball and a slider.

I can use all 4 for strikeout pitches. Any pitch can be a ground ball pitch as well as a punchout pitch. The key is hitting your spots and keeping the hitter off balance. If you have 8 pitches, it is much, much harder to be consistent than with 3 or 4.

By the way, bases loaded with 1 out and you should want a ground ball. DP and you are out of the inning.

I agree with everything that Weaver told you Junkballer.

8 Pitches is way too much, how many guys at a high level of ball do you see that can throw more then 4 QUALITY pitches?

As far as the knuckleball...

quote:

it's a good pitch to have when you have lost the ability to throw other pitches.

Sums up my thoughts exactly, most scouts will say something along those same lines. Or something to the effect of you only become a knuckle baller as a last ditch effort to stay at the current league you're in.

Focus on being able to throw 3 pitches CONSISTENTLY, don't worry about being able to throw every pitch under the sun.

does the catcher take off his glove to call for 6,7 or 8?

"i am wondering if there is a different way to throw it or grip so i can control wat kind of movement it will get?
also i would like some of your views on the knucklball in general"


Controlling a knuckleball is basically an oxymoron....The main effect of a knuckleball is that fact that its movement is so unpredictable.....for the batter...and the catcher..

The knuckleball can be an effective pitch, yet in my experience it is thrown so infrequently by HS and college pitchers, that I can say that it is a nonfactor in higher level games. I will tell you that if you are going to throw this pitch you let your catcher know to tell the umpire before the game that you may throw a KB......nothing is worse that suprize to an umpire........

As a career move I wouldnt reccomend it....I know of no college knuckleballers in my area and in the pro level, besides Wakefield of the red sox, I cant name any others........

ive heard from many people on this topic "not many pitchers throw it"
not many pitchers throw it, so wouldnt it also be true that few hitters see the pitch. if it is thrown right it can keep a hitter off balance, seeing something totally different than any other pitch.
wouldnt most people also agree that it is a pitch not thrown in batting practice, so the hitters would have trouble reacting (resulting in batter "frozen" and watching the pitch go by for a strike)?

Junk,

There's a reason why not many pitchers throw it.

Even guys who get drafted or get the opportunity to play college who claim they throw it get told to scrap it as a pitch if they are serious about pitching.

So why spend time on something if in the end you're not going to be allowed to throw it at the next level?

all i know is that when im at the plate and a kid tries ti throw a knukleball it doesnt really do anything it is a really easy pitch to hit a long way. so unless the movement on that pitch is like wakefeilds then i would advise you to stay away from it. cause even when he has a bad day with it those balls go a long way.