Slider???

Thrown correctly, no. However, it is in the heat of the game when the pitcher is trying to put just a little more on it when problems occur. I'd wait.

On the other side of the coin, have him develop a different curveball. For instance, not only having a 12-to-6, but turning just a little and throwing a 1-to-7 cureball. You still have the advantage of cushioning the arm on follow-through which you don't have with the slider.

Check this out....

http://www.baseballresource.com/hs/2005/jan/pitching.pdf

zg

I would stay away from the slider for a while. Often it is not taught correctly (ie. turning the doorknob) and causes injury. This is a pitch that is most commonly developed as a senior or first two years of college ball. You are much better off focusing on throwing the change-up (the most under-utilized and possibly most effective pitch in baseball) and the correctly thrown curveball.

hsballcoach

I second the emotion !!!!

One more thing. Scouts love to say about successful fastball-changeup pitchers; "once he develops a third pitch slider he will be pro material". I think as a pro scout it is one of those cliche's you must learn.

The slider even when thrown correctly puts the most strain on the arm than any other pitch. He doesnt need it Q. With his good fb and a change and the curve that he is developing he will have all he needs in his arsenal for now. I would work on changing speeds on the fb as well. Put your energy in location location location. Mechanics Mechanics Mechanics. Everything else will fall into place. With his great work ethic and ability he will be fine. He is already one of the best 08 pitchers in the state. Keep doing what you have been doing. No need to take a risk of injury to a fine healthy arm.

Thanks for the replies. They were as I expected. For the record, his coach said, and I quote, "he won't throw a slider for me until at earliest his senior year". He goes to a pitching instructor some who has remarked that ultimately he may have more success with a slider than a 12-6.

Another under-utilized pitch is the 2 seam fastball. I taught my son to throw it with a 3/4 arm delivery and the results were good enough to keep him from throwing his slider except for 2-3 per game.

A 4 seam fastball, a good change-up, curveball, and a 2 seam fastball are one heck of a bag of tools.

Crawdad that it our arsenal. That is what we teach. First of all master the four seam fastball. Be able to locate it with great accuracy. Change speeds on it dont get in a habit of throwing it the same speed everytime.#2 The change up. Be able to locate it and have the confidence to throw it at anytime in the count. #3 2 seam fastball. Work on this pitch and learn different arm slots and grips that will allow you to have some movement on it. #4 Curveball. Again work on this pitch each pitcher will have his on individuality on this pitch. There are alot of different ways that it is taught and I wont get into that. But some kids have a 12-6 some have more of a slurve to it. A pitch that can be played with over time where the kid can develop his own niche. Why would you need anything else especially in HS?

quote:

Originally posted by sox fan:
So, How many curve balls do you think should be thrown in a game?

I know a kid who, in a grade school game, threw like 20+ curves in a row. Yikes! That was stupid!

I am a true believer of not throwing any curves or sliders until you reach HS. Even if you think you might know what your doing, your arm is not ready for the demands of these pitches.

Better to be able to work the plate with Fastballs and Changes.

To answer your question about how many curve balls in a game....

First of all, for a HS kid his #1 pitch should be a 4 seam fastball thrown to location (inside or outside corners). For the 1st time through the opposing order I think the #2 pitch should be a straight change. A 2 seamer should be #3.

Personally, if a kid has a curve ball, it would be better to try to get by without it the first time through the order. I always liked to have one pitch to throw the second time through the order that the batters had not seen yet. Not always practical however because some days not all of you pitches are working - you may have to through a curve early if on that day you are missing with your change up.

Anyways, a curve ball should be used sparingly in an ideal game. I'm from the old school that says that if your #1 pitch is not a fastball then you probably should not pitch. Use your fastball to SET UP a curve - not the other way around.

And as I mentioned before, my son does throw a slider, but it is by far his least thrown pitch - and that is part of what makes it so devasting. I can tell you if you throw too many sliders you will definitely hang a few up and then they become batting practice pitches - it is almost like they are sitting up there on a tee.

Now, to answer your question, I think a good ratio is to throw about 60 percent fastballs with about 20 percent changeups. Curveballs and sliders together can make up the other 20 percent of your throws. Nothing scientific about the above, but that is what I tried to do with my son and his HS coach is doing pretty much the same thing.

BTW, his HS coach calls all the pitches in the game. That makes a big difference. Usually when the kids call their pitches you will see ALOT more curveballs and sliders. They don't see the value of a one pitch ground out - they want all three outs to be from K's. But that's another story.