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changeup
By: TJ
Yes, Justin. You heard correctly. A well known 'pitching talk show host' preaches throwing the circle change almost this way. However I don't recall any 'twisting' of the arm but only 'inverting' his wrist such that the 'circle' is directed at the plate at his release point. And yes, there is controversy around his 'House Rules'. Yes, this 'instructor' pitched in the big and was one of those 'crafty' LH coming out of the bullpen. I recall House was very active in the biomechanics of pitching, and 'hung out' with Noly when in Texas, Bobby Valentine when in Japan, and more recently, the big Unit, prior to his back problems. I think one of the keys to 'inverting' the wrist is the the range of motion the player has, which is frequently guesstimated at the size of the players hands. The other variations of the grip to the change up is as you mentioned, - the 3 finger. If you experiment with the thumb and the pinky on your 3 finger release point, you will have several variations of the other change up grips e.g. Palm Ball, Paze, and Fosch. Dick Bosman Texas Pitching Coach, likes to put pressure on the sides of the ball when throwing his change. I gave Dick, Seaver's pitching book in hard back cover when Bosman first came up. Prior to Bosman leaving Balt to Texas with Oates, I gave him Seavers paper back of a later revision after he complained hard back cover was 'borrowed' (and never returned). Like all good tools, it may be best to schedule time within you weeks to teach yourself the change e.g. during long toss, and grade yourself on the mound by throwing your change for strikes. Like most pitches, a proper grip, and release point, couple with good throwing mechanics work ethics and conditioning will become 'effective and safe' for you. (Just remember at times, to throw it and duck ! )
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