How to Catch and Throw a Baseball

How to Catch and Throw a Baseball – Step by Step Guide

The Grip

There are many different ways to grip a baseball when throwing it, but for most people, the basic grip is the best place to start. To grip the ball for a fastball, put your index and middle fingers across the seams of the ball, with your thumb under the ball.

Two-seam fastball

A two-seam fastball is a type of fastball pitch in baseball that is gripped such that the ball’s seams are parallel to the direction of travel, usually with the index and middle fingers close together on one seam and the thumb on the opposite seam.

This type of fastball produces significant sidespin and downward movement; therefore, it is sometimes called a “sinker” or a “ground ball pitcher’s best friend”. Two-seamers tend to be more effective against right-handed batters, as they will often dive down and in toward a righty.

Four-seam fastball

The four-seam fastball is the fastest and most accurate of all the fastballs. It is also the hardest to control. The pitch is thrown by gripping the ball with the index and middle fingers along the seams of the horseshoe (U-shaped seam). The thumb rests on the bottom seam opposite the middle finger. The other two fingers are extended toward the back of the ball. The ball should sit comfortably in the hand, with fingers loosely behind it, not crammed together on top of it.

Changeup

A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball. The changeup is the main pitch used to combat the improved hitting of today’s power-hitting batters, who are often geared up to hit fastballs. Frequently thrown around 7–12 miles per hour slower than a pitcher’s fastball, the changeup is usually thrown with the same arm motion as a fastball but with different grip, to be slower while looking like a fastball to the batter.

One of the most common grips for a changeup is the “circle changeup”: the index and middle fingers form a circle around the baseball while the thumb rests underneath. This grip causes friction on the baseball, which makes it come out of the hand slower while still spin like a fastball. By contrast, well-thrown fastballs rotate more quickly due to lack of friction; this difference in spin rate combined with Visual cues from pitchers’ arm speed makes it appear to hitters as if the pitch is faster than it actually is.

Other common changeup grips include:
* The “palm ball” or “handle change”, where only the fingers touch the ball and the palm never comes into contact;
* The “split-finger fastball”, in which (as its name suggests) the index and middle fingers are split wide apart;
* And finally, there are variants of these two which include holding not just two fingers but all four fingers off of seams of baseball (the space between stitching).

Cutter

The cutter is a type of fastball that breaks late and to the inside of the plate from a right-handed pitcher and from the outside to the inside for a lefty. It is similar to a two-seam fastball, but instead of being gripped with two fingers, it is held with four fingers across the top of the ball. The extra pressure created by the four-fingered grip gives the ball extra spin, which makes it break more sharply than a two-seamer.

Slider

A slider is a type of pitch in baseball. It is a breaking ball that is thrown with less speed than a fastball but more speed than a curveball. The slider is also known as a wipeout pitch because it is very difficult to hit.

The grip for a slider is similar to the grip for a two-seam fastball, except the ball is held across the seams instead of along them. The ball is then released with a snapping motion of the wrist. This causes the ball to spin and makes it break from left to right if you are a right-handed pitcher (or from right to left if you are a left-handed pitcher).

Sliders are used by pitchers who want to get hitters out by breaking the ball out of the strike zone. They can be thrown for strikes, but most hitters will swing at them anyways because they look like fastballs.

The Stance

To catch a baseball, start by putting your dominant hand out in front of you and your other hand behind the ball. Then, line up your thumb and first 2 fingers on the top and bottom of the ball. When you’re ready to catch the ball, drop your glove hand down to your waist and tuck your non-glove hand underneath your glove. As the ball comes towards you, bring your glove up to meet the ball and squeeze it firmly.

The windup

From the windup position, the pitcher holds the ball in his glove in front of his body and he may or may not have his foot on the rubber. From this position, the pitcher can deliver the ball to any base except first without moving his body very much, so he’s got all kinds of options. He can throw overhand or sidearm, he can throw a fastball or a curveball, he can throw to any part of the strike zone. Basically, he’s got everything working for him from the windup.

The stretch

You’ll be split into two lines at your team’s fielding practice, so there will always be a catcher behind you. The pitcher will stand to the side of the catcher, a few feet away from you. As the catcher receives the ball from the pitcher, he will drop into a squatting position. When he stands up, he will give you a target to throw to behind him. As soon as you see the target, pull your glove up to your ear and begin your wind-up.

The Throw

The throw is the most important part of catching a baseball. It is also the most difficult part to master. The key is to keep your eyes on the ball and your body in a good fielding position. When the ball is hit, you should be in a good position to field it. If the ball is hit to your left, you should be in a good position to field it. If the ball is hit to your right, you should be in a good position to field it.

Arm action

Good arm action is vital to throwing a baseball with accuracy and power. The key is to keep your arm loose and use your elbow and shoulder to generate momentum. As you wind up, bring your arm back and cock your wrist. As you release the ball, snap your wrist and extend your arm. Follow through by continuing to extend your arm until it is pointing at your target.

Follow through

After you release the ball, your hand will naturally want to follow through and end up pointing in the direction of the throw. This is called follow through and it’s important because it keeps your arm from getting hurt and also ensures that you put all of your energy into the throw.