knuckle pitch

[joeball5]

Okay, with the talk of the fantastic knuckle pitch going on in the "who get's paid to play thread", let's open this up. If you throw a great knuckle then share some insight with us. I can throw a killer knuckle with a softball overhand, but my underhand ones have little movement. I can throw one submarined style, but that is still more to the fast pitch side. So what gives?
What are your "secrets"? I'll sit back and listen (and practice).

[J_Swigga]

Well i'll just repost what i said in the other thread:
I just starting playing slow pitch 2 years ago. i never pitched for my team, except in BP. It was then I figured out how to throw a knuckler. Mine "knuckle" pretty well, and I may pitch this season cause it seems people have a little trouble with it. anyway the way i hold the ball is on my pointer and middle finger knuckle and kinda hold the sides of the ball with my other fingers and thumb. When i release the ball I gently extend the two fingers the ball was resting on...takes a little practice, but when your teammates tell you its hard to hit the ball when they can read the brand name floating at them, you have done well

Oh yea....it seems to move better with a little cross wind

[killswitch28]

I've pitched for a few years now......I also throw a knuckleball. I was taught by an old dude a long time ago to to hold the ball with the very tips of all 5 fingers......I then pretty much push off with my fingers as my hand reaches the top of my underhand delivery. One very good tip I was taught by that same old dude was to go to a guitar store and buy a finger strengthener....(guitar players know what I mean)....use it for about 1/2 hour a day....in a couple of weeks you will be able to push that softball with your fingers....

This is almost exactly how I was taught to throw it.....if you practice these techniques I guarantee it will work for you also...

[kh2]

I use the ring finger and the middle finger, and I tuck both of them way under the ball holding the ball in place with my pinky, index and thumb, I think the key is to use a stronger back swing to get velocity, but then to giungerly push the ball with the knuckles to create the wobble. It works very well, but remember what knuckles in, will knuckle out, and that makes it tough on your defense, so I will not use this as my out pitch

[Zebug]

I have been pitching for a few years, and I throw my knuckle pitch a different way than most. I do use some deception in throwing it. I throw it very similar to the way I throw my normal pitch. I pitch backhand, and usually have a backspin on most my pitches. My normal grip places my fingers on the seam on the ball, but when I go to throw my knuckle pitch, I switch and place my thumb on the seam. So technically I don't throw a knuckle ball, but my pitch does have little to no ball rotation and it knuckles. I have struck out a fair share of batters with it, as well, I tend to either jam batters, or get them to hit the ball off the end of the bat.

So basically, I throw my knuckle pitch with my thumb.

[msutton]

Originally Posted by killswitch28

I've pitched for a few years now......I also throw a knuckleball. I was taught by an old dude a long time ago to to hold the ball with the very tips of all 5 fingers......I then pretty much push off with my fingers as my hand reaches the top of my underhand delivery. One very good tip I was taught by that same old dude was to go to a guitar store and buy a finger strengthener....(guitar players know what I mean)....use it for about 1/2 hour a day....in a couple of weeks you will be able to push that softball with your fingers....

This is almost exactly how I was taught to throw it.....if you practice these techniques I guarantee it will work for you also...

do you let the ball touch your palm or do you hold it the entire time with only your finger tips?

[debug34]

Originally Posted by msutton

do you let the ball touch your palm or do you hold it the entire time with only your finger tips?

I actually throw it with three different grips-learned from one of the best-can have it tail 6-8 in or out or just dead fish up there....But a good magician never reveals his secret!!!!

[jbo911]

Not even to a fellow Kentuckian?!?!??

I'm no threat. My reaction time is so slow I'll never pitch for a good team. That's without even getting to how inaccurate my pitching is.

[killswitch28]

Originally Posted by msutton

do you let the ball touch your palm or do you hold it the entire time with only your finger tips?

With my fingertips dude......but it took me a few months to get my fingers strong enough to really "pinch" the ball with my fingertips. The theory is the same as throwing an overhand knuckleball...which you also need pretty strong fingers to do, except I use all 5 of my grubby digits.

By the way....the best knuckleballs begin to "tumble" in some direction when they approach the plate.....which is where the "dive effect" comes in. With enough practice I have seen people be able to control that tumble......i.e your top level pitchers can sometimes control which way their knuckleballs "tumble".

[killswitch28]

Originally Posted by debug34

I actually throw it with three different grips-learned from one of the best-can have it tail 6-8 in or out or just dead fish up there....But a good magician never reveals his secret!!!!

Actually a good magician never reveals his TRUE secret...

[bragl7]

i

Originally Posted by Zebug

I have been pitching for a few years, and I throw my knuckle pitch a different way than most. I do use some deception in throwing it. I throw it very similar to the way I throw my normal pitch. I pitch backhand, and usually have a backspin on most my pitches. My normal grip places my fingers on the seam on the ball, but when I go to throw my knuckle pitch, I switch and place my thumb on the seam. So technically I don't throw a knuckle ball, but my pitch does have little to no ball rotation and it knuckles. I have struck out a fair share of batters with it, as well, I tend to either jam batters, or get them to hit the ball off the end of the bat.

So basically, I throw my knuckle pitch with my thumb.

i throw a knuckleball the same way i use the backspin alot and i use the knuckleball when im ahead on the count

[bragl7]

Originally Posted by bragl7

i

i throw a knuckleball the same way i use the backspin alot and i use the knuckleball when im ahead on the count

[edysert]

i throw a pretty good knuckler. I use my index and middle finger and my thumb only. I dig my index and middle nails into the ball and support with the thumb. Arm generally goes straight back and straight through. I can do it a couple different ways with the arm. Got a pretty tight grip on the ball. Kind of fling my fingers at release too. EXCELLENT if the wind is at or across you, although it does take some practice to tell where it is going to go.

[Unique Handle]

I dig in middle and index fingernails cross-seam and concentrate on a very long release. I figure if it rotates less than once, it's a decent pitch. On a windless day, I might throw a few knuckleballs early on just so hitters know I can. However, given the speed at which a slowpitch ball travels, I think a knuckeball is really only effective with maximum arc and at least a little wind.

[Lefty-44]

I dig my index finger, middle finger, and ring finger into the seams of the ball and make sure my palm is not touching the ball. I keep my forearm pretty stiff but add a little wrist movement at release for increased ball speed and better movement of the knuckleball. I lightly flick the ball at release to sort of let the ball drift and do it's thing.

I'm also a lefty and have a natural curve to my release anyhow so mine is more of a knuckle-curve i guess.