Pitch Grips for the Curveball, Slider, Changeup, Sinker & Cutter

[@joem8496]

I can't even imagine being a kid again and having KZbin to learn from. It has to be the single greatest thing that humans have ever done. This is gold. Thanks D.

[@RyanPatridge]

My 11 year old elbow is glad we didn’t have KZbin 😂

[@bucs03fan]

I had the Johnny Bench show. Lol

[@TyAndras]

So true

[@1t5m353th]

I’m glad we have KZbin as I am trying to learn a curveball. I can only throw fastballs atm 😅

[@joem8496]

@@OlinKreutzRules you must be very confused. You're not even responding to the thread.

[@russellduke7379]

Coach, I'm 57 and in an over 45 league. I haven't played baseball since high school, exactly 40 years ago and I was never a pitcher until this league. I watched this video last night from my couch then threw several changeups today in our game, simply based on watching and listening to your instructions. The Ump actually said one of my changeups was the best pitch I threw all day today, a swing and a miss. Your instructions are easy to understand and worked for this old man. Thanks Coach Blewett!

[@DanBlewett]

that's great! Glad it helped!

[@nelsoncruz184]

Coach Dan , I no longer pitch as I’m in my 60’s but I enjoy your videos and if I ever coach this knowledge would come in very handy . Thank you for them .

[@flixvs7910]

as a player from germany, where nobody plays baseball, these videos really help me improve

[@Amo5678]

Same from france

[@JohnGolanowski]

Love watching a good knuckball pitcher, a dying breed!! Great Channel, I'm 60 years old and still throw into backyard backstop, like a kid, just for the fun of it, FYI still have 78mph fastball!!

[@trinaornelas4018]

Niceee

[@jamesplummer2574]

As a fan trying to understand the difference between pitches seen in a game, this video is gold. Thank you.

[@jkohler70]

Bought one of your books as appreciation for your videos. I’m 54 but take my pitching seriously. It’s crazy I just threw 6.3 innings and over 100 pitches at my age (and torn labrum). Thanks!

[@DanBlewett]

Keep it up!

[@NICURN]

I had a minor league tryout as a 19 year old. Coach asked me to show him my curve ball grip. I didn't know how. Now I do, age 63, and I'm goin back to tryout again !! :) What a golden guy you are to show this stuff; I'm a kid again !

[@SportsPlanet001]

Curveball: 1:27 Slider: 4:20 Changeup: 6:48 Sinker: 9:05 Cutter: 11:57 Key Advice: 16:18

[@DanBlewett]

thanks for the stamps!

[@sciencecookingkids]

he gave the stamps in the desc

[@stevennihipali3607]

The cutter tip really makes a difference. My 10 yr old is a catcher and I'm trying to help him learn how to catch/ block different pitches. This series of videos is amazing. He's learning a ton and is playing fantastic... more videos! Lol

[@camkrohn726]

I mean I don’t know how many cutters he needs to catch at 10 years old but yeah getting him to block consistently that young is huge

[@steviecomebacks5541]

Nearing 40 and still pitching in a men's league. I don't have the velocity I had when I was in high school and college so I transitioned to a 2-seamer in my 30's to get movement to make up for my diminished speed. Iv been using the same grip for the curve but after watching this I might go back to the 4-seam curveball grip.

[@xalvarez6898]

I DON'T CARE IF I'M 50-100- OR JUST IN THE T-BALL AGE, COACH DAN THANK YOU FOR TAKING YOUR TIME AND EXPLAINING EVERYTHING LIKE OUR COACHES USED TO DO AND I WAS A KID. BY YOU DOING THIS BRINGS BACK MEMORIES OF MY COACHES EXPLAINING EVERYTHING! THANK YOU I GREATLY APPRECIATE THE TIME AND WORK

[@GregJay]

I'm in my mid 60s and still pitching in a 60 & over and I can still learn things to get an edge, this is good video

[@okolekahuna3862]

great insight of the mechanics of pitching.

[@JCO]

Super interesting video, man! I damn near destroyed my shoulder several years ago (a lot of it hereditary) but pitched from about 8 years old to 14. I’ve always had an undying love for the sport of baseball, but with a few lame coaches and ultimately my injuries, I eventually stopped playing organized and didn’t know if I’d ever pitch again. It’s been years of soreness and off-and-on PT but I’m 21 now and finally threw a ball near top speed a couple months ago. It felt amazing to throw more than one at high velo without feeling like my arm would detach. But I of course didn’t want to overdo it. I’ve since been trying to ease it back into my life by getting a cheap bat and a bucket of balls to go have BP every once in a while. I don’t think by any means that I’m ready to hop back on a team just yet but this video got me out pitching a little bit again today. Always wanted to learn some nasty breaking stuff but was never taught more than a circle change and knuckle curve at that young an age. Maybe now I can finally learn some filth and get back on the mound for a rec league or something soon. Also - thanks for explaining the 2-seam to sinker comparison. From the beginning, I’d heard ‘sinking fastball’ but somehow never knew why until now. Excuse me for the long, run on comment but this meant a lot this morning. Thanks Coach Dan 🙏🏻

[@zachmacklin1290]

How’s the arm doing? Hopefully you’ve gotten good improvement

[@pingi223]

You and a coach Named Tony Rasmus both have good info. Stay safe!

[@DanBlewett]

I’ll have to look Tony Up.

[@mephistoninja2213]

Thank you so much for all of this. I always played outfield but was told all my throws sink or get a lot of movement because of my arm angle. I had such a hard time finding good and free tutorials on youtube. This is easily the best video I've watched on anything. Thank you so much for this.

[@DanBlewett]

Happy to help!

[@cipher1167]

Buy his book, I highly recommend it.

[@wonjomongbro9039]

The best lesson clip that I've ever watched. Excellent and Thank You Dan.

[@DanBlewett]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@flynn6737]

Mate this vid should be part of all learner baseballers training. Yes I’m an Aussie who isn’t even at any level but I do know Good training advice.

[@michaelwoodsmccausland5633]

The beauty of the Baseball and it’s Sacred Geometrical Form

[@DryWall-wd4ei]

When I was kid I invented my own pitch called the "Satanball" or the "evilball." You'd take index fingr and pinkie and fork them to the sides like the heavymetal hand gesture, put thumb underneath, then curl your knucles up bhind the ball in the middle. It seemed to work pretty well. 😀

[@DryWall-wd4ei]

Did result in a quite unnatural throwing motion though. So I didn't use it as much as a fastball.

[@diegosinapellido9723]

Your awesome dude, was the worst second baseman made myself on pitcher and in less than a year got 4 scouts, youve helped me a lot

[@DanBlewett]

Glad it helped!

[@wis6007]

Thanks a million. That's brilliant. Cheers,

[@extreme-_-shotz4820]

Thanks for the changup grip with the side circle change i would always come up short because it felt like the ball would fall from my hand

[@Alex_Gorell]

The change up always messed me up I could never get the hang of it. Your method looks a lot easier.

[@cullensmith6275]

Yeah, I’ve been throwing it for almost 2 years and can barely get it in the zone even now

[@SalvadorDaliLama]

Wow this video has so much information. Thank you.

[@DanBlewett]

Glad it was helpful!

[@godngunclinger]

wow, my life is over but this is still great to know, I wish our coach back in the 70s could have been as helpful, the magnus effect, nice

[@rickerb1132]

Excellent instructional Dan. You are a great teacher.

[@stroon7586]

Dude. 30k subscribers? I watched this entire video, looked through the description, then looked at your sub count. Wow. VERY well put together video. With some GREAT knowledge.

[@DanBlewett]

Thanks!

[@mhoop1]

there was an article on the forkball/splitfinger in Sports Illustrated back in the 80's that taught me the pitch and it was amazing to have in highschool. I was never pro level but that pitch confounded people lol

[@Alexandertygreat]

Great video, the future of baseball is so incredibly bright with information like this at the fingertips of youth coaches and parents. Amazing stuff. I know in canada kids are not allowed to thru anything outside of fastballs and changeups i believe. To save kids arms from themselves and bad coaching.

[@supersam1914]

I wish I had KZbin when I was 12 lol this videos are awesome

[@tommy2chips]

I am now a subscriber. This channel is amazing.

[@mustang4life]

Many thanks for sharing some light from your candle of knowledge, as one could only have dreamed of utilizing KZbin in the 80s vs dishing out a great deal of dinero for those youth baseball camps.

[@norelisleal4932]

IM A TEN YEAR OLD WHO HAS A GAME ON MONDAY AND IM THE STARTING PITCHER!!!!! Thank you!!!!

[@DanBlewett]

have fun!

[@nikloff1815]

you have taught me every baseball pitch⚾ thank you im 9 😊😊😊😅😅😅😅🎉🎉🎉🎉😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤

[@joem8496]

As always, thank you

[@DanBlewett]

What pitch do you throw? What are trying to work on and improve? Leave a comment below. 👇

[@amicablexvi1372]

Ehi gami 😃

[@anthonycaro4862]

Im trying to learn the knuckle and eephus pitch

[@janellehardy2983]

Knuckle ball

[@DanBlewett]

no dont bother with either thanks

[@DanBlewett]

I have a whole sinker video

[@lucasdeoliveira9483]

great video as usual! thanks for ur work dan!

[@DanBlewett]

Thanks for watching!

[@LiamMorrill-s5j]

What I do to throw my sinker, I hold it like a 2-seam with my pointer and middle finger pressed together like you showed, but I angle my fingers higher on the seams so I can make it cut. I hold it like a curveball, but I put my fingers on the other side of the seam as you would throw a curveball. Same concept with my cutter. I hold my cutter like a curveball, but I don't flick my wrist, I throw it like I would throw a 4-seam.

[@michaelwoodsmccausland5633]

Absolutely look at the Ball as a Toro dial Field Rotational Lift and Down drafts!

[@vmigop]

My soon to be 16 year old son has had a pretty good slider, but I was surprised that it’s the pronation at the last split second that actually imparts the spin. I need to ensure he’s doing this - thanks.

[@DanBlewett]

its not something he'd do consciously - itll happen on its own. You'd need slow-motion to see it. I dont teach that aspect of it, really as a thing a pitcher needs to do - rather, I just explain it. you may just confuse him.

[@sethwilliams6008]

I didn't know this about cutters. I've been experimenting with a cutter but don't have a breaking ball. I will probably start developing a breaking ball now

[@DanBlewett]

Kudos to you for being open minded. Go forth and build thyself a great slider, or curveball.

[@sethwilliams6008]

@@DanBlewett yessir

[@german5000]

Good technics, thaks

[@bryceplayz32]

My pitches i throw are a 4 seam fastball, 2 seam fastball, slider, knuckle curve

[@tootallforbaseball]

Great explanations, coach.

[@DanBlewett]

Glad to help!

[@louispesson3419]

I actually pushed my finger out when i threw my knuckle-curve and i would consistently get 1-7 movement, sometimes dropping from letters to knees. I threw it like that from about 11 till 18, when the end of my baseball career happened due to injuries and knee issues. In hindsight, I guess it was my arm and wrist angles also in play. Depending on your arm slot, flicking the finger with that pitch could be more effective. To each their own yk

[@dodgersdoon1130]

Dude awesome thanks for the video mate cheers

[@Guywithnolimbs]

Nice

[@bradydavis11]

Thanks for the video!

[@acespace7255]

Good pitching coach

[@user-까까머리]

한글 자막 감사합니다!!!❤

[@litroy]

super informative video !

[@DanBlewett]

Glad it was helpful!

[@robinshanahan]

thanks for teaching me :]

[@dnoda]

Wow. Awesome.

[@Johnny2tc]

Ty

[@jaykaysr9225]

Love that you're posting these Dan. Very helpful. So what pitches, for movement, would you recommend for an almost 70 yr old guy who plays MSBL baseball? I came back to baseball in my early '60s after leaving my rec league 40 yrs before. I haven't got the velo to blow it by anyone. But if I can mix up a couple of pitches with movement, and locate them, I'll be fine. I have a decent 12-6 but it's slow and if guys wait on it, they kill it!

[@DanBlewett]

The changeup I teach, for sure. The description below has longer videos of all. And a slider. It’ll give you two pitches that will break opposite each other on similar planes. Stay down in the zone and both will pair well with the down fastball.

[@jaykaysr9225]

@@DanBlewett thank you for your reply

[@nofurtherwest3474]

Can you do a video explaining exactly where in the strike zone these pitches touch? ie - where should a curve ball break? I'm assuming like maybe a foot before the strike zone so the batter misses?

[@DanBlewett]

search my channel, ive already made those videos

[@와라이슈-o9r]

감사합니다! thank you!

great video, coach! how fast should we be throwing the curveball? I imagine the speed of the pitch would help with more movement/ spin, right? thanks!

[@DanBlewett]

as hard as you possibly can

[@cullensmith6275]

Yes, you throw it as hard as you can but the spin should reduce it to about 90% of your fastball speed

[@Joeytheboss2000]

I was a pitcher for my school back when I was in high school I could never find a good grip for the curveball it’s why my coach ended up saying you might want to try a slider instead that’s when I realized I have a 4 pitch repetuar I was a sinker slider 2SFB and a 4SFB but for my sinker I had my grip on the laces

[@lorenslin1968]

Who's signature is on the ball at 2:12?

[@Jimonahhan]

Coach I’m 13 and I throw from a little bit of a 3/4 arm slot. I don’t throw hard so my fastball isn’t great but I was looking to add the sinker or a 2 seam but I couldn’t get it to move at all. Got any tips?

[@bunker_boiyt49]

I had I pretty good curve (rookie pitcher btw) i was rlly good at releasing it but it was easy to identify I mixed his with mine now it’s almost perfect it just breaks a bit early but it’s hard to recognize

[@Grey-95]

thanks couch dan! am i able to throw a sinker if i can only throw n the 40s?

[@DanBlewett]

no

[@Grey-95]

ok thank you!

[@davidmalizia2363]

My son (14) has 4 pitches FB, CB, Slider, changeup his fb velocity is in the high 60's which is low so he mixes his pitches up and is fairly effective. The problem is they all have different release points especially his curveball where he moves his elbow angle much tighter (his fb angle is probably 85 degrees and his curveball is probably closer to 60 degrees. What are your thoughts about this. Obviously the more similar they look the more deceptive they will be but should he sacrifice the effectiveness?

[@emrooalqis7292]

Is that possible to change your pitch from right hand to left hand??

[@parkermeredith6035]

If you’re naturally right handed you will never throw as good with your left. However, with a lot of time and dedication you can eventually train your brain and muscles to function with accuracy

[@theherbo2775]

I’ve found luck in highschool throwing a forkball. At first it started as a joke I’d throw it just messing around at the field with friends, they told me it was actually really good. I started throwing a few of them warning up with my catcher and he confirmed that it was good, brought it to my coach and he gave me the go ahead to throw it in some games, feels amazing making hitters look silly and then hearing them tell their teammates “he throws a nasty knuckleball” even though it’s not

[@slowery43]

no one tuned in here hoping to find out what pitches Herbo thrrew, this isn't your channel

[@หมานุนเอ้ย]

As a lefty you would probably want to have most of these pitches like a 2 seam grip for more movement with the ball and kind of throw like a 2 seam almost so it goes away the a righty hitters bat because with a 4 seam grip it will go right to the bat with any hitter so a 2 seam would be a better grip for most of these pitches for lefties

[@DanBlewett]

not sure about this but thanks for the comment

[@Not_Noxious]

Coach, my brother is 13 and has a slider with a bunch of break, a curveball, and is working out a pitch with arm side run, is that fine? He only throws 60ish so he focuses on movement and command instead of velo

[@DanBlewett]

thats too many breaking balls

[@extreme-_-shotz4820]

Hey great video and im wondering if theres anything to do about blisters on my middle finger just beside the nail after throwing more then 40 pitches

[@DanBlewett]

nah not really

[@cullensmith6275]

You probably throw it off your middle finger, helps in sinker/two seem and change helps run and depth

[@samy8740]

now im not a pitcher but i do like to mess around and throw pitches to my friends one of the pitches i get really good spin on is a screwball i would really like to know how to grip it, so if anyone could tell me that would be great 👍

[@MylanSeitz]

Me, being a kid who plays baseball, the curveball will be an asset to my 60+mph fastball.

[@JimValdez57]

¿Is Curveball and Slurveball is the same thing, bro?

[@DanBlewett]

no

[@JimValdez57]

​@@DanBlewetthow do you throw a Slurveball?

[@joecap1]

What is the camera that is used in the bullpen indoor session that you show in this video for changeups?....super high FPS....higher than 240fps that iPhone does....need to get that.

[@DanBlewett]

Sony RX-10 Mark IV. It's an AMAZING Camera. The RX-100 I think also does up to 1000fps in a smaller form factor. It has an insane zoom lens built in - I've gotten home plate video footage from 400 feet away at MLB games.

[@joecap1]

@@DanBlewett got it. I see it now. Thanks.

[@joecap1]

@@DanBlewett going to find a camera that does 960fps. That should do it. Sony...or whatever. Thanks again.

[@DanBlewett]

960 is overkill, I usually use 240 or 480 at most, but its fun regardles

[@PTS328]

When I try to hold the change up like u describe, my 2 middle fingers that I got between the seems tend to separate, and it ends up being kind of a 5 finger or star change up or something like that. Is that good, or bad or neither? Do u need to force my fingers to stay together, or doesn’t it make a diff. Thanks. Great video 👍🏻

[@DanBlewett]

try to make em stick together.

[@marcoantonioaguilar7765]

Perfecto 👍👍👍👍👍👍🤠🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽

[@neffectmusic8484]

Video examples look like the kids hand is turning in on the release instead of out. Is his hand actually turning inward? I always thought it supposed to turn out?

[@RICKYSLOPPER]

Hi coach, I've been practicing curveballs for a month now but it always ends up like a slider, the slider was one of the first pitches I learned, should I give up on the curveball?

[@DanBlewett]

no. but why are you throwing two different breaking balls? You absolutely do not need two. Pick one and learn a changeup. 3 pitches. Thats it. One needs to be a changeup.

[@RICKYSLOPPER]

@DanBlewett so I can settle on fastball, slider, and changeup. thanks coach

[@DanBlewett]

love it

[@enigma4019]

Coach, ight heres my delima, so im 16 and a submarine pitcher yet throw really hard ive scratched 80 yet i normally stand in the high 60 to mid 70 range. i throw my cutter and it has the break you say it should. should i stop though its so good or keep it in my arsenal?

[@DanBlewett]

I’ve never heard of a submarine pitcher throwing a cutter. I don’t think it makes sense. Most throw changeup sinker slider

[@enigma4019]

@@DanBlewett I'm sure the pitch is just a slider being I hold it at a more slider grip, it just breaks that way that by that much, is there something I'm doing wrong? or is it just the way my pitch is?

[@phieaglesbw]

Do you know any of the secrets that the great tim Wakefield threw the knuckleball. I always loved watching him back in the day. Also how do throw a knuckle curve

[@DanBlewett]

search my channel for my knuckle curve videos - I admired Tim Wakefield but don't teach or advocate for knuckleball throwing by competitive youth pitchers

[@phieaglesbw]

@@DanBlewett oh ok. I was just wondering how he did it. He was one of few and loved watching him throw it. Nobody really knew what it would do. 🤣

[@DanBlewett]

how they do it is really complicated - every knuckler has a different grip but it's mostly about the release, which cant be taught. Had a close friend convert into a knuckleballer in the minors, and it was insanely hard to figure out how to throw strikes with it and to get it to move consistently - his was always naturally good (why they converted him) but becoming viable pitcher with it was a whole different ballgame.

[@phieaglesbw]

I had a feeling it was hard but I didn't realize how hard it actually was

[@ajblaze7028]

Hey I naturally throw a two seam very well, is it ok if I throw my cutter with my two seam grip(but tilted obviously)?

[@DanBlewett]

I mean, you can do whatever you want, but I'm guessing you're a kid, which means a cutter isn't an appropriate pitch for you anyway. I have videos on why the cutter is wrong for young pitchers, search for it.

[@ChandrasegaranNarasimhan]

As a cricketer, it was interesting for me to see you describe 4 seam and 2 seam bowling.🤔 .In cricket you have only 1 seam or 2 seam bowling. I like cricket more. But I could be biased because I am from India. How did I know 2 seam from 4 seam? You said it.😓

[@IslesNation]

Thanks Dan! With these pitches I was able to rack up 10 K’s in my little league game

[@dblankenship88]

Being that my playing days are behind me and I coach travel ball I decided with our current situation to learn to throw a proper cutter. I’ve always had a 4 seam, curve and great change up when I played and have been able to pass it along to my players. The cutter though is something for me to just mess around with but I cannot for the life of me get a large amount of movement. Do you have a more detailed tutorial on a cutter? Great video as always. Thanks Dan. ***nevermind*** I found the link.

[@DanBlewett]

Haha thanks for the comment. I have another longer video on why I think the cutter is very wrong for most players, I’ll link to it when I get a moment.

[@dblankenship88]

Dan Blewett I found the link. Thanks though Dan. I’m just messing with the cutter for myself. I wouldn’t allow my son or players to use it. They are way to young.

[@DanBlewett]

It’s the hardest pitch I ever tried. Without question. Trying to make something move just a little while being straight the rest of the time is much harder than making something move a lot

[@dblankenship88]

Dan Blewett that’s what I expected. If I toss an old man bullpen for myself just screwing around I cannot or as it seems cannot get movement on the ball trying to throw a cutter. My elite level player behind the dish sometimes says he sees movement but I digress being that he’s only 10 and a southpaw like myself and most certainly not a catcher. It makes one really appreciate what Rivera did all those years.

[@chasewoood7363]

Can you have an identical grip for curve and slider and be fine?

[@DanBlewett]

kinda

[@chasewoood7363]

@@DanBlewett Thank you thank you

[@rayherrmann6522]

Coach, just wondering if you knew Gary Bohannon? He was one of ‘mine’ from daddy pitch through high school. Kingsport was his last team. Ray

[@Professor_MemesSquad]

How do grip the ball for a slurve

[@stevenpham9213]

If u had a good sinker, do u throw it at guys hunting fastball?

[@DanBlewett]

"hunting fastball" is just a term people throw around, and it means next to nothing. Every hitter is looking to hit fastballs.

[@Bram.prodzz]

Should I throw a sinker at the age 12 because it looks like I could trow a sinker?

[@brycecampbell4845]

I'd like screwball grip, sidearm options, and a few others...

[@DanBlewett]

sidearm doesnt change the grip.

[@mariothetexan7726]

That 420 slider is my favorite...lol...😉😉😉

[@JamieHall-o2d]

I subscribed

[@4speed3pedals]

What about the screwball and knuckle ball??

[@DanBlewett]

neither are pitches worth discussing because neither pitch is thrown in high level baseball except the knuckleball in very, very, very rare instances.

[@dukelacrosse8994]

wherre were you 40 yrs ago .??! How fun Thx

[@messamurai2658]

A COMBINATION OF A SINKER AND SLIDER AND THROW IN THERE SOME CURVE BALLS ONCE IN A WHILE WITH THE INFAMOUS FASTBALLS AND I'M GOOD TO GO.

[@kargo1359]

I am 13 and throwing the cutter, I completely agree its a very hard pitch to learn and doesn't move at all when your practicing, but my teammates say I have a really good cutter and to keep using because of how good the break is an yada yada, just wanted to say that being young doesn't mean you cant throw a good cutter

[@DanBlewett]

you're teammates dont know what a good cutter looks like, so theyre really not qualified to tell you whether yours is good or not.

[@cullensmith6275]

Took me two months to learn to throw, I’ve gotten good break since it’s very similar to my slider. Cutters are a very valuable pitch to learn

[@peytonsucksatgaming3805]

I’m 14 and love my cutter, most players don’t see that pitch often and always get Jamed

[@keenansblond-bush2754]

Your 14 and your jammin em with cutters huh ? 😂

[@cullensmith6275]

Cutters are very good, not very common until college even. Great to switch up looks

[@trappo2839]

I think I learned my changeup mechanics in like 10 minutes, i know it's not the same thing for everyone but I found changeup very easy since as a lefty ( might be the same thing for righty's i have no clue since i'm not one ) but I can easily throw with my arm at an angle so i still get the spin I would if I threw it over and released it how you would a changeup. Today was the first time I threw it as hard as I can in bullpen and it broke directly at the end and was really nasty. I don't know if this will help anyone but if you can't get the changeup release right try tilting your arm a litttle.

[@fervjhfaerfbugfrugfesfefjh4068]

That’s weird I have a bad change up but the best cutter in my little league. Evan thoug I am the only cutter thrower there me cutter is insane

[@DanBlewett]

what you throw is certainly not a cutter, but your version of a slider.