Tips For Gripping, Spinning and Manipulating a Fastball

Learn fastball grip tips in this video, with four seam and two seam grips for beginners and advanced baseball pitchers who want to improve their spin, speed and accuracy. 📣 Grab a book, course or shirt 👉 media.danblewett.com/shop
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CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
1:03 - Four seam fastball grip
1:55 - Two seam grip
2:12 - Good vs bad spin
3:08 - How to get sink and run on a two-seamer
3:30 - Difference between 2-seam and 4-seam action
3:52 - Two or three fingers?
4:05 - Bottom fingers and release
4:35 - BAD Finger placement
4:57 - Accidental cut - why it happens
6:32 - How to fix accidental cut
6:52 - Offset 4-seamer grip
7:35 - Importance of finish
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Full video on the two-seamer: • The Two-Seamer Is NOT ...
Full video on the sinker: • How To Throw A Sinker:...
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[@buddyrye9190]

I learned a ton with this vid. Thanks! I’m 45 and haven’t pitched since I was 17. I am hoping to join a 40+ league next year and I plan to get on here more often. :)

[@DanBlewett]

Glad it helped!

[@918Boyz]

Do it!! I am 40 and hit my PR this at 91 LoL

[@andrewweaver8687]

Brother I’m 31, haven’t played since I tore my infraspinatus at 14. I’ve fallen back in love with the game and love coach Blewitts videos. Keep swinging big dawg!!

[@ekeg_]

@@918Boyz dang 90+ in your 40's is crazy

[@ColeOberstBowling]

I mean, my whole life I've used my 2seam fb like a cutter. I don't hold it like a cutter, but I do tend to get a decent amount of oposite hand run. I have a 4 seam 4b as well, but I really like to mix in this special reverse 2 seam fb I have. Very successful over the years

[@tucoblondy1643]

I really appreciate your videos , you have a gift for simplifying complex mechanics that I’ve struggle with for years . Thanks

[@mattwest8146]

Another great explanation video Coach!

[@cnking27]

this is good for throwing in the field, too. I always wondered why my outfield throws in particular would sink, and the only way i could figure out to overcome it was to short arm them to get them up in the air more. I've always gripped the ball like a two seamer (across the seams) thinking that was a 4 seam grip. I've been throwing sinkers my whole life.

[@TreyWK]

I was a picture when I was a kid And also every other position other than catcher. But nobody ever taught me anything about pitching.. never really became good at it. I have a great blood line for it. My grandmother's first cousin's were dizzy dean and daffy dean. The only brother duo to win a world series. I understand that doesn't mean I can throw a hundred mile an hour fastball. But I would like to learn. Thank you for your videos!

[@joeyoon4221]

Great video! Thank you so much! This helps a lot.

[@user-mo1di7xp6q]

That note on why a fastball cuts out of the zone, just really helped me, I've been doing footage review and a good percentage of my fastballs been hitting the outside zone When I pitch I'm very conscious of everything, maybe that's normal, but I'm good at adjusting to my mistakes

[@dsbranch9144]

Great video!

[@30oldpitching]

Thanks 👍🙏

[@oscarbanuelos7041]

Muchas gracias Dan

[@daem3n]

Good stuff!

[@dionf12000]

Love these videos going to get my kid to watch with me

[@stevealmonte3552]

I like the video i've also had problems cutting the baseball with my foreseamer. I found focusing staying closed longer helped. So im more linear down the mound verses rotational. Curious what about dumb positioning to prevent or intentially cause a cut action? I need to play with it but i like the grip you showed to help gaurd against cutting the fourseamer.

[@shawnsilva6531]

Thanks, great video! Is there a drill or two you recommend to help my 12 year old with getting "on top" of the ball?

[@darwindelacalzada430]

Very helpfull foe me as a coach ,specially to my young Players . Thanks Coach Dan 👏👍🏻🇵🇭⚾️

[@DanBlewett]

Happy to help!

[@Saidakine]

I wish I was taught all the grips when I was 10. I felt more comfortable with a 2 finger across the seams I had long fingers even as a kid. The ball had movement but would not cut too bad. But I would have loved more options. This is great for children.

[@BlueWaterTeno]

Nice stuff Dan! (The Dude abides.) Going to pick up one of your books, my man.

[@DanBlewett]

Awesome, thank you!

[@sk-ten]

Thanks for the help I’m a 12 year old and starring pitching if you have any other advice I’ll love to know it

[@NIP28]

G thanks

[@tannermartin3103]

That accidental cut section going back to the old video about the middle finger screwing up the 4-seam. Nice work Dan

[@DanBlewett]

yep - told you I was going to re-do it!

[@davidboatman925]

Outstanding. Now I know why my four seamer isn't perfect!

[@blindjustice_]

Great stuff! Does keeping closed with your glove side help you stay more true with spin axis?

[@DanBlewett]

Yes, and good question. Flying open tends to push the hand to the outside of the ball and can lead to cutting

[@blindjustice_]

@@DanBlewett Ok thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. Staying through is something I’ve been working on.

[@zachallen4895]

Great video! In the last year my 4 seam has started to have run/sink to it and I haven't changed how I throw it and when I try a 2 seam or sinker it's straight like a 4 seam could this be a problem and do you know any ways to fix this?

[@DanBlewett]

just tinker with your grip. hard to say from here

[@zachallen4895]

@@DanBlewett alright thanks

[@MustangSally1971]

The Washington Monument in the background of the intro is a nice touch! Come to DC and you can play baseball in the shadow of the monuments!

[@DanBlewett]

...I live in DC.

[@garettbond6182]

I FINALLY got the answer to why my pitch cuts at random. All 3 catchers who catch me regularly ask me at random if I was trying to throw a cutter/sweeper bc it’s nasty and I tell them it was a fastball grip

[@DanBlewett]

if it's cutting that much - where it actually looks like a slider or bigger, you have a major problem to solve thats almost certainly bigger than just your grip

[@garettbond6182]

@@DanBlewett interesting. could it be from reduced pitch speed? I top out at 65 bc I blew my labrum out in HS and it never came back to the low 70s I used to throw

[@DanBlewett]

no, speed has nothing to do with it. your mechanics and grip are causing you to release on the side of the ball.

[@garettbond6182]

@@DanBlewett I will have to look at some video at tomorrow’s pen and see what I can. Thanks for the info!

[@yolandagarcia9456]

Can u do one exactly like this for softballs. I’m having a hard time getting my girls to properly grip a softball Ur videos are awesome thank you

[@DanBlewett]

its now up on my softball channel!

[@irely9318]

HI coach, I wanted to ask you how I can improve my elbow angle... I keep on running into the same problem where when I pitch my pitching elbow at a 90 degree angle sinks down and I have no clue how to fix that... any solutions??

[@DanBlewett]

I cant really give you specific insights - better question for a local pitching coach.

[@CMontalvo22]

Take a picture or video of what your issue is and I can take a look at it.

[@EdBadal]

Can you elaborate more on how arm slot affects the axis of spin, specifically for 4SFBs? Is the ideal axis of rotation parallel with the ground? If so, how would a pitcher with a lower arm slot create that parallel axis of rotation?

[@DanBlewett]

arm slot is going to match the axis, for the most part. pitchers with better forward extension can "right" the ball a bit more toward 12-6 spin by moving their chest toward the plate, but in general the spin axis will be the same as the arm slot. no chance for a low arm slot pitcher to have 12-6 spin', but thats okay. No one really gets 12-6 spin anyway, 1-7 at best.

[@rogacz25]

I like the idea of a 3/4 arm slot to give the 4 seamer a bit of arm side run, and then to play off that with the slider trying to get the opposite movement, probably makes the slider more effective.

[@htx_carlos4766]

So if I’m theory I was to offset my two seam grip a little to the glove side would it give me run sconce my second finger is longer or that not how it works

[@DanBlewett]

theory is just theory - go throw it, tinker and see what it does

[@georgereisch6826]

Thanks for the videos. I have a 9 yr old son who is a great pitcher, throwing a lot of strikes and good mechanics, except his hands are small so grips the ball with his hand which generates a gyro type spin at release as it harder for him to stay on top of the ball. Any suggestions to try to fix now, or wait as he grows to explain? I’m worried with his current release it is more of a curveball than a fastball.

[@DanBlewett]

It’s probably partly mechanical and partly his grip. The grip adjustments are shown toward the end of this video.

[@georgereisch6826]

Yes, he almost palms the ball and when I filmed a slow motion from behind on my iPhone his grip release was a bit like a football release with his wrist not facing the plate. Thanks for the reply!

[@michaelshea5427]

Wonder if you could buy an adjustable finger extender so both fingers can match up perfectly!

[@DanBlewett]

I think that would be ideal, yes. Or maybe we create replicants like in Bladerunner who have identical length middle and index fingers.

[@michaelshea5427]

@@DanBlewett Exactly! Engineered pitchers!

[@rudivanrooijen7611]

Dan if you're gonna talk about finishing well you're gonna have to elaborate on releasing out in front and pronation. Pronation is a major factor regarding the angle of the spin-axle. Furthermore, perfect backspin (spin-axle perfectly horizontal) is great for fieldingthrows, especially from the outfield or from behind the plate, but fastballs that lack movement are relatively easy to hit. Seems to me pitchers actually want to deviate somewhat from perfect backspin. I agree that being able to repeat deliberately is what makes movement a truly usable weapon.

[@DanBlewett]

Pronation happens after release - it's not a major factor in spin axis; that's just your opinion. I never said horizontal backspin was ideal or even possible; spin axis will match the arm angle, for the most part; I was just demonstrating what backspin looked like.

[@rudivanrooijen7611]

@@DanBlewett the timing of pronation and where it happens in release is not a constant. The flexiblity,/mobilty of joints, muscles and tendons are factors that differ from person to person.

[@DanBlewett]

okay? Im not sure i see a point. The video was not about pronation, it was not about the mechanics of ball release. It was about the fastball.

[@josephmannix5120]

What do you think about cutters because I’m In high school and I fixed accidental cut already but I found a way to throw a cutter that I know how much it’s moving it’s easy for me to throw and control I can manipulate it really well

[@DanBlewett]

next week's video is on the cutter. yours is probably a big slider, not a real cutter.

[@josephmannix5120]

@@DanBlewett ok is it normal not to see it cut I can only tell it’s cutting when I hand cuff my catch partner

[@DeeCeeROKS]

Very helpful video Dan!! I would think that if an accidental cutter moves down and out of the zone, you could move the pitch over to have it break down and out still within the zone. Eagerly awaiting the next video on the cutter.

[@That_Eriksson]

Do all pitches pronate? Never know when I should be pronating... I'm an older guy only playing for fun

[@DanBlewett]

after every pitch leaves the hand, the pronation happens. does not need conscious intervention

[@lavoiect]

I miss DC and North Virginia

[@DanBlewett]

🚨 Buy a copy of my new book for ballplayers here 👉 cleanyourcleats.com/

[@918Boyz]

sidearm 2 seamers be nasty

[@adamt4214]

Ok there's all kinds of reasons for cross seam and along seam pitches cross seam have less movement and along seam will move it all depends on what your trying to make the ball do this is what I was taught I don't know if it's true thats what I was told when I was young just like how many fingers you have on the ball and finger span it just depends on what your trying to do with your fast ball or any other pitch

[@DanBlewett]

yes thats true - "Cross seam" = 4 seam as I explained in the video, so it sounds like you're on the same page.

[@adamt4214]

@@DanBlewett yeah just wanted make sure I was picking up what you were laying down and yes 4 seam is proper term I always said along or cross

[@davidrule1335]

Interesting! Kinda like pool, it should literally feel like you are throwing the stick like a spear at the cue ball.

[@nuttyknwdavibe4559]

my fastball naturally has alot of run on it. ive been told its nasty alot of times and i wanna know if thats normal?

[@DanBlewett]

not typical, but sounds like its very good for you!

[@KoreAmBear]

So do you want max spin efficiency on a two seam?

[@DanBlewett]

the orientation is the only thing that makes a difference. You'll spin a 2-seamer the same as a four-seamer. They're finding this out in the MLB now through their research with pitchers using trackman, etc. Only difference between 2 & 4-seam is the way the ball is held. pitchers aren't able to change the way it spins

[@KoreAmBear]

@@DanBlewett You mentioned on the video that in training for spin efficiency (we're using Clean Fuego by the way) for fastballs you don't unwanted cut. But for two seam fastballs don't you want some cut/run, and therefore you want less efficient spin? In other words, by making a two seam fastball spin tighter are we losing the true value of the two seam fastball which is some arm side run? I hope this makes sense.

[@DanBlewett]

No. The two seamer doesn’t actually have different spin than a four seamer. It’s just the ball orientation. I can’t cite my source because it’s not public knowledge.

[@KoreAmBear]

@@DanBlewett Got it thanks!

[@indyvin1622]

What would be of tremendous value is talking about ‘ARM ACTION’ !! Arm mechanics…. lead with elbow? Etc.

[@DanBlewett]

Yeah I have multiple videos on that...this video wasn't about that...

[@indyvin1622]

@@DanBlewett can u give me a link?

[@jeremymeier1]

Subtle Washington Monument photobomb there..

[@DanBlewett]

my cutter video (release May 3) was even more subtle...it was really cloudy and you can justttttt barely see it

[@JSSSSS]

MEGAFINGER

[@DanBlewett]

lol

[@paully1227]

You either have a fast car you don’t have a basketball and if you’re you want to become a pitcher in baseball and you don’t have a fastball he better be a better develop a curve like Kershaw otherwise finding their sport

[@DanBlewett]

this comment is incoherent

[@bryanrmcnair01]

Pancake sings ditch water tator?

[@jellojoe00]

Little young to be a former pitcher...I guess you didn't pitch well.

[@DanBlewett]

I'm 36 and played 6 seasons. Was a 2x All-Star and got paid to play baseball until I was 30. How bout you, little guy?

[@NWnewguy]

Jeff=rude Good video.