Slider vs Curveball: Which Should You Learn to Throw? 13 Reasons to Consider

[@AlexByrd44]

My 12 year old son and I recently came across this channel and just wanted to say you do such a good job! You have a great grasp of what pitching involves for EVERY level and a true gift for articulating concepts with clear expectations for all the pros and cons of what is being covered at length while maintaining a layman's perspective. Thanks and Blessings!

[@DanBlewett]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@martinez2258]

I’m 14 and I started throwing a slider last year. I decided to go with a slider because I tried to throw a curveball and it felt really uncomfortable so I tried a slider and my slider turned out well and I’m confident enough to throw it on a 3-0 count. Btw love the vids

[@DanBlewett]

thats great. sounds like the right decision.

[@n0rik535]

@@wheelinthesky300 he never said that it hurt his arm he just said it felt uncomfortable, two completely different things

[@src0241]

Always go with what is comfortable. As a lefty I found curveball was more comfortable, able to throw confidently in any count, and I was able to throw it at different speeds. Slider didn’t feel right and was not getting good sink or run. Great vid once again, I wish I found this channel sooner. I use these clips as reference for my travel team I coach.

[@James-ut8bd]

thank you for the help I am doing a school project and it's about curveball vs slider which is beater to throw and this video help a lot on it thank you

[@DanBlewett]

NP

[@notjesus8687]

this is just great. you’re doing a great job. thank you.

[@slundgr]

Very good information in this video for those wanting to learn a curve or slider.

[@eg7194]

Thanks I threw both back then and now I throw a killer curveball

[@PhantomSoldier07]

I personally throw both, I tunnel all my pitches well. Curve ball looks like a fast ball then it has a sharp break at the end. Slider breaks early but also looks like a fastball.

[@PhantomSoldier07]

Both are good for certain situations, if I want a first pitch strike I’ll go curveball then for a strike out pitch either a low and away change up or a slider outside corner.

[@rudivanrooijen7611]

One doesn't exclude the other but my advise would be to start by learning to throw the fastball consistently for strike. If you got that down, now you are ready to mess around with getting movement on the ball. Try out different grips to find out which work. Different people have different pronation in their arm motion which result in different spinaxles and spinrates. A bad habit that a lot of young pitchers show is not getting out in front with their release which makes it virtually impossible to control pitches and prohibits getting a decent amount of spin on breaking pitches.

[@trutwijd]

Excellent video - my 15yo is trying to learn a slider, playing around with different grips.

[@DanBlewett]

tinkering is a big part of the process!

[@blevins25]

My son uses this thought process for a slider; fastball, fastball, fastball then fingers to the 1 to 2 o’clock as he releases. Has a nice sharp late (last 3-4 feet) drop and cut of about 6-8”s.

[@slundgr]

Dan, what about finger length and/or hand size when throwing a curve ball? I met Jeff Francis and he had long fingers that seemed to wrap around the ball when he threw a curve.

[@DanBlewett]

could help but it still comes down to having them throw it and see the results. no sense not trying one or the other out of finger length assumptions

[@slundgr]

@@DanBlewett Makes sense. Does't hurt to try it. Thanks.

[@Yes-or1dw]

Hey I’m 14 and I throw a mid to high 70s 4-seamer, and a true 12-6 curve that I can make some 16 and 17 year olds look foolish, and great slider (for my age) that starts by heading towards the batter and ends up front door to right handed batters. Do you have any recommendations for which one to use in game and work on the other one when ever im playing catch or in a bull pen session. I would also love it if you could recommend which pitch to use to put away righty’s or lefty’s.

[@DanBlewett]

throw the better one. sounds like your curve. use it on both. and develop a changeup - you dont need two breaking balls.

[@Yes-or1dw]

@@DanBlewett Ok thank you and I’ll work on developing a change up.

[@joshs5203]

I’ve been throwing a curveball for about 3 years now. I’ve always had a good curve. This season I lost feel and had to start throwing a knuckle curve. What do I do to try and go back to my grip from last year and find the feel again?

[@DanBlewett]

Finding the feel can be hard; not sure there's any one way to do it except keep trying.

[@slundgr]

@@DanBlewett Dan, I heard Tommy Lasorda in an interview say that he used to put a cap on the ground behind the plate and tell pitchers to try to hit the cap with a curve. I've not tried, but I thought it was an interesting drill. In Leo Mazzone's book, he said to throw it and then spin it when throwing a curve to help the pitcher keep it out front when it's released.

[@rogueelitecs1229]

Hey coach, what grip do you recommend for a slider? I have been messing around with Trevor Bauer's slider grip but it's not really for me. Any other variations that might be better for a lefty?

[@DanBlewett]

I have a slider video - search for it

[@doctorstrainlove6318]

Same wuth me, hands are to small to tuck my thumb.. peep this dudes vid or search marcus stroman grips

[@blevins25]

I have a 15 year old son who is 6’4”. He originally had a high 3/4 arm slot. Starting at about 12 years old a coach moved him to a 3/4, another coach moved him to a low 3/4 and yet another moved him to almost a 12/6 because he is so tall. Of course all this changing and rapid growth led to him having zero control or confidence for nearly 3 years. The coaches kinda gave up on him as a pitcher until rec ball this spring and travel this summer and fall. He moved himself back to the high 3/4 and was locating again with a decent slider, sinker and fastball touching upper 70s. My question is how does he respectfully tell a coach thanks for the advice but I’m good with my arm slot? He’s a typical 15 year old who wants to please his coaches.

[@brooksssssssssss12]

pitch where ever is comfortable

[@massiemickeyd010]

What age do you think is a good time to start teaching pitches other than fastball and change up ?? Meaning breaking balls ..

[@DanBlewett]

14. My video on this is here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fofQiGR_rL59j8U

[@massiemickeyd010]

My boy is 10 with a high arm slot .. Currently I will only allow him to throw fastballs and change ups … His fast ball is right at 54mph … His change up I only have him throwing with the 4 finger grip not shown him the sink “wave” action to add to it later …

[@DanBlewett]

theres no disadvantage to teaching it with the pronated hand action that I teach (here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/npOYqISZfZVno5I) but, changeups in general arent very effective until 12U+ ages, for a bunch of reasons. Fine to learn but really at age 10, it's just about commanding the fastball.

[@massiemickeyd010]

@@DanBlewett I agree with the effectiveness of the change up but it give him confidence having another pitch since I won’t allow him to throw a curveball lol .. And he is getting comfortable with controlling that grip as well

[@lucasxavier3564]

I’m 13 1/3 and throw submarine pitches like Curveball, VChange, and am teaching myself a Forkball. I don’t have to throw it that hard (I throw submarine and low sidearm so that I get movement, and not care that much about speed). If you are trying to throw submarine, it may be okay to start a tiny bit sooner, as long as you aren’t going for speed.

[@mopac8233]

This kind of an off topic question but what’re your thoughts on the screwball? I throw a decent one and use it to put lefties away (I’m right handed) but most people either know nothing about throwing or tell me to stop throwing it and stick with a change up so I don’t hurt my arm

[@DanBlewett]

its probably not a viable pitch at any higher level.

[@willc5924]

man, I'm a beginner and I love your video. after a few day trying throw a curveball with good spin, now I can throw a curve that really moves a lot! my release point is rather hight, say 1 or 2 o'clock, and that makes me harder to throw a slider...could you please give some advice about throwing a slider or how to choose another pitch? merci!

[@DanBlewett]

Check out my other videos on how to throw a slider, and my curveball course playlist - they should help.

[@kaylandadams1735]

Is that Old Bay?

[@DanBlewett]

yup

[@samuelcurtis9656]

I'm a 5'10" lefty. I think I throw around 78-82. What pitches do you think would be good for me? My only consistent pitches currently are 4-seam and a curve.

[@DanBlewett]

use the video and make a good decision for yourself. Be your own coach!

[@slundgr]

@@DanBlewett Being your own best coach is some of the best advice one can give a player, I think. 👍

[@jeremymejia4839]

Hello coach, I am a 13 year old RHP and I finally learned how to get movement on my changeup consistently, should I try to learn the curveball? or wait a few more years? Thank you.

[@DanBlewett]

Stick with the changeup. Learn a curve or slider when you're 14. Devote the extra practice time until then to continuing to perfect your change.

[@jeremymejia4839]

@@DanBlewett Alright, thanks coach.

[@stuffandthingyoutube]

I can’t throw a slider everytime I use a slider grip it always curves

[@garycaldwell963]

What do you thing about a slurve? i throw a slurve

[@DanBlewett]

Sorry, but there's a reason that essentially zero pro pitchers throw slurves....

[@DanBlewett]

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