Why I recommend learning the changeup as a breaking ball for beginners in amateur baseball.

If you play amateur baseball, you've probably practiced throwing curveballs for fun at least once.
However, throwing a curveball is surprisingly difficult.
Softballs, in particular, tend to have less movement than hardballs, making it difficult to tell if they are moving at all.
Among the various types of breaking balls used in softball, I'd like to write an article recommending the changeup.

The effectiveness of the changeup

A changeup is a type of breaking ball that is thrown with the same form as a fastball, but at a slower speed.
Anyone who has played on a batting cage with a machine that randomizes ball speed will understand its effectiveness.
If you're expecting a 100 km/h ball and it turns out to be around 70 km/h, it's very difficult to hit.

Another significant factor is that the throwing motion is no different from that of a fastball.
Breaking balls, which require a different approach to imparting spin to the ball and wrist movement compared to a fastball, carry the risk of degrading the pitcher's fastball performance.
In that respect, the only difference with a changeup is the grip, or rather, the fingertips.
For beginners, being able to throw it with the same feeling as a straight pitch is a good point because it helps prevent their form from becoming inconsistent.

How to throw a changeup

The way to throw a changeup is almost entirely about the grip.
On the internet, various grips are introduced, such as gripping with all five fingers or making a circle with the thumb and index finger.
However, the changeup I would personally recommend is one held with two fingers.
In my case, when gripping with all five fingers, I found that if even one finger applied an odd amount of force, it disrupted my balance and made it difficult to control the ball.

It may look like a palm grip at first glance, but you should hold it firmly with your thumb and middle finger.
Whether you place your thumb and middle finger on the seams is up to you; just use whatever grip feels comfortable.
(In my case, I put my thumb there.)

With this grip, I throw the ball by swinging my arm firmly, just like I would with a straight pitch.
If you're still throwing too fast, try changing your grip, perhaps by switching fingers, to one that transfers less power.
The important thing is to throw with the genuine intention that you are throwing a straight pitch.
If you relax your form or your arm swing becomes sluggish, it's not a changeup, it's just a slow ball.

Side effects of the changeup

If you look closely at the image I showed earlier, you can see that I was forced to play catch with this grip because I injured the tip of my index finger.
I wanted to practice throwing a regular straight pitch, so I focused on keeping my fingers upright and throwing with the same force as a straight pitch.
Then the catcher said to me, "Your arm swing is incredible, but the ball never comes to you," sounding like he was having a really hard time catching it.
In my case, I found it fairly easy to control, so I thought it might be usable, and it became a viable changeup.
It slides slightly as it drops, so it looks like it's moving away from right-handed batters.

To digress slightly, one of the side effects of throwing a changeup is that it also improves your fastball.
You really have to swing your arm properly to reach the catcher, so it helps you focus on swinging correctly.
Therefore, when I throw a straight pitch, I can throw a strong one, so I feel like there's a synergistic effect between the two.
Nowadays, I even throw it during catch practice to check if I'm swinging my arm properly.

summary

Those are the reasons why I recommend making a change, based on my own experience.
If you're finding it difficult to master curveballs and other pitches with slower balls, why not give this a try?
In summary, here are the reasons why I recommend it:

Varying the speed of the pitches is effective against batters.
- Since it's thrown with the same motion as a fastball, it's less likely to break down your form.
- It helps you become more conscious of swinging your arm properly, which has a synergistic effect as it also improves your straight pitches.