Unique Perspective: Pocket Radar

The key to changing speeds as a pitcher is to make sure you are not “giving the pitch away”. This means your mechanics, arm speed, arm slot, delivery, and all appearances look the same on the fastball and the changeup. If a pitcher slows down their delivery the hitter will notice the difference and will adjust to the off-speed pitch. Now when you throw your 70 MPH high school changeup and the hitter knows it is coming the chances are very good it will be hit hard.
I always take the approach of looking for a visible change in the above mentioned items when a changeup is thrown by standing near the batters box and getting the hitter’s point of view. I will stand there and specifically watch the pitcher’s mechanics and try to guess what the pitch was. If I see a sign of things changing I will have the pitcher work on that specifically. The most common changes made by a pitcher from a fastball to a changeup are: 1) slowing down the delivery. 2) changing the arm slot between the two pitches. 3) slowing down the arm speed. The ball going slower in a changeup is all accomplished by the grip. I am not going to get into changeup grips in this article and there are numerous ones and they all need to be explored until you find the right one for you.
Where the Pocket Radar comes in is by clocking the speeds on the fastball and changeup and making sure they are different speeds. This is done after you have made sure the pitcher is not “giving away” the pitch through any of the items described above. A good rule of thumb is the changeup should be 7-10 MPH slower than the fastball. If there is not enough differential adjusting the grip is suggested. It is very important the correct speed differential is achieved. This 7-10 MPH differential accomplishes getting the hitter unbalanced.
I believe the changeup can be the most effective pitch in your arsenal. Having a good changeup is nearly impossible to detect and when it is undetectable they will almost surely be off balance. The changeup is not as hard on the arm either and should be to taught at a very young age, as it is a difficult pitch to master. The extremely portable Pocket Radar system is the perfect item to take to my son’s games and make sure he is getting his speed differential!
- Matt Kiley
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