Finger pressure

[Hillhouse]

Having a little difficulty seeing your grip in that 8 track era video

Can you give us more details on how you held the ball.

Like a regular drop, across the horseshoe so all 4 seams cut the wind. Nothing special about it. I just squeezed with my index finger. That's it. Nothing else.

 

[NJSwampdragons]

He’s my 11 year-old DD’s “cutter.” She throws it the same speed as her FB. Uses a 2 seam grip, but I think it’s just as much about palm orientation as it is finger pressure or grip.

 

[Bonesaw]

Like a regular drop, across the horseshoe so all 4 seams cut the wind. Nothing special about it. I just squeezed with my index finger. That's it. Nothing else.

Just to clarify, and correct me if I'm wrong, you used index pressure to run in on a righty? How would you run it in on a lefty? And I dont agree with those announcers body shaming you...

 

[ArmWhip]

He’s my 11 year-old DD’s “cutter.” She throws it the same speed as her FB. Uses a 2 seam grip, but I think it’s just as much about palm orientation as it is finger pressure or grip.

Looks like a rollover curve to me. The spin will tell you whether it's 'cut' or not. If it's side spin, which I think it is, then it's a curve. Whatever it is it has a nice amount of break to it. It's good to be clear about exactly how you throw it and how it spins. With that in mind can anyone tell me exactly how these 'cut' fastballs spin to get the break they get? Do they possibly have a little, dare I say it, bullet spin mixed in?

 

[NJSwampdragons]

Looks like a rollover curve to me. The spin will tell you whether it's 'cut' or not. If it's side spin, which I think it is, then it's a curve. Whatever it is it has a nice amount of break to it. It's good to be clear about exactly how you throw it and how it spins. With that in mind can anyone tell me exactly how these 'cut' fastballs spin to get the break they get? Do they possibly have a little, dare I say it, bullet spin mixed in?

I hate to call it a curve, because she isn’t doing any spinning with her fingers. But maybe there is more than one way to throw a curve?
It’s more, palm faces catcher for drop, palm faces more towards 3rd for “cutter” or “curve”. They are just FB variations.

 

[Hillhouse]

Just to clarify, and correct me if I'm wrong, you used index pressure to run in on a righty? How would you run it in on a lefty? And I dont agree with those announcers body shaming you...

I was a thin 21 yr old, what can I say?

I would NEVER make it run in on a lefty. Why? Because anytime the ball is going over the plate is potentially bad. I wouldn't want to take unnecessary risks. If I want the ball down and in on a lefty, I throw an inside drop. I don't want to get cute with trying to making it cut. Similarly I think the "drop curve" in this situation is equally dangerous. Oh... I know.... I'll get a host of replies about how so and so's kid has the world's best drop curve and it's her best pitch. If so, God Bless. Until one day when you're in a 0-0 game in the 8th inning and one of those extra special pitches doesn't move like it's supposed to and hangs over the middle.

 

[mmeece]

I hate to call it a curve, because she isn’t doing any spinning with her fingers. But maybe there is more than one way to throw a curve?
It’s more, palm faces catcher for drop, palm faces more towards 3rd for “cutter” or “curve”. They are just FB variations.

My dd had a great deal of success using these same types of variations on her drop. Have her work on keeping the palm orientation for the drop but moving her fingers more towards 3B for the same type of action she gets on her cutter or fingers more towards her thigh to run away from a lefty.

 

[ArmWhip]

I hate to call it a curve, because she isn’t doing any spinning with her fingers. But maybe there is more than one way to throw a curve?
It’s more, palm faces catcher for drop, palm faces more towards 3rd for “cutter” or “curve”. They are just FB variations.

It doesn't matter how she holds it or how she throws it, the first thing you have to know is how it spins. Once you know the spin then you know what type of pitch it is. And from the spin you should be able to reverse engineer it and determine how she throws it. From the video the ball breaks left and possibly down a little which means it must have some degree horizontal spin, a curve. The pitch can be found somewhere here. (This video comes on at the end, you have to rewind it.)

 

[Fury_Mike]

I agree with Pauly, you don't use finger 'pressure', you use finger placement (or grip).

I disagree with that, and it does not sound like something Rick would embrace.

 

[Fury_Mike]

Having a little difficulty seeing your grip in that 8 track era video

Can you give us more details on how you held the ball.

If you look at the pictures I provided, both of them use increased middle finger pressure, and the first one also takes thumb pressure off at release,