![grip for fastball 2 finger grip for fastball 2 finger](https://summersoftballcamp.com/wp-content/uploads/iStock_000007437156_Small.jpg)
Second, make sure that you keep your wrist relatively stiff when you are gripping the ball. They should both be positioned on top of the outside seam, which would make them roughly 1.5 to 2 inches apart from each other. If this is happening to you, you want to check two things:įirst, make sure that your fingers are the proper distance apart in your grip. They think they are taking all the proper steps to throw a splitter, but then the pitch just ends up acting like a fastball when it comes out of their hand. Perhaps the most common issue pitchers face when learning to throw a splitter is they end up just throwing a regular fastball.
#Grip for fastball 2 finger how to#
Here are some of the most common issues pitchers face when they first learn how to throw a splitter. Like any other pitch you're learning for the first time, you'll need to assess what is happening and then fix specific issues in either your grip, windup and/or release in order to troubleshoot it properly. When you're first learning how to throw a splitter, you may come across some general issues in doing so. Let's take a step-by-step look at how to throw a splitter. Those who are able to make contact with a splitter will often hit the ball on the ground, which results in the fielders being able to convert an out.
#Grip for fastball 2 finger professional#
In fact, the pitch was made popular in the 1970s by Bruce Sutter, a professional pitcher who learned how to throw it after he returned from having surgery because he didn't throw with as much velocity.Ī splitter will often result in a swing-and-miss from the batter. The splitter is a pitch that is mainly used by pitchers who throw hard, but being a hard thrower is not a prerequisite for throwing the pitch.
![grip for fastball 2 finger grip for fastball 2 finger](http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/images/grips/pg-sf.jpg)
This effectiveness is why everyone should learn how to throw a splitter.īecause the pitch is thrown just like a fastball, it doesn't create any extra stress on a pitcher's arm, making it an ideal off-speed pitch for youth players in particular.Īlong with a change-up, it is perhaps the "safest" pitch to throw other than a fastball. Instead, it simply dies as it nears the plate, taking a hard dive down toward the dirt. The sharp downward movement of the ball is very hard for a batter to predict because, unlike breaking balls, the ball doesn't spin any differently than a fastball. It is such an effective pitch because it's thrown exactly like a fastball, and looks like a fastball out of the pitcher's arm, but basically "drops off the table" once it reaches the plate. The splitter, or split-finger fastball as it's also known, is one of the most devastating pitches in all of baseball.