How to Throw a Proper Curveball

Baseball is known as America’s pastime and has been around for many years, and over these years has come various changes and additions to the game. In the pitching aspect of the game, new pitches have been invented which in turn make the batting aspect of the game change its approach. One of the most important pitches a pitcher will ever learn, besides his fastball, is the curveball. A curveball is an excellent way to throw off a hitter’s timing, force the hitter to hit a dinky ground ball or pop fly, or to simply get another strike on the count as the hitter freezes up and you sit back and watch your sneaky work. A common problem with the curveball is that it is taught improperly and/or too soon to young pitchers. A properly thrown curveball causes enough stress on the elbow and shoulder, so learning the proper technique is imperative to minimizing the chance of injury. In this article addressed to the mediocre to higher level of pitchers who have already learned the basics of pitching mechanics, you will learn to throw a proper curveball if you follow these steps.

First off the only materials needed are a baseball and a baseball glove (two if you have a catcher.) Now you cannot exactly throw a curveball if you do not know how to hold the ball, so the grip is the first thing you will learn. Take the baseball and hold it so that the red seams you are looking at looks like a “horseshoe.” With your throwing hand take your index finger and middle finger and place them on the inside of the horseshoe while applying pressure and keeping your fingers as close as possible to increase that pressure. Have your ring finger and pinkie finger resting underneath the ball for support, and the side of your thumb resting directly on top of the seam diagonally across on the ball. Now that you know the proper grip you may begin to practice the pitch.

Before ever pitching from a mound you must warm up your arm! Begin by slightly tossing the ball back and forth with a partner to warm up your arm, gradually increasing distance and velocity of the ball to avoid hurting your arm. Once warmed up you may now attempt the motions of throwing the curveball. The mechanics of throwing a curveball do not differ much from those of throwing a fastball. You wind up normally as if you would throw a fastball, and you do not slow down your arm speed which is a common misconception (doing so will cause the pitch to “hang” and most likely results in the hitter kissing the ball good bye.) After winding up, your throwing arm must form a c-shape with your palm facing inwards and the ball over your head. Once your arm is in the right position, you move it in a similar manner to that of pulling down a window shade which should feel like you are “throwing the ball over a barrel.” With the mechanics down, you may now move on to the actual delivery of the curveball.

It is extremely important to keep your arm angle the same until the ball has been removed from your glove and is ready to be released, or the batter might be able to pick up on the incoming pitch. When releasing the ball, keep your wrist cocked and rotated toward your body, keeping the ball and the palm of your hand facing toward you. Keep your elbow from dropping below your shoulder as this will cause not only unnecessary strain on your elbow but also the ball to land straight in the dirt well before home plate. Continue with the motion of pulling down a lampshade, keeping the pressure on the ball that was discussed earlier, and turn your wrist down as you release the ball out in front of you. DO NOT snap your wrist! This is also a very common misconception and is easily the fastest way to earn your spot on the disabled list. Some say the ball will not curve without the snap of the wrist, but it is actually the arm motion and pressure on the ball, which create topspin, that causes the ball to “curve.” It takes a lot of time and a lot of practice to find the correct release point of this pitch, but once perfected the ball will drop below the hitter’s bat as if it dropped right off of a table. Picture a clock and the positions of 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock; great curveballs are described as “12 to 6,” meaning the ball falls directly from 12 to 6.

The final step to the curveball is the follow-through. The follow-through is important for three things: it safely stops your arm from the acceleration used to throw the ball, it keeps you from slowing down your arm too soon and allowing the ball to “hang” high in the strike zone, and it positions your body in the perfect fielding stance. After throwing the ball is when the follow-through should be executed. Your arm should continue its motion downward and slightly across your body, allowing for your torso and hip opposite your throwing arm to stop your arm. While doing this your back leg (the one touching the pitcher’s mound) should swing forward, squaring your shoulders up to home plate, and your back should also be bent over, putting you into an athletic stance and your glove hand out in front to field any ball hit back to you.

The curveball is a very easy pitch to learn the concepts of but takes much practice to perfect. A single flaw in the grip or mechanics can cause the pitch to hang or dive straight into the dirt. It can also pose serious injury to the shoulder, elbow or wrist, so it is extremely important to learn the right way to throw the pitch. Once perfected though and used at the right times, it can make a pitcher literally unhittable, therefore being one of the pitcher’s most valuable tools.