Ace1
Knuckleball Elite  
Posts 385
Registered 4-19-2003 Location south korea Member Is Offline Mood:
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 posted on 5-14-2003 at 03:52 AM |
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sidearm knuckle
i am starting to throw sidearm and my k-ball is moving all over the place! it is so awesome, submarine hurt my elbow, but sidearm feels really
good and natural, and my knuckler is AWESOME!!!! o yeah i also throw a 2 seam fastball, slider, and a forkball, just incase you were wonderin. o yeah,
is the knuckleball suppost to drop alot, like the neck to the knees?
[Edited on 11/15/87 by Ace1]
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KnucklerHQ-Dave
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| posted on 5-14-2003 at 06:03 PM |
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Sidewinder
Nothing here surprises me. I'd just make sure you can spot one of those pitches with a high degree of reliability. And some good knucklers will fall
off the table like something out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon.
One thing I suggest to anyone throwing a knuckler is to drop down once in awhile. Not that I want anyone throwing sidewinder all the time because
that's a potential danger to your arm, but it doesn't hurt to drop down for two really wonderful reasons:
1. It gives the batter a different look. It fools them, gets them wondering, and that's your job out there and that's an easy way to do it, even if
the ball doesn't do anything.
2. You may discover, as I did, that you'll have to release earlier than you think, which may straighten out a common problem of releasing too late
and getting a resultant spin, not realizing that you're releasing late. So it's a good diagnostic drill, even if you throw it only one once in
awhile.
--Dave C.
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Ace1
Knuckleball Elite
Posts 385
Registered 4-19-2003 Location south korea Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 5-15-2003 at 03:32 AM |
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o yeah, i can rely on it about 96% of the time! and it does drop ALOT! when i throw it fast(about 50-55mph) it moves like crazy and drops about 1 1/2
ft. any other suggestions on how to throw it?
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KnucklerHQ-Dave
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| posted on 5-15-2003 at 01:26 PM |
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Interesting idea
Have you tried throwing anything else with that arm angle? I know you say your speed is fast, but as pitches go, it isn't, really. I wouldn't
suggest a slider or fastball at that speed because to be effective, those pitches usually have to be thrown with some gas. However, once in awhile may
keep them thinking. You may be able to develop a knuckle-curve you could locate that way; that would be a knockout if you could throw it for strikes.
I like the k-curve in that you can throw it like a fastball or a slow 12-6 and still get movement on it, and I found it easy to learn. (Just tough to
control!) --Dave C.
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Ace1
Knuckleball Elite
Posts 385
Registered 4-19-2003 Location south korea Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 5-15-2003 at 04:18 PM |
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i throw:
1. 2 seam fastball
2. cut fastball/ sinker
3. Knuckleball
4. Slider
5. Screwball
i throw all of these sidearm
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kballer15
Prospect
Posts 23
Registered 8-20-2002 Location Springfield Mass Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 5-16-2003 at 12:06 AM |
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sidescrew?
A sidearm screwy? I find this very difficult to believe, not because im insulting you, but because i find it almost impossible to pronate my wrist at
any angle below 3/4. And even if you COULD do this how could you get any gas, it seems to be against the laws of biomechanics.
I Live off of the knuckleball
-Angelo from springfield
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Ace1
Knuckleball Elite
Posts 385
Registered 4-19-2003 Location south korea Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 5-16-2003 at 02:01 AM |
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actually its not that hard to throw! i was surtprised at how easy it was. sidearm: twist wrist down, and then up, trust me, it works
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coopy208
Knuckleball Elite
Posts 264
Registered 7-25-2002 Location Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 5-16-2003 at 09:41 PM |
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I'm not so sure you should go 100% sidearm. After getting used to a few sidearm pitches and timing them down, i think they are especially fun and
easy for hitters to drive into a gap. if your knuckle is that much better from the side, then mix your pitches up between side and overhand. that way,
you will have about 10 different pitches to throw, if what you stated above was true. believe me, and think about it for yourself, hitters would
rather see you throw all sidearm than a mix of both.
i actually incorporated that into my most recent game a few days ago. i noticed that my 60 mph fastball/knuckle combo was working most counts into my
favor, but once the 0-2 1-2 came around, i didnt have anything to really finish guys off. i decided that once every few innings, when the situation
called for it, i would drop down to the side just to give the batter a different look and hopefully surprise him. i tried it once on an 0-2 count and
my it froze him, fastball down the middle for the k. that does not mean i am going to go full time steve reed style, because it will not freeze guys
every time. i like to think of it as just one more trick i can pull out 2-3 times a game.
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Ace1
Knuckleball Elite
Posts 385
Registered 4-19-2003 Location south korea Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 5-16-2003 at 11:24 PM |
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i like sidearm, (not to be disrepectful) i think i can throw sidearm 100% of the time.
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knuckleballer4life
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| posted on 5-17-2003 at 10:29 PM |
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ok...
Hey man, were just watching out for you. I play hockey, my cousin used to play baseball at ages of 10-16 great pitcher, could throw 80-85 fastball,
and a nasty curve. But he threw sidearm. His main sport was hockey, and by throwing sidearm all that long, his 1st Major Junior Game (Top amateur
league in Canada) he dislocated his shoulder. This is most likely because of him throwing side-arm. Just watching out for ya!
TheKnuckler
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canadianknuckle
Rookie
Posts 5
Registered 9-2-2002 Location Ottawa, Canada Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 5-17-2003 at 11:02 PM |
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All Those Pitches?
If you change the arm angle on your knuckleball from time to time you can effectively pitch on 3 pitches. Fastball, Curve or slider and kball. You
have to have faith in all your pitches and throw them when they are not expected. Thats is the difference between pitching and throwing. 0-2 fastball,
or 3-2 kball will keep them guessing and that is the name of the game. Watch your arm. You only get one. Screwball? my arm hurts thinking about it!
How long did Fernado V. last?
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Ace1
Knuckleball Elite
Posts 385
Registered 4-19-2003 Location south korea Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 5-18-2003 at 01:09 AM |
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i am re-teaching myself to throw over the top. i had aproblem where i'd drop down sidearm so i thought just stick to 100% sidearm. my coach got me
thrown over the top again, and taught me the proper mechanics. my curveball is droping from the batters neck to his shin. and my fastball gained about
5mph. the only thing wrong now is that my knuckleball SUCKS!!!!!! i threw it and it land either 10 feet in front of the plate or way of to the left or
right. can anybody re-iderate the rules or mechanics of throwing an over the top knuckleball?
"What exactly is losing?"
"Losing is a DISEASE"
-The Natural
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KnucklerHQ-Dave
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| posted on 5-18-2003 at 01:32 AM |
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K-ball gone?
I noticed that anytime you change arm angle, you also change release point, and probably without you noticing it. Also, if you watch Wake, he launches
the ball slightly upwards, so there's a natural arc on the ball from the lack of velocity. So it wouldn't surprise me if you find you have to
release it earlier. And I'd LOVE to see a 12-6 knuckleball! Imagine one coming down from about 8 feet up. Care to guess where it goes from there? Not
me! --Dave C.
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Ace1
Knuckleball Elite
Posts 385
Registered 4-19-2003 Location south korea Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 5-18-2003 at 02:13 AM |
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ok, thanks ALOT!
"What exactly is losing?"
"Losing is a DISEASE"
-The Natural
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DexterHolland911
Rookie
Posts 7
Registered 6-2-2003 Location Hong Kong Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-3-2003 at 02:10 PM |
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Your curve drops from the batter's neck to his shin? What speed do you throw that at?
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kballer15
Prospect
Posts 23
Registered 8-20-2002 Location Springfield Mass Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-3-2003 at 08:04 PM |
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his curve
If it goes from neck to shin, its probably a gravity ball, at around 30 mph lol.
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KnucklerHQ-Dave
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| posted on 6-5-2003 at 12:52 AM |
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Angle
Just to point up something that is generally not kicked around because I think it messes up the confidence of a lot of guys: Changing arm angles,
whether you throw what you call a good pitch or not from there will probably make it a killer pitch simply because you're obviously in a different
slot and you immediately have the batter confused. I wish I'd thought of just throwing my lame fastball from half-a-dozen angles when I was younger;
I would have done well for sure. Too many guys, though, don't feel confident dropping down, or going low slot/high slot or a 12-6 with whatever they
have, because it feels new, and newness is scary. Trust it. Phil Niekro threw his lame-o knuckler, fastball and slider from God-only-knows what slot,
and that alone made him stunningly effective on a number of pitches that were otherwise crushable by a high schooler. --Dave C.
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