The Importance of a Change-Up in Softball
The change-up is the next pitch that softball pitchers must master following their fastball. For those who aren’t familiar, a change-up is a pitch that is slower than the fastball. As hitters get older and smarter, they will be able to make adjustments to their swing to catch up to speed. The purpose of a change-up is to keep the hitter off-balance. Change-ups are most effective when the pitcher can sell her motion and make it look exactly like the fastball. If pitchers give away that a new pitch is coming too early, the hitter will know and be ready.
There are hundreds of ways a pitcher can grip a change-up. The most generic change-ups introduced to the younger pitchers are the back-flip or the palm ball. As pitchers get older, they may feel more comfortable exploring a new change-up grip. It is very common for pitchers to “outgrow” the change-up they started with. This can happen for many different reasons. The pitcher could grow and her hand size may change. Mechanics could be corrected, or bad habits may form, and the pitcher may lose the ability to throw the original change-up. Another common challenge pitcher’s face with change-ups occur when they move up in age groups. The 10U to 12U jump may prohibit a pitcher’s changeup due to the ball size and distance change.
Every pitcher is going to throw their change-up at different speeds. The change-up speed should always be compared to the fastball speed. Just because you play a pitcher who baffled all of the hitters in the line-up with her change-up that was 50% of her fastball speed, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a successful change-up. Pitchers may be able to get away with having a slow change-up at the younger levels, but as the pitcher gets older, this will no longer be the case. College coaches encourage an eight to 10 mph speed change from a pitcher’s fastball on a change-up. The high school level pitchers and below should be able to get away with a speed change of eight to 12 mph. A change-up that is too slow will give the hitter a chance to re-load and make contact and a change-up that is too fast will look like a fastball.
Another common question associated with the change-up is “what’s a good count to throw it in”? A better question would be, “what’s a smart count to throw it in?” Pitchers, catchers, and coaches who call games should stay away from showcasing the change-up in a 0-2 count. 0-2 counts are becoming too predictable, especially at the younger age levels. If pitchers can get ahead in the count, a 0-1, 1-1, 1-2 count would be a great time to throw a change of speed. Pitchers who learn to trust and have confidence in their change-up may feel more comfortable starting off the at-bat with one. 3-2 change-ups are also deadly if the pitcher trusts in her ability to throw it with little room for error. Pitchers should eventually get to the point where they believe in their change-up enough to throw it in any count they are given.
The change-up is extremely important in the sport of softball. A pitcher doesn’t need five pitches to be successful on the mound. There are plenty of college pitchers out there who only throw a fastball, a change-up, and maybe a third pitch if needed. Speed, spots, and an off-speed are more than enough to get pitchers to that next level and be successful. The teams who are playing in the Women’s College World Series more likely than not have a pitcher(s) with a dominant off-speed. Club teams who make it to Championship Sunday of tournaments who ride one or two pitchers can keep hitters off-balance somehow. The change-up must be the second pitch learned and mastered by all pitchers. Movement pitches are exciting to learn and throw, but at the end of the day, the change-up and it’s ability trumps them all.
