How to Throw a Curveball

Baseball is America's pastime, and for years pitchers have needed a secondary pitch to throw to batters to keep them off balance from the fastball. If a batter just sees fastballs than eventually he will just sit on the pitch and leave the pitcher defenseless. The pitcher needs to have another weapon when he faces batters and more often than not, besides the change up, the curve ball is the most used pitch in the sport to off set the fastball. Pitchers are often taught how to throw this pitch at an early age, but parents be warned, do not teach your child to throw this pitch until he matures otherwise you run the risk of ruining his arm and often for good.

The best curve ball comes when a pitcher has a good fastball. The best curve ball comes when the hitter is expecting a fastball. Curve balls are an integral part of the sport and having it in your arsenal is a huge benefit. There are three main parts to throwing a curve ball, and they are:

1. The grip. There are a plethora of ways to actually hold the pitch but some are more common than others. Hold the baseball with the laces that from the horseshoe to your left if you are a righty, the left if you are a lefty. Take your pointer and middle fingers and put them together. Place your fingers underneath the top laces and your thumb directly on the bottom of the ball. Your hand should be in a "C" shape.

2. The arm motion. Most important to throwing off speed pitches is that your arm speed remains the same as a fastball. Keep your arm at the same speed and also just as important make sure you bring your arm right over the top.

3. The wrist. This is possibly the most important part to a curve ball and what often leads to injuries, especially at the lower levels. When you release the curve ball, you have to snap your wrist forward to make sure you get the proper spin on the ball and make sure the ball breaks properly.