The Curveball: Part 2

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

I commented in my previous blog about the curveball and the "demon" that it can be for hitters both young and old. I see hitters making the same mistakes over and over again and they never make any adjustments. So I thought to myself, maybe they don't make an adjustment because they don't know what adjustment to make. Last week I listed the three major problems I see happening with hitters and curveballs. Today, we are going to deal with Point 1, hitters have no idea how to hit a curveball.

First, ask yourself how do I hit a fastball? Do you lunge at the fastball and hit it with your weight out on your front foot or do you stay centered? Do you pull everything or are you able to spray the ball all over the field based on where the ball is pitched? If you are a guy who pulls everything and has a tendency to jump out at the fastball you probably really struggle to hit curveballs (see Wily Mo Pena). So the first thing you must be able to do is load your hands and take your stride getting to a neutral position. This means that your hands are back, your stride foot is down and closed, and your body weight is centered.

This position allows the hitter to react and handle any pitch that is thrown at him. If you are not able to get to this position before swinging the bat you will have a tough time hitting anything off-speed.

Next, once you are able to get to this position consistently, you must be able to hold it for an extra split second. When hitting the fastball the sequence is load-stride-swing. When hitting the curveball it should be load-stride-pause-swing. The pause is necessary because the breaking ball is going to be slower than the fastball, usually by 8 to 12 mph. This pause allows you to hold your launch position a split second longer giving the ball time to reach the hitting zone, where you can drive it. Players who are not able to reach this position and hold it, are players who lunge at the ball and get out in front, usually rolling their wrists over the ball and grounding out or popping up weakly.

These two tips will help you not only hit the curveball better but will give you the chance to hit the change up AND the fastball better. One of these is purely a mechanical fix and the other requires that you be patient and allow the game to come to you.

There are many ways to work on this but here are two that you can try at home:

1. Hit off a batting tee. Work to reach the good load-stride position. Pause in that spot for a moment or two, then swing. This will help you feel the position that you should be getting into and it will help you feel the pause.

2. Do side toss. Have a coach, friend, or parent flip you balls and occasionally have them pump fake the toss without you knowing. When they pump fake you, your weight should stay centered. If you are not you have started to commit your swing and you have no chance to hit an off speed pitch. After getting good at this, have your tosser do the same thing but when they pump fake, hold your position and then have them toss it. This will get you to hold your launch position and wait for the ball to come to you.

Try those few drills out and see how they work for you. Stay patient as it takes some time. Tune in next week when we will cover: "What the pitching is trying to do to you with the curveball."


Matt Schilling is the Senior Director of On-Field Instruction at Baseball Factory. Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.