The Curveball: Part 4

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

We have been discussing the curveball and how to hit it and how pitchers are trying to use it to get you out. Today we are going to discuss some different ways to practice hitting the curveball.

If you think about it, most hitters practice hitting fastballs about 99% of the time. Therefore it is no shock that most hitters are better at hitting fastballs than any other pitch. Imagine if in your daily routine or practice sessions you could change that to 75% fastballs and 25% off-speed pitches. You would make great improvement in your ability to hit off-speed pitches. What I have found is not only does it make hitters better at hitting breaking balls but it actually enhances their ability to hit the fastball and use the whole field. When you only work on hitting fastballs it is easy to develop the habits of lunging at the pitch, not keeping your weight centered, and not keeping your hands back; because you can get away with some of these flaws to hit a fastball. There is no way you could get away with these flaws when facing a pitcher who changes speeds (which most pitchers do).

So what can you do to work on hitting breaking balls? Here are a few ideas for you:

1. Change of speed side toss
Have a friend flip you normal good old fashion side toss; however, he will need to vary the height of the flips. A low flip will get to you quicker, much like a fastball. A high looping flip will be slower and take longer to come down into the hitting area, much like a curveball. Sometimes have him simply pump fake the pitch without telling you. If you can take the pitch centered and balanced you are in good position, if you have commited yourself forward, your in trouble. This drill will help you to feel yourself get to your launch position without commiting to a fastball or curveball and will give you the chance to hit either one.

2. Change of speed front toss:
Have your buddy set up behind an L-screen about 15 feet in front of you and flip you front toss, but rather than just pumping you straight pitch after straight pitch, have him loop the tosses up a little higher with a little spin on it. This will simulate a slower, looping pitch much like a breaking ball and it will get your eyes in tune with looking for spin.

3. Machine curveballs:
If you have access to a pitching machine, set it up to throw you curveballs. But don't set it up to throw the nasty sharp down breaker. Set it up to throw you hangers. A hanging curve is a mistake, HITTERS MUST KILL MISTAKES! The really good, tight, sharp breaking balls are great pitchers pitches. First train yourself to hit the mistakes, if you get good at that you can start working on the pitchers pitch.

4. Live BP:
If you have a friend or coach who can throw a decent breaking ball in batting practice, have him throw it to you. Have him throw you regular fastball batting practice, then breaking ball batting practice and then have him mix it up.

5. Pitch recognition:
Simply play catch with a buddy who pitches. Get about 60 feet apart and have him throw fastballs, breaking balls and change ups to you. It does not have to be full speed and you can do it standing up. Work to try to recognize the pitch in his release point. Shout out what pitch it is as fast as you recognize it. Sometimes you will be wrong...so what. The goal is to train your eyes and brain to recognize what pitch is coming to you as quickly as possible.

I hope these tips help you. Implement these drills into your practice sessions and see your batting average and hitting ability rise. Good luck!

Quote of the week:

Before everything else; getting ready is the secret of success.

-Henry Ford


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.

The Curveball: Part 3

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

When last I blogged we were discussing the curveball and the mechanics involved with how to hit this pitch. This week I want to discuss exactly what pitchers are trying to do with the breaking ball when they are attacking hitters. I believe that if you as a hitter understand how the pitcher is trying to go after you with the breaking ball, you will be better prepared to hit it OR lay off of it.

First lets deal with a RHP vs a RHH or LHP vs LHH:
Generally speaking, early in the count the pitcher is trying to throw the curve for a strike. In doing so they are usually going to start by throwing the curve at you, usually at your waist and let it break over the plate. The idea being, if they start it at you they can raise doubt in your mind and get you to bail out or at least freeze. This pitch is actually a good one to hit because it is intended to be thrown for a strike which means it is going to cross the plate around mid-thigh level. This is an elevated curve that you can get good wood on. (as long as you don't bail out)

Once the pitcher has two strikes on you he does not want to throw you a strike. He wants to throw a breaking ball that starts as a strike then breaks out of the zone. See the final pitch of the world series for a perfect example. By starting this breaking ball in the zone, the pitcher gets the hitter to start his bat, by breaking it out of the zone he gets the hitter to chase a bad pitch, which he is either going to miss or hit weakly. This breaking ball usually starts down the middle and breaks low and away out of the zone, often in the dirt. If as a hitter you know this, you can train yourself to take this pitch and force the pitcher to bring the ball up in the zone. Anytime you get the pitcher to bring the ball up in the zone it is going to work in your favor.

Next lets talk about the RHP vs. LHH or LHP vs. RHH:
In these match-ups the breaking ball is no longer going away from the hitter but actually coming towards the hitter. Because of this, the pitcher has to adjust how he attacks the hitter with the curve. In these match-ups, the pitcher usually will try to throw a backdoor curve for a strike early in the count. Meaning he will throw the breaking ball by starting it off the outside corner of the plate then break it over the outside corner for a called strike. The thought being he will get the hitter to give up or quit on the pitch because he thinks it is a ball, and then drop it in late for an easy called strike. As long as you dont give up on this pitch too soon, it is a good pitch to hit because it it elevated and easily shot into the opposite field.

With two strikes, the pitcher will try to break the curve at your back big toe. He will start the breaking ball middle-in at strike height, but get it to break low and in under your bat. Usually the hitter will either swing over the top of it, foul it off his foot or dribble it weakly on the ground. Again as a hitter you must train yourself to lay off of this pitch and make the pitcher bring the ball up in the zone. If you get the pitcher bringing the ball up in zone you will have a great chance of getting a good pitch to hit.

Tune in next time as we will cover the final part of this series when we discuss, "How to practice hitting the Curveball."

Quote of the week:
The pitcher has got only a ball. I've got a bat. So the percentage of weapons is in my favor and I let the fellow with the ball do the fretting.
-- Hank Aaron

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.

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.

The Curveball

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

On a daily basis I see hitters both young and old struggle with one particular pitch. Day in and day out I see guys swing and miss and wave at this demon of a pitch. I see the same mistakes over and over again and it drives me crazy. In college I majored in History. There is one quote attributed to history that I love and it crosses over all walks of life and especially into baseball. "Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it." In other words, if you don't pay attention you can make the same mistakes over and over again. Or even better, learn from your mistakes. This demon pitch that I am referring to is the curveball.

I see hitters struggle with this pitch endlessly. At the big league level Wily Mo Pena quickly comes to mind. This guy can hit the ball a mile and has tremendous bat speed, yet he is not a very productive hitter because he has one enormous weakness...he can't hit a curveball and pitchers know it. I go out and watch high school and youth games and I see much of the same.

From my point of view it appears that three major problems are happening:

1. Hitters have no idea how to hit a curveball.

2. Hitters have no idea what the pitcher is trying to do with the curveball.

3. Hitters do not practice hitting curveballs enough.

Over the next few weeks I will be discussing a plan of attack for hitters on how to attack this evil demon.

Quote of the week:

"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should accomplish with your ability" - John Wooden, legendary basketball coach


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.