Types Of Pitches: Curve Ball

In this article, you'll learn how to grip and throw the straight curve ball.

The straight curveball is a variation of the beginners curveball and the knuckle curveball.

Thought to be the most difficult of the three curveballs to learn, the straight curve requires mastery of the beginner's curveball because many of the same principles apply.

Now that the pitcher has mastered "shooting the target," (see beginners curveball), he is ready for the straight curveball.

There is essentially no significant difference between the straight curveball and the beginner's curveball except for the finger placement of the throwing-hand's index finger.

Instead of pointing to the target as was required of the beginner's curve, the index finger for the straight curve is left on the baseball and plush to the middle finger.

The thumb-action of the pitched curveball still rotates upward and toward the pitcher's chin while the middle- --and now-- index-fingers rotate downward into the middle of the palm of the throwing-hand.

A pitcher should still think about "shooting the target," only this time it's with the index finger's knuckle, not with the finger itself.

The reason this pitch is more advanced is because now the baseball has to "clear" both the middle- AND index-fingers upon release. With the beginners curve, the pitch only had to rotate up-and-over the middle finger because the index finger was already pointing to the target and out of the way.

However, because hitters at the college and professional levels can pick up on the raised finger during the pitcher's delivery, the beginner's curve shouldn't be used past high school ball.