The 4 Seam Fastball: First... let's get this question outta 'da way...
Does a four-seam fastball rise?
"No," says Bill James, author of the The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers.
Bill James: A fastball can't rise unless it's thrown underhand. But if you throw the fastball overhand with enough force, it will appear to rise because it's not dropping as much as the batter's brain thinks it should.
Hitter: Uh... What? What!! Well... okay... whatever you say big fella...
Hey Bill... You ever stand in there against Justin Verlander?
Okay... geeze... I'm better now!
How To Grip And Throw The Four Seam Fastball
Four-seam fastball
To grip the four seam fastball, place your index and middle fingertips directly on the perpendicular seam of the baseball.
The "horseshoe seam" should face into your ring finger of your throwing hand (as shown in the picture on the left).
We call it the horseshoe seam simply because the seam itself looks like the shape of a horseshoe.
Next, place your thumb directly beneath the baseball, resting on the smooth leather (as shown in the picture on the right). Ideally, you should rest your thumb in the center of the horseshoe seam on the bottom part of the baseball.
Grip this pitch softly, like an egg, in your fingertips.
A loose grip minimizes "friction" between your hand and the baseball. The less friction, of course, the quicker the baseball can leave your hand.
There should be a "gap" or space between the ball and your palm (as shown in the middle picture). This is the key to throwing a good, hard four-seam fastball with maximal backspin and velocity:
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| ARM SPEED, HAND SPEED, PULL DOWN AND ACROSS, FLAT BACK, SHOE BOTTOM TO SKY |
Work on and use your arm speed and hand speed!
When done properly... your arm should pull across your "strike foot" leg, head and eyes up, flat "table top" back and bottom of shoe to sky!
It's FREE!
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