Throwing a curve ball is one of the most popular pitched in the sport of baseball. The curve of the ball allows you to throw the batter off to better your chances of getting a strike. While everyone has their own take on how to throw a curve ball, we are going to look at one of the most common ways to practice your curve ball throw.

To practice, you are going to of course need a baseball and preferably a friend who can catch and throw the ball back to you. Alternatively, you can use a bucket of baseballs and a catching net.

When pitching a baseball, your grip is going to be the one of the most important components when it comes to executing different types of throws. For a curve ball, you are going to position the baseball between your middle finger and your thumb. Lay your middle finger on the bottom seam of the ball and allow your thumb to rest on the back seam. Your index finger will be left off the ball and used to point where you want the ball to go.Grip the ball with the seam curves close to your palm. For example, let one seam ret on the top of your palm and the other seam rest on the bottom of your palm.If you are right handed, your middle finger will be placed on the right seam which should be on top and your thumb should be on the bottom, resting on the left seam. If you are left handed, simply reverse this.

Many baseball players, not just pitchers, know the tale-tale signs of a curve ball. If they spot your fingers placed in the curve ball position on a baseball before you pitch, they can adjust their stance to accommodate the trick throw. To prevent this, you will want to keep your grip hidden behind your baseball glove. This can be achieved by practicing bringing the ball and your glove up during your windup to keep your curve ball a secret from the batter.

The Windup & ThrowThrowing a curveball is 50% grip and 50% throw. Accurately winding up and knowing where to plant your feet is crucial to executing a good pitch. To throw a curveball, you are going to want to put your dominant foot on the pitcher’s mound rubber. Lift the opposite knee up to your chest and then rotate your hips in a forward motion as you go to throw the ball. At this point, your elbow and arm should be level while being bent at a 90 degree angle. This is going to be very similar to throwing a fastball.

During the throw, you are going to want to keep your pitching palm facing inward towards you. As you step forward with your opposite foot, release the baseball once your arm extends, ensuring that your arm comes in a downward motion toward your opposite hip. 

One of the most important things to remember is to ensure that you are not moving your throwing hand in an arc, but rather snapping it quickly from the top to bottom. 

As you release the ball, you are going to want to rotate your thumb in an upward motion while rotating your middle finger down, similar to snapping your middle finger and thumb together. The baseball will travel in the direction that your middle finger is pointing to.

In order to create more resistance between the seam and your middle finger, try to release the ball as close to your body as you can. This is referred to as “short arming”.

Now that you have gotten down the basic curve ball, repeat this process until you have it down. The curve ball can be a tricky pitch for most to learn and you will only get better with time. If you are having difficulty achieving the spin, remember that you need to snap the ball and curve it when you release.