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knuckleball screwball action of a ball in 3d space. Geometry in motion.
Posted:
Jun 30, 2003 11:56 AM
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Forget thinking about me, dreaming of being a pitcher this is on of
the things that requires concentration to do. That plus there are no
real numbers in it. It is all muscle sense muscle action and timing.
For added thought points their is what are they doing when the ball
does such and such.
In the afternoon after the lunch and sometime to think I will go
upstairs to the 6 floor of what used to be the Gunnny's Building. I
will spend about an hour throwing the ball. Early on I made the
mistake of rushing the ball. Throwing with the arm not the body. The
shoulder must be pulling the arm around for the real fast balls.
The simple motion of the wirst in these thows is important. I case
where speed of the ball is above 80 to 90 m.p.h. Slow is important!
Home plate is sixty feet away. What can you do that will happen in
sixty feet. Your holoding the ball for about seven feet over the whole
throw. If the ball over the sixty feet makes 180 degree turn it will
be spinning backwards. So from your arm all the way back to all the
way forward how much of a turn should it do. Around an eight of a
turn. This will sink as it gets to the plate. Now if this pitch is
spotted, over do it a little it will be between the no sink and
sinking, but will look like the the sinker.
The knuckleball is now all but gone and very unrelyable. One can not
count on it being all that active. The ball usually rests on the
finger nails. The wrist must be stiff and no spin put on the ball. The
laces of the ball our positioned to add drag to the ball, so it will
be move in one direction. The side top or buttom with no laces on it
will move fast and the ball will go in the oposite direction.
Now if you can make that work, it will not work all the time for
various reasons. Tired arm, lack of concentration or just an off day.
The ace in the hole for an off day. My finger nails are rounded so
that the edge of the nails can be off the ball. This throw is like the
throwing of a clay piegon, the ball is going to slide off the fingers.
This ball will sink like a rock. I the player is expecting you to
throw a fat ball he will be in trouble. Phil Niekro used to throw a
ball that did just that. I cannot say for sure how he did it but this
is how I found I could do it.
Never ever say and show what you are doing with the ball. People can
not pick it up easily at speed but is explained and shown the motion
they can. Tell catcher what you can do but not how
It must be magic!
There will be more pitches later.
Space is
where I want to be
Bob L. Petersen
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