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How To Throw A Slider In Baseball

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How To Throw A Slider In Baseball

How To Throw A Slider In Baseball. A slider is a pitch that's thrown like a fastball, but then veers off to the side. A well thrown slider can have the batter thinking fastball until its late break, making it one of the hardest pitches for a batter to detect. VideoJug's baseball made easy guide! How To Throw A Slider In Baseball. A slider is a pitch that's thrown like a fastball, but then veers off to the side. A well thrown slider can have the batter thinking fastball until its late break, making it one of the hardest pitches for a batter to detect. VideoJug's baseball made easy guide!

Step 1: Get A Grip

The slider grip is done by placing your index and middle fingers across the widest seams, while your thumb is tucked underneath the ball. The pressure of your grip should come from your thumb and middle finger.

Step 2: The Wind Up

Proper mechanics are essential to becoming an exceptional pitcher. While sizing up your target grip the ball, keeping it hidden in your glove so as not to tip off the opponents. With your foot on the rubber, take a small step backwards with your other foot to start your windup. Keeping the center of your weight over the rubber, bring your glove and pitching hand to your head. While bringing your hands back down, pivot your foot, flush against the rubber.

Step 3: The Delivery

With your eyes focused on your target lift your knee, rotate your hips, and keep your other knee slightly bent to maintain balance and power. As you lower your stride leg begin to take the ball out of the glove and cock your gun. Your pitching arm should continue swing upward while your glove hand is now pulling your front shoulder towards home plate. Your throwing elbow should be above your shoulder while you are rotating your hips. The ball is released with a loose wrist, in front of your body, while allowing your fingers to stay on top of the ball. Your pitching arm extends out and down, causing your hand to do the same. Your front leg should be slightly bent as, with your foot slightly closed to home plate."

Step 4: Follow Through

As you release the ball your front leg should stiffen so that your leg and upper body are now at a 90 degree angle. Your back leg should swing around next to your stride leg putting you in a fielding position.

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Tips & Comments
  1. kiortyre

    add 5- 10 mph to your fastball in 16 weeks http://pitching.tk/

  2. CCPony

    You kind of forgot something here... like... HOW TO THROW A SLIDER?

  3. Predators

    Gentlemen: There is no wrong or right prescription to pitching. There is only a prescribed set of mechanics to lessen the chance of injury to the arm or shoulder. This video only fails to show how the ball is released from the hand. There are several ways to grip a slider. Some grips work better for some than others. There are also multiple release points for different styles of pitchers, sidearm, 3/4 release, and on top. I would recommend the 5 following things teach young pitchers: 1). Heels on the rubber, lean forward, keep ball in glove as to not disclose the pitch to the opposing team. 2). Pivot, step to the side rather than stepping backwards, keep it a short step, by stepping to the side, it gives the pitcher a more relaxed transition to get to the wind up (load up) position while leaning forward to keep your momentum going towards the plate. 3). Load up, the pitcher wants to learn to get his leg as high as one can, this is where we get our velocity from pushing off the rubber as we fall towards the plate. It is a good idea to learn the hold this for three seconds. The reason for this is while pitching in a real game, a pitcher wants to mix up his delivery timing to throw the batter's timing off. One can do so by just mixing up the count on the load up, and never keeping it the same. 4) Rotation and Separation, very important to keep your hand on top of the ball when separating. Rolling the arm around with the ball on top can promote injury to the arm and shoulder. STAY ON TOP! Keep your eyes on the catcher's glove as you rotate simultaneously pushing off the rubber with your opposite leg while maintaining balance through your load up and delivery. 5). Follow Through, as you release the ball the pitcher should land on his stride leg which should be pointed towards home plate, with his back leg swinging around to the stride leg to end up in a defensive position. Good Luck! Coach Joe-

  4. Madman19998

    This is so wrong,my coach told me to step back,and flick the wrist as your letting go of the ball cause it will give it better rotation and movement. I would rather listen to him than this.

  5. Anonymous

    I found the best and most effective way to release with this grip, would be to snap your hand as if you are hitting a hammer, a straight movement with no wrist rotation. I've K'd 6 batters in 4 innings with that pitch. p.s. stepping back is the way forward....

  7. Anonymous

    All pitching coaches tell me to step back also, so I would listen to them

  8. Anonymous

    Yes, I step back, and everyone loves my pitching. Stepping to the side can throw off your balance, because think of it, if you step to the side when you need to move towards the plate, would not be a good combo.

  9. Anonymous

    Not really helpful, and the guy steps back instead of to the side during his windup

  10. Anonymous

    ya.........it shows you how to hold it but how do u let it go???????