The change-up is a very good pitch to keep the hitter honest. It comes into the strike zone with the spin of a fastball but the speed of the pitch is considerably slower, causing the hitter to be way out front.

It is a highly deceptive pitch. It is usually brought out into the game plan when hitter's start to cheat a little to catch up with the fastball. This will keep them honest so they don't catch up to your fastball. If they know you have this pitch they will try to wait back longer which will make your fastball even better.

There are several ways to throw the change-up and everyone of them is just as good as the next. For each pitcher they may find one of the ways more comfortable to throw. However, the one that I have found to most effective with pitchers is the circle change.

The circle change is simply that.If you view the ball from the side, the thumb and index finger form a circle on the side of the ball. The middle, ring, and pinkie finger grip the ball on top the baseball. It is also usually thrown with the seams to gain more movement.

The arm action is the same as the fastball and is thrown like the fastball. However, the nice thing about the circle change is you can also cause the ball to sink down or away with a little finger pressure or by holding the ball three quarters either way. You have to experiment with it to get the feel of it.

But once you have mastered this grip and practiced throwing it, you will gain a valuable tool in deceiving the hitter. One of the best in the business at the circle change is Greg Maddux of the Chicago Cubs. And we can all agree that he is a pretty good pitcher.