How to throw a slider

So you want to learn how to throw a slider. Pitching is one the most basic components of baseball and regardless of all other facts, pitching continue to be the biggest influencing factor in a baseball match. This is the risen why pitching has seen the advent of several new kinds of balls to baffle the striker. One of the most effective of all the techniques used in pitching is the slider. Most coaches will tell you to go for a slider whenever in doubt as it is easily one of the most difficult balls to play. Let us see how you too can add the lethal slider ball to your repertoire.

Slider ball is essentially a combination of a fast ball and a breaking ball. The chief reason behind its effectiveness is the fact that it breaks very late making it very difficult to play. Also, the effect is accentuated by the speed which means the faster it is pitched the more difficult it is to play. One of the most important things to take care of in order to throw a slider is the grip. The ball should be held in such a way that the index and the middle finger lay across the widest seams of the ball but not across the centre with the thumb tucked under the ball.

The middle finger and the thumb are then used to exert pressure on the ball.  After going into your windup, your weight should be shifted in the forward direction from the back foot towards the home plate. Your wrists should be loose while the ball is released and no extra force than the amount required to push it forward should be applied on the ball. Everything else is very similar to the release of a fastball except that you would have to use your middle finger to turn the ball. Remember the turn should be given using just the fingers and not the wrist. The follow through too would be very similar to that of a fastball.

I hope you enjoyed this post about how to throw a slider.