What is a knuckleball?
When originally developed, the knuckleball was used by a number of pitchers as simply one pitch in their repertoire, usually as part of changing speeds from their fastball.
What is a knuckler in baseball?
A knuckler is a baseball pitch thrown to reduce the spin of a ball traveling to the home plate. The little spin that takes place on the ball creates erratic and unpredictable motion.
How do you catch a knuckleball in baseball?
The way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until it stops rolling and pick it up. As with hitters, the unpredictable motion of the knuckleball makes it one of the most difficult pitches for catchers to handle, and they tend to be charged with a significantly higher number of passed balls.
What grip do knuckleball pitchers use?
This grip can also include digging the fingernails into the surface of the ball. The fingertip grip is more commonly used today by knuckleball pitchers, like retired Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, who had a knuckleball with a lot of movement.
How does a knuckleball work?
A knuckleball or knuckler is a baseball pitch thrown to minimize the spin of the ball in flight, causing an erratic, unpredictable motion. The air flow over a seam of the ball causes the ball to change from laminar to turbulent flow.
How do you hit a knuckleball?
1:425:21Learn to shoot a knuckleball - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBall when shooting a knuckleball we want to generate as little spin as possible. But we also need toMoreBall when shooting a knuckleball we want to generate as little spin as possible. But we also need to lift the ball up in the air. So to achieve this we need to hit the ball just below the center.
What is knuckle shot in golf?
Grass gets trapped between the clubface and the ball at impact, so the face can't grip the ball like it normally does. As a result, the shot flies like a knuckle ball and runs hard after it lands.
Why do balls fly out of the rough?
A flier is what happens when moisture or matter (grass/dirt) gets trapped between the clubface and the golf ball at impact, reducing the normal friction or grip between the two. This will often cause the golf ball to slide up the clubface.
Who invented knuckleball?
Toad Ramsey invented the knuckleball.
Why do knuckleballs move football?
Since a ball is a smooth sphere, the forces caused by aerodynamic lift fluctuate as the ball travels towards the goal in its straight path. These fluctuations cause the ball to move in such a seemingly unnatural way. The knuckleball, however, is not exclusive to just a soccer ball or a baseball.
What is a hot lie in golf?
In this scenario the ball is perched on top of the longer grass and we're smiling. Be careful though as this is a perfect lie for a flyer. A flyer occurs when the grass does not slow the clubhead down through the hit and just enough of it gets caught between the ball and the face.
What is a flyer lie?
Traditional golf instruction tells you that when your ball is sitting in light rough, you have what's called a 'flyer' lie. At impact the grass will come between your clubface and ball, producing a shot with little backspin - sort of a knuckleball.
Why does a pro golfer usually own many types of clubs?
Professional golfers change clubs for a variety of reasons. Some try new clubs to improve their overall game, or to make a temporary change based on the course they're playing. Others use a certain manufacturer's clubs because they're paid to endorse the equipment.
Can you play a ball from out of bounds?
OB Defined A player can stand out of bounds to hit a ball that is still in bounds, but cannot move the stake if it is in the way. A ball is OB only if the entire ball is OB.
What is an Eagle golf?
An “eagle” in golf means a score 2-under par on each hole. This golf term is really easy to understand. All there is to know to get the equivalent strokes you need to target to get an eagle score on a particular hole is the par. As you may have known already, each hole on a course is assigned a par.
What are the three types of grips in golf?
There are three basic types of golf grips: the overlapping, interlocking and 10-finger grips.
How to throw a knuckleball?
Another way to throw the knuckler is to use your middle finger to guide the ball and use your thumb to stabilize the pitch.
Why is knuckleball so difficult?
The first reason is that throwing a knuckleball is challenging to master and control. While the benefit of learning the pitch can prolong your career and be effective, throwing the pitch itself is more complex, especially making it effective to MLB hitters.
Why do knuckleball pitchers pitch?
Throwing a knuckleball pitch puts less strain on your arm than a standard pitch. With the reduction in stress on your arms, knuckleball pitchers can pitch longer in games. Famously, Boston Red Sox Tim Wakefield would pitch deep into games when his knuckleball was hard for the other team to hit. Since the pitch does not take as much stamina as throwing a fastball, pitchers can pitch deeper into the game without getting tired.
What is the difference between a knuckleball and an eephus pitch?
An Eephus pitch is just a slow pitch with a slow spin rate, while a knuckleball has virtually no spin and thus moves in a zigzag formation. If a batter expects an Eephus pitch, they can sit back and swing hard to hit the ball, while a knuckleball pitch has random movement due to the aerodynamic force of the ball, which makes hitting it hard.
What grip did R.A. Dickey use?
R.A. Dickey transitioned to a knuckleball grip a few years into their MLB career. From 2001 – 2006, R.A Dickey would consistently yield a 1.6 WHIP, which was alright. After experimenting with the knuckleball grip, he reduced that WHIP to around 1.2 from 2010 – 2017. The addition of the knuckleball to this arsenal was able to rejuvenate and prolonged his career in the big leagues.
Why do knuckleballs go as strikes?
Like how some calls might not go for strikes, some balls might go as strikes due to the strange movement.
Why do baseballs throw knucklers?
A knuckler is a baseball pitch thrown to reduce the spin of a ball traveling to the home plate. The little spin that takes place on the ball creates erratic and unpredictable motion. The airflow over the baseball seams creates a strange movement since there is no spin, making the ball essentially dance or flutter in the air towards the home plate.
What is the knuckleball called?
Since it developed during a period when the spitball was legal and commonly used, and was similarly surprising in its motion, the knuckleball was sometimes called the "dry spitter". Cicotte was widely reported to throw both the knuckleball and a variant on the spitball known as a "shine ball" (because he would "shine" one side of a dirty ball by rubbing it on his uniform). However, Cicotte called the shine ball "a pure freak of the imagination", claiming that he did this to disconcert hitters and that the pitch was still a knuckleball.
What is the grip on a knuckleball?
This grip can also include digging the fingernails into the surface of the ball. The fingertip grip is more commonly used today by knuckleball pitchers, like retired Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, who had a knuckleball with a lot of movement.
What book did Bouton write about the knuckleballer?
Pitchers like Bouton have found success as knuckleballers after their ability to throw hard declined. Indeed, Bouton's famous best-selling book Ball Four (1970), while scandalous at the time for its unvarnished and often uncomplimentary portrayal of player behavior and coaching small-mindedness, is primarily a tale of the ups and downs of trying to hang on in the major leagues as a knuckleball pitcher.
Why is knuckleball better than other pitchers?
It does not need to be thrown hard (in fact, throwing too hard may diminish its effectiveness), and is therefore less taxing on the arm. Knuckleball pitchers can throw more innings than other pitchers, and, requiring less time to recover after pitching, can pitch more frequently. The lower physical strain also fosters longer careers. Some knuckleballers have continued to pitch professionally well into their forties: Tim Wakefield, Hoyt Wilhelm, R.A. Dickey, Charlie Hough, Tom Candiotti, and the brothers Phil Niekro and Joe Niekro.
How to throw a knuckleball?
As used by Cicotte, the knuckleball was originally thrown by holding the ball with the knuckles, hence the name of the pitch. Ed Summers, a Pittsburgh teammate of Cicotte who adopted the pitch and helped develop it, modified it by holding the ball with his fingertips and using the thumb for balance. This grip can also include digging the fingernails into the surface of the ball. The fingertip grip is more commonly used today by knuckleball pitchers, like retired Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, who had a knuckleball with a lot of movement. There are other prominent knuckleball pitchers like Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, who had a very effective knuckler and knuckle curve, and Cy Young Award winning pitcher R. A. Dickey. However, young pitchers with smaller hands tend to throw the knuckleball with their knuckles. Sometimes young players will throw the knuckleball with their knuckles flat against the ball, giving it less spin but also making it difficult to throw any significant distance.
Why is a knuckleball thrown?
A knuckleball or knuckler is a baseball pitch thrown to minimize the spin of the ball in flight , causing an erratic, unpredictable motion. The air flow over a seam of the ball causes the ball to change from laminar to turbulent flow.
What is the effect of asymmetric drag on a knuckleball?
Over the distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate, the effect of these forces is that the knuckleball can flutter, dance, jiggle, or curve in two different directions during its flight .
What is the grip of a knuckleball?
The knuckleball gets its name from the typical grip used to throw the pitch, with the knuckles either on the ball or hovering just over it while the fingernails dig into the surface. The pitch is thrown with relative ease, and as a result, knuckleballers typically have the least strain on their arm of all pitchers.
Why are knuckleballs so hard to hit?
Although knuckleballs come to the plate at a much lower velocity than the average pitch, they can be among the hardest pitches to hit because they move so erratically.
Who was the first person to throw a knuckleball?
It's unclear how the knuckleball came into existence, but Eddie Cicotte , who pitched from 1905-20, was given the nickname "Knuckles" for the unconventional way he gripped the baseball, and many believe he was the first to throw the pitch regularly.
What does hook mean in golf?
Hook (pink line): Cause — closed clubface at impact. Effect — ball curves to the left. (Note again that we are using a right-handed golfer in these examples; lefties should reverse the directional elements.)
What does "toe deep" mean in golf?
Toe-deep means the toe of the club digs into the ground more than does the heel of the club. Battle scars (skymarks) on the top and toe of the driver from hitting the ball straight up. Tee marks on the bottom of the driver that are at an angle. Contact on the toe of the club. Ball flight is high with a loss of distance.
How easy is it to learn golf ball flight?
And learning the basics of ball flight is very easy — it takes just a minute or two to grasp the simplest, most common explanations for why the golf ball does what it does in flight.". Having the most basic understanding of ball flight cause-and-effect lets every golfer do his or her own coaching. 01. of 02.
