The Pitching Academy

The split-finger is not meant to be thrown for a strike, but to upset the batters timing or prompt a swing and miss.  Therefore, it is best to throw this pitch when you are ahead in the count or you feel the batter is anxious.  It makes a great strikeout pitch.

At release you have to make sure that you don’t twist your wrist.  This is when the pitch can be dangerous for pitchers to throw.  To avoid twisting your wrist at release, make sure that you grip the ball correctly by placing your thumb directly under the split fingers.  (as shown in the illustration)  There’s not much to explain about the Split-Finger because there really isn’t much to it.   Remember to keep your fastball mechanics with a proper grip and it won’t take you long to learn how to throw it.

You will hear many coaches say that the split-finger is very hard on the elbow.  They are right. However, most pitchers don’t grip the ball correctly and twist the ball at release as mentioned earlier.  Once you learn the correct pitching technique it isn’t a problem at all.

Split Finger Tip:  Don’t overuse this pitch.  A good ratio would be to throw the splitter 15-20 times out of 100 pitches.

Famous pitcher’s who throw the split finger fastball very well are Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens and John Smoltz.

Refer to this article often to ensure you really know how to throw a split finger fastball the correct way. Make sure you grip this pitch correctly and you don't twist your wrist while throwing.  Again, the pitching grip is that hardest thing about this pitch.  Have fun!