The most underused and underrated pitch in youth baseball is the change-up. A good change-up is often more difficult to hit than a curveball because it has the same spin as a fastball (and thus isn't recognized as quickly as an off-speed pitch). Throwing a change-up effectively takes hard work. It must be included during warm-ups and thrown often to keep the "feel" of the pitch if it is to be controlled and thrown with confidence.

There are several ways to throw a change-up. Each of these ways requires using the same arm speed that is used when throwing a fastball. Slowing the ball down (about 15 percent) is accomplished by using a different grip on the ball - not by throwing slower.

1. Circle change - the circle change gets its name because the thumb and index finger form a circle, which make contact with the ball on the seams. The circle is placed on the side of the ball and the seams are turned so that they are in contact with both the thumb and index finger (the circle part of the seams). The other three fingers are placed on top of the ball with the pads in contact with the seams as well (the ball must be rotated to achieve this contact). Thus, the throwing hand is turned inward when throwing this pitch.

2. Back-in-palm change - A common way of throwing a change-up is to simply push the ball back into the palm and thus eliminating contact of the finger pads on the seams.

3. Stiff-wrist change - In my opinion, one of the easier ways for a young pitcher to throw a change is to hold the ball just like a fastball and throw it without snapping the wrist. By keeping the wrist stiff and letting the ball roll off the fingertips early, various slower speeds can be achieved while maintaining the arm speed of a fast ball. This takes a lot of practice to get the feel of where the ball is going when released early.

Most young pitchers miss high when throwing a change-up. I often tell my pitchers to aim this pitch at the plate (at least until they master it). Also, make sure a young pitcher understands that we want the batter to hit the ball off balance. They shouldn't think of a change as a strike out pitch. They should also learn to come inside with their fastball after throwing a change. This may be their first lesson in setting up a hitter.