Expert: Chip Aki - 11/24/2007

Question
My question concerns the affect of thumb pitch on release.  How do the different pitches (forward, reverse and lateral) affect the release of the ball?  Can a person choose a pitch based on how they want to release the ball or is a person's pitch determined based on the physical attributes of the thumb?

Answer
Thumb pitch should be based on each persons hand.  If a person wants to affect the release, the pitches in all grip holes must be changed by the same amount in the same direction.
In general terms, forward will delay the release while reverse will quicken the release.  Where this can cause problems is too much reverse will cause one to squeeze the ball and that will delay the release.

Chip