1. No Spin Zone
Even though they call it a knuckle ball, you do not necessarily throw the pitch with the knuckles. The pitcher usually grips the baseball by the tips of the index finger and the ring finger, kind of like a claw grip if you are familiar with wrestling. You can talk to 10 knuckle-ball pitchers and get 10 different answers regarding the proper way to grip the baseball on the pitch. No matter what the specific grip, the goal of the knuckle-ball pitch is to have as little spin as possible as it leaves your hand. Wind resistance makes the pitch move in an unpredictable manner.
2. Mechanics
Some mechanics of the knuckle ball are imperative to throw the pitch properly. For instance, keeping a stiff wrist when you throw the knuckle ball helps to limit the amount of spin on the pitch. If the wrist is loose, the baseball will have spin, and the knuckle ball should have as little spin as possible when it leaves the hand. The follow-through on the pitch is also shorter than a conventional baseball pitch. It is almost as if you are lobbing the knuckle ball to the plate, but with the same overall pitching mechanics.
3. A Shove not a Throw
The knuckler or knuckle ball goes against the conventional baseball arm motion. When using the knuckle ball, you don't want to use the same overhand pitching motion. It is more of a push pitch, where you extend the fingers of the pitching hand forward along with the arm to push the pitch towards the plate. This limits the amount of spin on the pitch, and again, the ultimate goal of the knuckle ball is no spin at all.
4. Patience is a Virtue
Throwing a knuckle ball is more art than science. It can takes years for a player to master this pitch, and as most any knuckle-ball pitcher will tell you, even then it is never totally tamed. Along with being the most difficult to master, it is the most inconsistent pitch in baseball. One day a pitcher can throw it well, and the next day, they will have no control over it.
5. The Catcher's Worst Enemy
The knuckle ball is without a doubt the toughest pitch for a catcher to receive. If the pitcher throws the knuckle ball correctly, even they do not know where it is going to end up at the plate. Therefore, it is impossible for a catcher to know, and they will spend most of their time diving and reaching for the knuckle ball. In professional baseball, teams that have a knuckle-ball pitcher will often assign a personal catcher to that knuckle-ball pitcher because even professional catchers have a difficult time catching this pitch.
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