Charlie Hough Teaches the Knuckleball: Part 1
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- čas přidán 5. 08. 2024
- Charlie Hough guest instructed Knuckleball Nation's Los Angeles Clinic on January 14th, 2024. The 24-year Major League Knuckleball Pitcher served six years as Major League Pitching Coach. That's 30 years in the bigs with teams like the Dodgers, Rangers, White Sox, Marlins and Mets!
The knuckleball guru took each pitcher aside for 12-minutes one-on-one lessons. And pitchers of all ages from as far away as Long Island and Wisconsin flew in for the experience of a lifetime.
Here he works with high schooler Beau Huckemeyer from Parker, Colorado.
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Cy Young winner RA Dickey, Hall of Famer Phil Niekro & 24-year MLB knuckleballer Charlie Hough taught Chris Nowlin the knuckleball. Learn their secrets at:
knuckleballnation.com/
*Instructional videos
*Online training
*Worldwide clinics featuring Major League legends
*Personal Lessons - Sport
Can’t imagine being that young and having a legend step down to teach you fundamentals. What an incredible experience for the young man.
Yeah I would have loved to have had that experience lol
Hough is a legend. Had a career that very few people can match in terms of durability and longevity and had quite a few excellent years as a starter. Coached at the highest level in MLB for four years and is obviously an excellent teacher.
and I don't think he realizes how much of a legend he is
This kid is getting invaluable training and coaching. Thanks Mr. Hough for mentoring the next generation.
Well, I do most of the training with these guys but Hough taught me right always RA Dickey and it cracked me into pro baseball without ever having played in high school or college. Hough is kind enough to come around for my actual LA clinic to spend about 10 minutes mentoring each attendee. We'll do it again this January and all are welcome
What an outstanding teacher. Kind and patient. Gets his teaching points across in a nice manner. Legend.
Charlie is a great guy and his teachings cracked me into pro baseball. He taught me right alongside RA Dickey and I later learned extensively from Phil Niekro. Those guys are legends
This Boy is sooo Lucky......Been my dream back in the day to learn the knuckler from a man like him.
This is my LA clinic last January and Hough helps out ever year. I've also put on clinics with RA Dickey, Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, All star Steven Wright, MLB knuckleballer Mickey Jannis, and MLB infielder coming back as a knuckleballer Alex Blandino. You, your friends and family are welcome to attend any of them
@@KnuckleballNationwhat about tom candiotti
How much fun is it to watch Mr Hough teach.
I really feel the teacher watched the student and tailored this lesson to this pupil.
I’d love to see this young man get good at the knuckler.
I could sit here for hours and just listening to Mr. Hough teach pitching. This is awesome.
Mr Hough took me under his wing years ago and I learned the knuckleball right alongside RA Dickey. I broke into pro baseball as a knuckleballer after never having played in high school or college. The first game I ever pitched on a regulation diamond was at the AA level. Of course, Dickey had a little bit better of a career, but I did play an entire season with an average spin rate of 65 RPM and I haven't seen any better data from anyone, so... I got that going for me. Essentially, I throw the best classic knuckleball in the world.
First Chris, thank you very much for these videos. They're terrific! Secondly, Mr. Hough is a national treasure. What a great teacher. Patient. Generous with his knowledge. Please keep teaching.
Thanks for the kind words and I'll protect Charlie the treasure as much as possible
Absolute gems here. Normally, with this generation I'd say "why bother with these kids?", but these kids could possibly bring the best pitch in baseball history back into play. Good on them for soaking in everything Charlie has to teach. Wakefield was already an MLB pitcher and he seeked out help from the Niekro brothers
Wakefield first went to Hough in Florida during Spring Training. Hough said that Tim brought a pen, pad of paper, and a tape recorder. Hough also said that he never pitched as well as Timmy... or as bad. He's got some great quotes.
But the next great knuckleballer is out there, so I'm hoping my small business -- Knuckleball Nation -- brings them the info they need because that's all that's required to make it happen. I've been working with Alex Blandino -- former first rounder and MLB infielder -- as he's currently making a comeback with the Reds as a full-time knuckleballer. He's got a shot. Look out for him.
Learned this pitch all by myself from 10-25 now. Wish I had gotten some lessons, because the amount of people I taught how to allow the ball to sit in the hand and come out correctly comes back to mind so hard!!😊
Thanks mr. Charlie for taking time out of your day to come be apart of my life
Wow! I watched Hough pitch for the Rangers for years! He's my all-time favorite pitcher! He would toss knuckleballs up there all day long and befuddle the hitters.
What an amazing blessing to find this video, and what a joy to watch Hough teach. I LOVE IT!!
I hope this kid appreciates what a privilege this is. That man is one of the greatest to ever do it.
Nobody Better than Hough and Nowlin! This is Awesome!
Looking forward to seeing Beau in LA again
I’m 55 and until a few years ago I still fantasized about learning the knuckleball and making the big leagues. I never played beyond little league.
check out Men's Senior Baseball League (MSBL) and see if there is a league in your area. There is also the Roy Hobbs league though it's not as big. I played for years. We sucked but it was fun!
You still got a shot
I'm about to film my pro comeback at 43 called Project 80-poo on CZcams. It'll be a series where you can watch me transform my middle aged dad bod into pro form with the best knuck spin rates in the world
Charlie is a great person, met him as child in 1972 winterball in the DR. Always been one of my favorite MLB players!
Charlie is a great person. He took me under his wing alongside RA Dickey and it turned me into a pro knuckleball pitcher... after never having played in high school or college
Charlie is a treasure. I loved him on those early Marlin teams.
I remember him as a Ranger. I had his 1988 Donruss card, i forgot he was a marlin.
Imagine if we just get a random influx of young kids throwing knuckleballs in Major League Baseball
That would be wild
Pun intended?
Charlie is a master of the knuckleball. Watched him pitch with TX growing up, he was solid as can be. Best pitcher we had
I was a bit too young to really appreciate Hough growing up, but I grew up in Boston watching Wakefield as much as I could. In fact, I would get on the train into Fenway without a ticket on the night of his started hoping ticket window E would cough up a few after the first or second inning. It usually worked. I've seen Wake live dozens of times and took notes in a notebook on how to throw it. I didn't know what I was looking for back then, but I was obsessed. And he was the only knuckleballer I didn't befriend before is passing.
Charlie Hough best Rangers pitcher ever. Sharing his knowledge what a thrill to see
Great teacher. And this seems like a good kid.
Fascinating video, I always enjoyed watching older MLB players like Hough pitch when I was a kid.
Charlie is a legend of the game ⚾️
25 years pitching in the show and another 6 years as MLB pitching coach... all he knows is the bigs, and he still works for the dodgers
Charlie's my favorite KBe'r of all time. That kid is fortune and it's fun to see him coaching.
Watched RA Dickey his cy young year a lot! Grew up watching the niekros candiotti. I could never learn the knuckler! I was fastball, slider change up! Curve to lefties!
Fascinating watch, thanks.
Very respectful young man. He's very attentive and seems to be coachable. What a treat to be learning from one of the greats!
He's a great kid and comes around to work with me every month or so... he's from Colorado and I'm in LA
Charlie Hough is such a great man, always ready to lend his wisdom
Great dude. He can be a little... honest... when it comes to the knuckleball, but that's only if you're in the pro ranks. He's really great with these kids.
I remember watching him throw that knuckleball when he pitched for the WhiteSox. He was amazing.
This is gold! Thank you!!
Thank you, I hope you'll join the Nation and attend the next one on January
If I could like this video a hundred times, I would.
Spread the word, share, subscribe... I'd appreciate every little bit of help to grow the channel because there's much more to come
It would be nice to see the knuckleball used in the majors once again. This generation needs guys who could learn that.
MLB. com ran a story about me and Knuckleball Nation. It led the site on June 13, 2024. In the story, it details my pro baseball journey and the fact that I was able to work with Alex Blandino on his MLB comeback as a full-time knuckleballer. He's the next one, I believe
matt waldron uses one ;-)..padres starter
@@nunyabidness7547 no, he doesn't. it spins too much to have Knuckleball movement. it's a forkball-changeup and it's very effective mixed into his arsenal, but I want a REAL knuckleball
@@KnuckleballNation type waldron knuckball in the youtube search. i guess all those videos are lying huh. im sure he doesn't throw a "perfect one" but the fact that he's using it how he throws it is impressive none the less.
@@nunyabidness7547 No, he not only doesn't throw a perfect one, he doesn't throw it under the turbulence threshold. It's gotta be under 250-300 rpm depending on conditions to actually Knuckle. I'm assuming his average spin rate is 700-ish. It's a forkball held like a knuckleball. Sure, he squares one up occasionally that actually knuckles, but the catcher doesn't even use a custom mitt. That's all you need to know.
when I was 10 and starting my Little League career if you will, my coach that drafted me, yes we had to try out and the coaches drafted us, I was very lucky and my coach had actually played baseball in the minors for the Cardinals organization. He was a stickler for fundemantals and it served me well in my baseball path. He taught me how to throw a knuckle. Back in the early 70's kids trying to throw curve balls and the like can ruin their arms, this was before tommy john surgerty was even thought of. So he tried to teach other pitches that would not hurt our development as we grew older. By the time I was 12 and I had a really good knuckle ball, as long as I did not chew my finger nails, which was had to do and really pissed him off. but I developed 4 really good pitches, fast ball, he taught me a slider, which I though was a curve but the hand postion and release was much better for my elboe as well as it looked like one of my regular pitches. things we did not think about that back then, chnage up and the knuckle ball. After my baseball career was ended in High Scholl with a catastrophic ankle injury I went on to sow pitch softball and some fast pitch for awhile where my knuckle ball was very prominent. I sucummed to the slow pitch lifestyl with beer and the dugout during the week leagues and then traveling on the weeknds to tournaments. Knuckle ball in tow. Funny, you can make the ball move in slow pitch softball
Billy Loes of the 55 Brooklyn Dodgers used to attend my little league games and watch us play stick ball. He never gave me advice. I got everyone out anyway plus all the adults, coaches, hoboes, passer byes, punks, grand dads, etc.😅
Legendary
Love it ! Great job Coach !
Me or Hough... probably Hough
This is awesome!
There's much more coming in the next few days
Great!
I watched Tom candiotti for years in Cleveland, he too had a masterful knuckleball like Charlie had. Such an amazing pitch
Learning here from one the the very very best to ever do it.
kid is learning from one of the greats
playing catch with the greatest living knuckleball pitcher and one of most successful! The first Florida Marlin opening day starting pitcher and won! jealous!
I host my Charlie Hough LA clinic every January, all are welcome
WTG Charlie love seeng you pass this info on. Man that was great stuff
Charlie doesn't look at this "social crap," as he calls it, but I'll pass along the general positivity shown to this video.
@@KnuckleballNation I get it I'm 76 what Charlie needs to do is rethink this "Social Crap" what he is imparting to these young people is invaluable. To throw and reteach this lost art of throwing this pitch we need him and 100 more just like him to get on any media to spread this knowledge.
I'd love to see the knuckleball make a come back. When your team needs an out, putting that wiffle ball in the face of an unsuspecting batter will a) get a whiff or ground out or b) clear the benches.
Hoyt Wilhelm was also an excellent knuckle ball pitcher .
Charlie was the starter for the very first game of (then Florida) Marlins history at Joe Robbie stadium in Miami, 1993.
And the first pitch was a knuckleball called for a strike about a foot off the plate. You can see Charlie laugh in the tape of the game.
I wasn't going to view this video but I saw Charlie Hough's name!
Honestly, kid threw a couple wigglers up there. Pretty impressive for a pitch that typically takes a whole career to develop.
Finally, someone understands. The internet likes to hold these kids accountable for being RA Dickey -- nasty movement that hits the catcher -- when they are just starting to learn the craft and won't be "nasty" by big league terms for years. These kids are good.
So much wisdom!
30 years in the Big Leagues will earn that wisdom for you. You ever watch him pitch live?
Young man is all over the place. Charlie is being kind. More leg explosion, less arm. Be more compact, with a consistent delivery. If he did those things, he'd throw with more heat and accuracy.
this was a pretty awesome video bro
Glad you enjoyed it. He's been my mentor for years. I learned right next to RA Dickey and his knowledge made me a pro baseball player.
@@KnuckleballNation I grew up watching Charlie Hough, Phil and Joe Niekro. I'm also a life long Red Sox fan. Tim Wakefield was one of my favorites.
Youth we all been there
Great video. Let's all get behind the San Diego Padres' Matt Waldron tomorrow (Sunday) at Fenway Park. Tim Wakefield used to throw a knuckler there and now my Padres need some sweet knuckleball lovin' from ya'll and Charlie Hough.
... hate to break it but... he doesn't throw a knuckleball
Matt Waldron played for NU, he was a great pitcher back in the day and now has elevated his game by utilizing the knuckleball. Im a Coach and instructor and believe that the antidote for defeating the FB first big name schools is the knuckleball. The difference in speed freezes batters and hardly anyone utilizes the pitch.
I would imagine Charlie Hough's time is pretty valuable. Wow!
Fast ballers don't throw knuckle balls that well. Totally different delivery.
Wish we showed more of the kid.
Mickey mantle had a good knuckleball he would sneak in when he played catch to make guys miss the ball! 😅
playing catch with Charlie Hough...
Charlie could really throw it when he first taught me the pitch alongside RA Dickey in Orange County. Despite 6 shoulder surgeries and the inability to lift his arm above his shoulder. It was surreal watching that thing sail in with no rotation. Then his mentorship cracked me into pro baseball as a knuckleballer where I averaged 65 RPM one season (I believe that's the best ever recorded), so I get to put that kind of awe into kids when I play catch with them now.
That pitch always amazed me I think it fooled everybody but MR September
REGGIE JACKSON .
When he was hot ,he was hot ..
Had a friend knuckle ball was so active it was hard to catch .
Charlie does events with Reggie. They sign baseballs together, so he's got a good sense of humor about it.
Charlie's still gotta be chuckin' it somewhere!
In his car. He keeps an MLB ball in there so he can hold the knuckleball while he drives and he tosses them into his other hand at stop lights. This is real.
@@KnuckleballNation LOL what a legend.
Really cool. What about kids with big hands? Also do you keep the wrist locked the whole way or do you allow the wrist to flop like in basketball? I noticed Hough did that at the very end. Snapped his wrist like a shooter would
Charlie has big hands. It's helpful. And there are two ways to approach the wrist. Charlie was taught by Hoyt Wilhelm and then Charlie taught me the loose wrist. Wakefield and Niekro used a stiff wrist, but the stiff wrist is foreign to me. I feel like you can micro adjust DURING the throw with a loose wrist and you can gradually clamp down with just enough force. You have to be mechanically perfect with a stiff wrist because there are no in-throw adjustments. You're literally wrist locked in.
Charlie is like Yoda.
Knuckleball Yoda.
I predict the first woman major leaguer will be a knuckleball pitcher and the NFL player a kicker!❤
Looks like facility where Trevor Bauer filmed his momentum content!
Watch the footage of Charlie Knuckleball at the 86Allstar Game.
You will notice he has a ritual of grabbing the rosin bag then a handful of dirt from mound and tossing it back down while still bent over.
IMO....
This is to keep his hand free from directly coming into contact with the ball minimizing as much friction as possible upon release.
I began throwing the knuckleball since Little League and throwing it correctly since my senior year...
And conscious of what it was I did to throw them correctly.
What makes the knuckleball difficult to learn is it os one of the few pitches you have to make up your own rules of thumb to master.
*if the one's floating around out there don't work for you or you have never heard them.
The most important part of a knuckleball grip is your hips and your big toe.
Your thumb is 8-11% as important as the other 2, 3, 4!? fingers gripping the ball.
One should manifest the abandon of throwing a dart accurately enough to hit any partbof a dartboard from ~35-40 feet away 5 feet off the ground.
because.......one is perfectly conscious of throwing a dart without making it tumble, etc. without having to short arm it or push it upon release.
It's being conscious of where one's particular release point is where one needs to already have the maximum inertia one's arm and
!!!!HIPS!!!!!HIPS!!!!!!HIPS!!!!!
can comfortably manufacture in time.
That is why I suspect he had him throwing them half speed.
To "feeeeeeel......." the release point.
And most importantly.
When someone throws their firt successful knuckleball, one that performs the optical illusion of a corkscrew*.
or takes a wrong turn at Albuquerque then dives straight down like a nail hitting a knot while being hammered onto a post, etc....
STOP
Let it sink in what it was you did on thst particular throw to make it happen. Write it down. Then the next day warm up throwing fastballs adequate enough to make that soft hiss even if indoors but never so hard your going "balls out".
Then start applying all them rules of thumb you wrote down and.....
NO MATTER HOW FAST YOU THROW IT YOU GOTTA BE FASTER AT SLOWING YOUR ROLL!
use the fource..................
its not so much flicking it as it is your thum agreeing with your fingers as they agree with the ball getting heavy with momentum.
Any torque you create with your arm makes your release point shrink to near impossible far as successfully releasing the ball void of spin. One must be conscious of creating torque with their hips and having their release occur as this is st it's maximum potential and or just beginning to retard. A window of ~just less than a second.
One must compartmenta
lize
everything one must be focused on throwing a good knuckleball
and
getting into fielding position
as 2 separate, independent souls.
Like catching a football
then......
running for the touchdown!
don't you hate it when they start thinking touchdown a second too soon then drop it wide open!?
Your hips take 3/4 of the spin off for generating
Charlie talks about why he did that in this video here czcams.com/video/BcSl9CYvzp8/video.html
What is the person doing laying on the floor in the background?
If I mayo, to strengthen arm and command. Throwing throws 12 thru 6 at each increment during your workout.
Long ball toss, using a towel on off days wip like motions fluent. Push pull. Front leg kick knee back coil up with front thrust hip then arm whip.
He's showing you short arm throw at shoulder changes variation. And catch throwing shorting throwing time to second base plus pop time included.
Knuckle ball learn hand wrist then arm whip together. Slowly getting form, techniques then add speed or take away.
Practicing football drills, softball under arm windmill throwing. And
Swimming for repair, refresh, endurance and strength training.
Resistance recovery.
Apt CZcams John donanic pool training.
Williams recommend IBEW local 94 international NJ.
If talk to the dude, let him know said hello
Alright, where do I sign up for the Charlie Hough Knuckleball Clinic? I throw one sometimes but I'm 40. I can't pitch regularly in men's league anymore. I need to figure it out better and I would sure as hell go swallow my pride and take my old ass to a high school clinic for Charlie Hough to teach me 😂
www.knuckleballnation.com
All are welcome
Okay throw me ball, better, better, lets try. Fastball no mechanics we just practiced lol
Tell the kid to put his hat on the right way.
Charlie Hough....Hialeah High School
how cool would it be to get an "atta boy" from Charlie Hough?
I threw for Hough years ago and he called me "Horse(bleep) with potential." It was the best compliment I've ever received. It earned me an invitation to his house where he mentored me on the knuckleball for months alongside RA Dickey, and his tutelage earned me a spot in professional baseball after never having played in High School or College. And I leveraged that pro experience to work extensively with Phil Niekro for years before his passing. So, now I'm looking around thinking I may be the best guy to carry this tradition forward for the next generation.
Did he offer you a heater when you were done?
Kicked those long ago, but a flight over a cigarette is what led him to be a starter instead of a reliever for the Rangers... can't really tell that story on CZcamss
"All feel not power"
It takes quite a bit of power to throw a baseball off your fingernails 65+ mph, so I wouldn't say no power. I'd say less power.
@@KnuckleballNation I was quoting Charlie
@@KnuckleballNation But I do agree with you
Be honrst, need more mechanical delivery from winding up and twisting body working together. Only arm. Which is why he feels every throw twing
Throw to ceiling almost. Okay. Fast ball
Give him a softball ... he'll learn it pretty quick
He'll learn a knuckleball with a softball? Charlie always said to throw a softball like a baseball to find the squared-up hand position for the knuckleball. You have to make the softball spin true.
Ol Hough seemed 47yo when he was a rookie.
These kids are very lucky to have parents who are willing to spend money for them to play a game. Mine wouldn't even drive me to Little League
Sorry about that, bud
Any former major leaguers wanna teach me how to hit? 😅
You could probably find plenty, they work in baseball facilities across the country
Its all bout the push off wiff the fingers....
Kind of... if you push, then the back is likely to spin
getting instruction from the maestro himself. awesome!
Yea
im not listening
He has to get closer and throw it slower to get it down. At this point is too far too hard.
Somone needs to teach him how to wear a hat right.
This kid has a decent arm.
But his motion is violent and he hasn't perfected his release point or body elevation so his fastball is too high.
I would also add it has has no natural movement on it at all.
Its straight and as he faces better competition will get crushed the rare times he gets it in the zone.
Charlie correctly discerned that his current mechanics are not conducive to throwing a knuckleball.
So he had him slow down, not just his arm speed, but his delivery.
And he starts tossing a quality knuckleball.
A decision must be made:
Either he's a mediocre conventional pitcher with a praying mantis herky jerky arms and legs sprawling delivery,
or he decelerates and exclusively throws knuckleballs.
His motion will evolve to support the pitch.
When he throws a fastball, he's just THROWING.
When he follows Charlie's advice and goes full knuckle, he starts PITCHING.
Now, find a girlfriend to sit across from and catch a couple hundred push throws per day..!
Wear your cap forwards kid and show some respect to Mr. Hough and the game of baseball. Align your throw with the bill of your cap, that’s why it’s there
I use the bill of my cap to block the sun and have never heard anyone say to use it to align my throw. But Beau here is very respectful. I'm sure the hat would be on proper during a game... but maybe don't disrespect the game, Beau and Charlie by telling people you don't know what to do through the internet?
this kid cant throw a knuckler what is this
This is a video on CZcams of a kid who has talent for the Knuckler but is learning. It took RA Dickey 5 years. Calm TF down.
@@KnuckleballNation 😂whoa dude. I didnt know you just put anyone who wanted to try to throw a knuckler on this channel.
@@KnuckleballNation the talent for a knuckler lol