How does a knuckleball fly?

By firing knuckleballs into a wind tunnel and tracking the movement with a high-speed camera, the scientists figured out that the throw comes from a basic aerodynamic phenomenon called “unsteady lift forces.” The researchers report their findings in the New Journal of Physics.

How does a knuckleball move in the air?

A knuckleball or knuckler is a baseball pitch thrown to minimize the spin of the ball in flight, causing an erratic, unpredictable motion. The air flow over a seam of the ball causes the ball to change from laminar to turbulent flow.

Does a knuckleball actually move?

Overview of a Knuckleball

A knuckleball is a pitch thrown with little to no spin that can move unpredictably. Due to its low spin rate and what researchers call an aerodynamic phenomenon of “unsteady lift forces”—likely created by the seams—the ball will “dance” or “zig-zag” as it travels towards the plate.

How does a knuckleball work physically?

The term knuckleball in sporting jargon is used to describe a ball that has been launched with minimal spin, resulting in a trajectory that is erratic and unpredictable. This phenomenon was first observed in baseball (where the term originated) and has since been observed in other sports.

Why does a knuckleball flutter?

The seams produce turbulence in the air flowing around the ball, disturbing the air layer traveling with the ball and thereby producing a force on the ball. As the ball slowly rotates, this force changes, causing the ball to "flutter" and slowly drift.

How does a Knuckleball Work? The Science of the Knuckleball

Why don't people throw knuckleballs?

"It's seen as a 'trick pitch. ' It's not 'really baseball. ' " So, Nathan says, there's "not a push to throw it and teach the pitch at an early age." Then there's the basic problem that the pitch isn't as easy to toss — at least not to toss well — as it looks.

Is knuckleball the slowest pitch?

Although knuckleballs come to the plate at a much lower velocity than the average pitch, they can be among the hardest pitches to hit because they move so erratically.

Does a knuckleball defy physics?

The knuckleball is a strange pitch that seems to defy the laws of physics. Unlike the fastball, it moves through the air slowly and randomly changes direction, baffling batters.

Why is a knuckleball so hard to hit?

What makes this pitch so hard to hit? A knuckleball is famously difficult to throw, hit and catch because of its erratic behavior. It seems to fly through the air with no spin and then break suddenly in any direction. The ball's seams are key to this behavior.

Who threw the first knuckleball?

Eddie Cicotte is credited as the inventor of the knuckleball. R. A. Dickey reinvented his career by developing a knuckleball. Phil Niekro is the only knuckleballer to win 300 games.

Can you control a knuckleball?

But it's not actually held by the knuckles - no one could control the release of the ball if held that insecurely. Instead, the fingertips play the biggest role, and professional knuckleball pitchers actually trim their fingernails in a very precise, specific way to enhance their control.

How fast does a knuckleball go?

But within that trajectory, the knuckleball does move randomly. And Nathan found that the speed of Dickey's knuckleball correlates with its accuracy: Whereas Wakefield throws at a very consistent 66-67 mph, Dickey throw at two speeds: one in the 73-75 mph range, the other in the 75-80 mph range.

Does a knuckleball break?

A pitcher that throws a knuckleball is called a knuckleballer. Unlike other pitches, whose trajectories can be predicted from their speed and spin, the knuckleball is completely unpredictable. It can actually break in one direction and then turn around and break the other way.

What sport invented the knuckleball?

Ramsey's curve was pronounced by experts to be the perfect demonstration of rotating a sphere.” That skill led to one of the greatest seasons in baseball history. With the Louisville Colonels in 1886, Ramsey pitched a league-leading 588 2/3 innings and threw 66 complete games.

Why do knuckleballers wear 49?

In research for this, I learned that #49 is traditionally sought by knuckleball pitchers. Perhaps it's an homage to Hoyt Wilhelm, who wore #49 from 1952-1956 with the New York Giants. Whatever the reason, Tom Candiotti, Charlie Hough, and Tim Wakefield all predominantly wore #49 throughout their careers.

What are the rarest baseball pitches?

A screwball is a breaking ball designed to move in the opposite direction of just about every other breaking pitch. It is one of the rarest pitches thrown in baseball, mostly because of the tax it can put on a pitcher's arm.

Is there a spin on a knuckleball?

By putting spin on the ball, a pitcher or kicker can exert some control over its lift. But since a knuckleball has very little spin, it behaves more erratically.

How much spin does a MLB knuckleball have?

The ideal knuckleball makes just 1 to 1.5 rotations (~150 RPM) between release and home plate, causing the drag on the ball to shift significantly mid-flight as the leading seam of the ball rotates slightly, resulting in unpredictable and uniquely sudden movement.

Is throwing a knuckleball bad for your arm?

No, it's the other pitches that wreck your arm. Knuckleballers avoid arm problems and are capable of far more work than other pitchers (see Wilbur Wood, for instance). I punched the wall as hard as I can with only one hand. My shoulder hurts and made a crack sound and that shoulder feels different to my other one.

Can you hurt your arms throwing a knuckleball?

No, it really shouldn't. However, this is only true if you throw it correctly meaning that your arm motions do not change. The only way that I've heard you could hurt yourself throwing the knuckleball is by shot-putting the ball.

What is the hardest hit pitch ever?

What is the hardest pitch style to hit?

However, the two pitches that stand out to be the hardest to hit are the splitter and the slider.

What is the hardest pitch to hit?

How many MLB players can throw a knuckleball?

The knuckleball pitcher has vanished from the major leagues, an artifact like paper tickets and contact hitters. Of the 617 men to throw a pitch in the majors this season through Wednesday, according to Fangraphs, only four have thrown a knuckleball — and all four were position players.