What Is The 'Death Ball' And How Do You Throw It?

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The "death ball" is a classification for a breaking ball that has a unique combination of velocity, depth, and minimal gloveside movement. The shape has been around for years, but being able to develop it is the next frontier.

Performance Specialist Tyler Zombro breaks down what it is, who can throw it, and how to throw it.
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What is Tread? A message from Tread’s Co-Founder, Ben Brewster

If you’re new to this channel, my name is Ben Brewster, and since 2015 my partner Coan and I have run Tread Athletics, a remote pitching development company that has impacted thousands of high school, college and professional pitchers’ careers.

Here's my story: at 15, I was just a driven but naive kid with a dream of playing at the highest level. This took me down a wild path, that included:

-Getting cut from travel teams and throwing low 70s as a 6’3” 155lb freshman.
-Being unrecruited out of high school (seriously, not a single offer to pitch in college).
-Landing a walk-on spot at the University of Maryland & earning a degree in Exercise Science.
-Getting drafted by the Chicago White Sox and throwing 98+ mph from the left side.
-Pushing through 5 surgeries in my late 20’s, despite people telling me to throw in the towel.

Seeing that very few pitchers, like myself, had access to the types of instructors and information locally that would truly make a difference in their careers, Tread’s remote coaching was born.

Today: Tread oversees the development of over 1,500 amateur and 500+ pro pitchers around globe (check out our interactive athlete map it’s pretty cool), and has become home to over 50 of the top Pitching coaches in the world.

Our staff operates out of a 33,000 square foot training facility in Charlotte, NC that includes one of the top private Pitching Labs, a PhD-led biomechanics team, world-class medical staff & more, as we work to lead the charge on building better, healthier pitchers.

While my own playing career has been defined by more setbacks than successes, these personal struggles give me a crystal clear perspective that Tread isn't just about building superior pitchers – it's about fighting towards a shared dream; whether that means making your high school team, landing a college scholarship, signing a pro contract or debuting in the big leagues.

For these players, I’m all in -- let’s continue to pursue the dream together.

-Ben

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[colesester]

This is truly just a suggestion, you guys should start a segment/playlist called Feels or something like that where you take some of these elite throwers and have them talk through what they feel when they throw. Lower half, rotation phase, how they feel the ball release on pitches, etc. Some of the most valuable stuff I’ve learned has been from talks like that including tread guys on this page but obv the more guys you talk to the more options you have to work with and try out.

[squallrulz]

I am a pronator who throws almost perfectly flat and have trouble getting some movement. This will be interesting and fun to try as I was looking for something that breaks down but isn't a splitter.

[awedee.]

ive been throwing that grip for 8 years & just called it a spike fastball

[golfish]

Knuckle Curve.
My cousin Don Roney was throwing it at age 17 in Babe Ruth baseball. About 1976.
His dropped more than curved

[spencermackay]

Great pitch, the death ball, lots of late life. You can grip it and RIP it. Just don't start relying on it too much. It'll kill your arm.

[SGCXD]

What is the release supposed to be like for a supinator?

[dew]

ok but how exactly does remote training work? with no ad break i forgot!

[DavidHull_OfficialBaseball]

I just realized I throw a death ball💀💀💀💀. Same movement, same grip

[brettcory]

any recommendations from taking the curveball that's slower with more drop and making it quicker with less movement? For Youth...

[jamesrick]

thats a knuckle curve ball or spike curve ball

[JurassicParker]

Is this not the Daisuke gyroball? Slider thrown like a football?

[HoustonRacewayKid]

Speaking purely on ball-flight dynamics: I had an 11yo(RH) tell me he likes a 4-seam grip, loose with pinky, but put a left hand spin position on the ball with his pointer.
Catching it looked like he was a left hand curve baller.
Help me out!

[wwfchriswwf]

I throw a 95 mph knuckleball that always breaks atleast 14 total inches as it travels. 7 up 7 to the left. 14 to the left. 3 down 11 right.

[bobdrooples]

Awful pitch to watch in game.
Pitching like this holds no viewing pleasure.

[RichFollen]

I called it a curveball 40 yrs ago when I threw it