Why do Knuckleballs wobble?

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.

What is the physics behind the knuckleball?

But if you throw a baseball at the right speed with just a tiny bit of spin, the ball—and its famous red seams—rotates only slightly. This small rotation of the seams causes the ball to lose its stable lift. When the lift becomes unsteady, the ball lurches wackily. And that's a knuckleball!

Do knuckle balls actually move?

While most pitchers control their throws by putting in a touch of spin, knuckleball pitchers spin the ball as little as possible. The result is a slower-moving pitch that zig-zags erratically from left to right—the likes of which can throw off even the most experienced batters, Jennifer Ouellette reports for Gizmodo.

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. Conventional theory says that a baseball's raised seams cause the movement.

How fast is the fastest knuckleball?

Dickey's 102-mph knuckleball

Sure, you could say that this was a result of a faulty radar gun, and that's possible. Is it not also possible that Dickey, doing some dark incantation as he surely must before every pitch, accidentally tore open a hole in the space time continuum, allowing for 102 mph pitches?

How does a Knuckleball Work? The Science of the Knuckleball

Who invented knuckleball in cricket?

Toad Ramsey invented the knuckleball.

Why is a knuckleball so effective?

Because the pitch travels at 60 mph to maybe 80 mph, throwing that "softly" puts far less stress on an arm than throwing 90 mph or above. So the knuckleball can be very effective. It can resurrect pitchers' careers. It can keep guys in the majors who might otherwise have been out of baseball years earlier.

How hard is it to catch a knuckleball?

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.

How many RPM is a knuckleball?

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.

How does Ronaldo knuckleball?

When his leg swings behind him, the knee flexors recoil — known as “elastic recoil” — to generate a higher knee flexion force. As he then swings the leg forward, his ankle dorsiflexors automatically recoil to bring his ankle into the striking position, one less variable to worry about on the strike.

Who is the best knuckleball?

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.

Who invented knuckleball in soccer?

While it is not exactly known who first developed the technique, it is often attributed to Edward Cicotte [7] as early as 1908. To achieve this effect, he held the ball between his knuckles, which garnered the nickname 'Knuckles' for himself, naming the technique 'knuckleball' as a result.

Who is the world's scariest batsman?

1) AB de Villiers

This fearless, right-handed batsman is widely regarded as the most dangerous batsman in the world of modern era cricket. In his career, he has made 8765 runs in Test cricket, 9577runs in ODI, and 5612 runs in the Indian premier league.

Who invented the doosra?

Definition: An unconventional off-spin delivery, the doosra was the brainchild of Pakistani spin wizard Saqlain Mushtaq who successfully used the delivery for maximum effect against Australia in the Sharjah series two decades ago.

Why is a yorker called a yorker?

A yorker could be described as the king of all bowls. It's when the ball lands directly at the batter's feet, and it's extremely difficult to hit. Oxford dictionaries suggests that the term was coined because players from York bowled them so often.

Did Ronaldo invent knuckle ball?

Brazillian soccer star Didi invented the kick, originally known as the “folha seca” or “dry leaf.” Now, the kick is called a knuckleball free kick or simply a knuckleball. Cristiano Ronaldo and Juninho are known for mastering the knuckleball.

Is knuckleball slow?

This pitch is the slowest pitch of all. Tim Wakefield threw his knuckleball 66 mph (Pitch F/X avg 2007-11), and RA Dickey throws his in the mid 70s, averaging 77.2 mph in 2012. The ball will typically slow down 8-10 mph by the time it reaches the front of the plate.

Can Messi do knuckleball?

Now many will argue that there is no Lionel Messi or Dimitri Payet in the above list but I'd like to tell them that honestly they both are one of the best freekick takers in the world but they don't hit Knuckleballs.

Who is King of the Knuckleballs?

Charlie Hough

In a career spanning 25 years, Hough threw an astounding 107 complete games and earned 216 wins.