Drive Mechanics

drc,

I might re-direct you...

I'd say the goal is to get the forefoot to strike the rubber backward and downward at the same speed the body is moving forward.

The 'when' is necessitated by the force and timing that the individual applies during the drill. The sequence is: backstep into a firm and resistive stride leg, and once that turns into forward momentum... the firm and resistive pawing step with the drive leg will happen.

Hope that answers your question...?

Sounds good. I know in the 2-step drill it looks like you should just be letting the drive foot slide along the rubber to center as you plant the stride foot heel but it looked like one of your students was really lifting the drive foot off the rubber as/once the ball of her stride foot hit the ground even when she wasn't going all-out while performing the push-back drill. I'm sure this is just because of the distance she stepped back and amount of momentum. I've done it and I do the same thing so it's all good!

drc9805 said:

Sounds good. I know in the 2-step drill it looks like you should just be letting the drive foot slide along the rubber to center as you plant the stride foot heel but it looked like one of your students was really lifting the drive foot off the rubber as/once the ball of her stride foot hit the ground even when she wasn't going all-out while performing the push-back drill. I'm sure this is just because of the distance she stepped back and amount of momentum. I've done it and I do the same thing so it's all good!

Click to expand...

Ok... I think I see what you're getting at. Lifting the foot is a result of two things:

1) All weight is removed from drive foot, to the stride foot. This is critical.
2) I tell pitchers I want to hear their drive foot push from the plate.

I don't want them lifting the foot too much... but the striking sound is impossible without some degree of lift. In practice, I view this as critical... hearing the strike, that is... because I know that if I can hear it... they wasted no time in pushing. Delayed pushes... or gradual ones... are absurdly common, something I do not want. Simply telling them to push faster/harder is often futile, whereas telling them to strike the rubber seems to do the trick.

Each pitcher is unique, of course... but experience has taught me to change how I deliver instruction from variables to absolutes. Harder/faster is variable... striking is absolute. Might be a tangent of sorts... but it's delivery of instruction - efficiently - that I try and improve day in and day out.

One last thing about detaching from the rubber by 3...

Doing so is much more difficult for those that have weaker leg strength... whether it be for developmental (age) and/or physical (strength in legs) reasons. If you watch the pitcher in the pushbacks... you'll notice that her leg muscles are VERY devoloped. Her work ethic and attention to strength and conditioning are the main reasons she's going D1 (that, and her dad is the bee's knees).

Detaching from the plate by 3 is a goal to work towards aggressively, but with the understanding that it may take some time to develop that strength and coordination. Overlap, on the other hand is much easier to accomplish, and should be an immediate goal in drilling.

JS,

I'd like to revisit the Stride Angle topic. My DD strides similar to what you have illustrated below, however when striding this way tends to loose the brush interface and her throwing arm is ever so slightly away from her body. We are now trying to stride directly in front of the pivot foot so that she is throwing more across her body than out / away from her body.

javasource said:

Stride Angle
Kids are often told to start on the line (drive foot) and land on the line (stride foot). Doing so often creates a ‘positive’ (IMO, not good) stride angle (see next illustration) Green = preferred, Red = not preferred… sorry for the low quality..

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FiveFrameSwing said:

In Gillis’ DVD/VHS material he describes the objective of a pitcher striding directly at the catcher as a ‘myth’ that can inhibit rotation.

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FiveFrameSwing said:

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starsnuffer said:

I always say that the balls of both feet should aline with the target. This allows for plenty of room for the plane of the circle to be over the toes, since feet project outwards from the body. If the heels are on the power line, then the ball cannot be on the power line.

By "power line", I mean the actual path of the pitch, not the silly line drawn on the center of a pitching mat.

-W

Click to expand...

Part 2:

Here you see Abbott clearly stepping across the power line presumably to throw a curve.

[video=youtube_share;c0U6hbojyoY]http://youtu.be/c0U6hbojyoY[/video]

bucket pinata said:

When I'm talking crossing the power line I'm talking just over, not a big step, What I have found especially in young pitchers It helps them stay tight into their body and promotes brush resistance along with keeping the arm close in to the body on the curve ball pitches. In my experience this helps with power and spin. after a few innings most young pitchers, especially the ones with long levers have a tendency to let their arm drift out start stepping out and the pitch becomes less accurate and effective because the spin drops way off. Its just a tool I use to get the pitchers to feel internally what it feel like to be tight, in close and powerful with IR. In reality during games most of them are not stepping across but they are not stepping out either and that's the goal. If you re watch the video the girl demonstrates the tendency perfectly, couple good tight in the zone pitches and then in a effort to get more curve she gets away from her body, the instructor has to tell her to bring it in and with it comes more good pitches.

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Tuck Jump

[video=youtube_share;URKY0QXuO38]http://youtu.be/URKY0QXuO38[/video]

Wall Drills
[video=youtube_share;YNLxumVRviU]http://youtu.be/YNLxumVRviU[/video]

Knightsb,

If you go back to that post I made regarding Stride Angle...

javasource said:

Therefore, devising a cookie-cutter system that works for everyone is an effort in futility…

This results in a ‘crossing over’ action of the stride foot… which then leads to the drive foot being behind it…

I am not suggesting that you step to the left… just step forward, not across. Don’t go crazy with attaining the perfect stride angle… just prevent it from ‘crossing over’. Later on, you can work with some minor stride manipulations, if desired… but when training someone – I find this is the best place to start… or a ‘blueprint’ – especially younger or beginning pitchers.

Click to expand...

I try and use bold text and underline text for the main points. Understand, that the illustration I made is nowhere near 'to scale' - unless your daughter wears size 20 shoes. The original post I made suggests that you may need to 'fix' a crossover... as it *can* create some undesirables... but nowhere does it say to 'teach' a step to left or right... just straight out from the rubber. I think this is what you say your DD is doing now... perfect!

There is no doubt Abbott drives 'across the line'... on every pitch (not just the curve). Her entire body is pointed in that direction, though. Have a look... it really gives the appearance that she's pitching to a target halfway down the first base line:

To me, I don't know if I've ever told a pitcher to learn to stride by placing her foot at any said point. Also, I don't see Abbott cross stepping... I see her striding directly to a point that is consistent with the direction of her torso at the beginning of the pitch (her legs never cross one another) and if you really look... it's EXACTLY consistent with the degree of toe-out she has.

Although I respect Gillis immensely, labeling a crossing over step as an absolute is something I don't agree with. Many pitchers that don't cross-step have no issues getting open... which appears to be his main point. Have a look:

Heck... if Blaire crosses over... that pitch is illegal. Gets open wonderfully... and has no issues with brush proximity either.

I'd guess Gillis uses the feet as a means to get open... the most distal component. What we are really trying to do is get the pelvis/hips to open... and using the body part that is the furthest away from this point is a wrong singular focus, IMO. In fact, I'd argue that the drive foot has more to do with getting open than the stride foot.

I tried the Gillis cross steps when I saw his video the first time. Each time I took a cross-over step, I felt torque in my foot... I was squishing bugs (hitting forum(s) joke). I don't want my foot screwing into the plate; I want it detaching from it... with all force directed in a linear fashion. Give it a shot... and then watch the Abbott video above again, and ask yourself if she's crossing over or striding out.

I liken this to people spending too much time looking at the glove... saying it prevents their daughter from opening. If they would instead look at the glove arm ELBOW... and note that lack of extension of the elbow to the target is what is keeping the shoulder back... they might get somewhere.

On to your points with brush...

Although I'd agree that the screwball is one of the lesser brush pitches... and that many a screw is thrown with an intentional step to the left (for rhp), I don't train pitchers that are working on fundamentals to stride across or away. If they are not getting brush, I look at their shoulder line, their posture, and the action of the rear leg heel to see if any of those are taking away the opportunity for some level of proximity/contact. Not sure why we'd direct attention to the leg that isn't brushed...

So, take a look at an extreme opposite... Lawrie. Personally, I think she gets open famously... and has no issue with brush...

One other consideration... regardless of the type of stride... I think you'll find that the first move the drive leg makes - once it has finished the push and is unweighted - is rearward (a product of hip rotation... or opening). If I actually cross the stride leg over - or step way to the left... I'm feeding the monster. I can sit their scratching my head as to why she has a bowling kick... or sticks her butt out... and keep telling her to fix it - or I can actually give her an instruction that allows for her rear leg to be in closer proximity to her throwing lane... like a rigid flexed foot push, or cracking the walnut... or check the top of the circle to see what's happening in relation to shoulder abduction.

Anyway, glad to hear she's doing well... hopefully I touched on a few points you had questions about... it was sorta vague. Best, ~JS

txnick said:

Wall Drills
[video=youtube_share;YNLxumVRviU]http://youtu.be/YNLxumVRviU[/video]

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Really great find, Nick. This is a quality video.

Java,

What do you think about this drill? Dropping a little upright not landing on your heels and going foward.

[video=youtube_share;coddE-0bKKU]http://youtu.be/coddE-0bKKU?list=UUrxXbIlVnI9gcKYbZS1Kh3w[/video]