Thread: Leap and drag Vs. Step

Originally Posted by halskinner

She needs to practice the 'Fall Forward Drill'.

Hal

Winning Fast Pitch Softball

hey hal, what exactly is the fall forward drill? i know this is something my dd could greatly benefit from.

I will start a new post for this one.

Hal

I teach an explosive drive step where stride foot gets as high as the right knee. Up together/down together is a great rythym to use and in advance pitchers will create elevation which accelerates the arm on the down swing. I have seen Gillis and trust me he gets an explosive push off the mound. If he used his legs throwing across the gym, I think you would have been even more impressed. I like my method but whether it's a step, leap, or hop it's a style not an absolute. The key is balance! Distance means nothing without balance.

I have been literally on an island for the past week with very little to do except surf the web and find entertainment for myself. Hence the unusual amount of replies by me on this forum. Once I get home and things return to normal, I don't think I'll be around as much but...

I've never understood this debate of 'step vs. leap/drag'. 99% of people will agree that true and real pitching power comes from the legs, right? So, how on Earth can anyone get their maximum power by stepping? Do you ever see an outfielder 'step' when trying to throw a runner out at the plate? No. They try to get as much momentum as possible and explode with the legs during the throw.

What is the difference between Tim Wakefield and Curt Shilling (in their pitching)? It's not that one throws a knuckle ball and the other one does not. The one who wants power (Shilling) uses his legs to explode as hard off the rubber as possible. Wakefield does not want power/speed on the ball so he merely steps off.

There is usually someone who asks: "But what about a VERY hard push off the rubber?" And my answer is... that's essentially what a 'leap' is. It seems people have varying opinions of what a "leap" is.

Bill

For the record my definition of leap is an explosive drive step. I don't want to be accused of being a coach that teaches a passive step. Hopefully, we all know that you want to maximize leg drive to create the max force into the front side to create whip of the arm. I call it the junk in the trunk effect. When you hit the breaks, the junk (arm) flies forward.

CoachSteg, Glad you started this thread. I have been working with a 13 year old girl that gets almost no additional speed from her stride as compared to the speed she can get from a static slingshot type of throw from the "K" or 12 o'clock position. She has an almost ballet leap she has developed that makes her lower body look like a pair of scissors going through the air. I am convinced this over done leap ruins her timing and I am going to shorten it and get some bend in her front knee when she lands. Are there other thoughts or suggestions to help this situation?

I have not read one correct description of the Step Method of pitching.
Correctly done, the Step Method mechanic that adds power to the pitch is the simultaneous push at release with the pivot foot from the front of the rubber. (None of the videos submitted are step pitching. Some are crow hopping which has now become legal without technically being legal.) Just as much speed can be generated with the Step Method as L & D. L & D is preferred because it allows the pitcher to be much closer to the batter at release, therefore becoming a much more effective pitch with less time to react.
Ok, now that ought to start something !!!

I find it interesting that "using your legs" gets attached to the leap and drag over the step method. I believe the true advantage of L&D over stepping is you are releasing the ball closer to home plate. You can certainly make the argument that the push with the L&D is more explosive than the push with the stepping style. However, a better use of "legs" is in question. With the steppin style, there is a dynamic closing of the hips, lacking with the leap and drag. Finch drives her back leg into her stride leg, creating a strong fulcrum, but it's not using her legs perse, as a hitter uses her leg (hips) to create force. Would a hitter be better off leaping forward to start their swing, off a firm front leg?

DD started with the Tim Timmons step style and switched to standard later. I've seen lots of step style pitching and a few change overs. My opinion is, step style, at least as taught by Timmons, costs you two or three mph in addition to the distance from the plate issue. In addition, I think throwing good backspin with Timmons method requires more shoulder flexibility than standard leap and drag. I do think you can produce a pitcher with control quicker with step style as taught by Timmons.