Pivot Foot

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Apr 5, 2009
748
28
NE Kansas
This might sound simplistic but ensure that she knows how to jump up in the air. Straight up by bending knees, bending ankles, and pushing up with balls of her feet. Swing her arms. Whatever it takes to get her leaping up. Most girls don't know how to jump and yet it seems to be a no teach with boys. Have her pretend she is jumping across a puddle of water or something. Don't be surprised if you have to keep reminding her to bend her ankles. Have her compare jumping straight with trying to jump and not having her foot in line/pre-turning foot. If she is pretending to jump over something, she won't pre-turn her foot prior to pushing off. A couple weeks focusing on that straight drive and I bet you are pleasantly surprised as it is incorporated into her leap. And when her leap looks weird (maybe it's just my dd ) remind her once again to bend her knees and ankles.
 
Jun 18, 2010
2,624
38
Thanks to all, good comments and suggestions.

Abbygale, your comment got me thinking. When she strides, she very seldom comes up and out, mostly just out (a very low stride). I will place something next to the power line and have her feel as though she has to stride out and over the obstacle. I have also noticed when she pitches low she is not pitching from a firm front side, her front knee is bent too much and she has her weight too far forward. I'll bet getting her to come "up and out" will help with both issues (twisted pivot foot, and weak front side).
 
Jun 18, 2010
2,624
38
Amy, that is interesting and opens another can of worms for me. I was following the instruction that the stride foot goes up and out as if it were headed toward the catcher's glove. This sounds like material for a separate thread.
 
Apr 5, 2009
748
28
NE Kansas
If her front side is soft I would check and make sure that her front foot is landing around 45 degrees. If she goes sideways with her stride foot at landing she has nothing to stiffen her front against. It will throw off her balance and it's hard on the knee. Another thing is if she hits her front leg with the ball occasionally, that is typically due to her front foot landing facing towards third and since she can't stiffen up against it, sometimes it will collapse into the way of the arm circle. These are all things I learned about the hard way.
 
Dec 10, 2010
90
0
A, A
This is one thing that we had to work on with my DD. Her pitching coach is always telling her to push off straight. She pitched in a scrimmage a few weeks ago and she told me after that she started struggling, then she went over her mechanics and realized that she was pivoting the foot before she pushed off. She fixed that and was fine. I love that she is making adjustments herself
 
Jun 18, 2010
2,624
38
starsnuffer, I placed a ball about an inch next to her pivot foot. This was a good suggestion because I did not have to be the one pointing out when her foot would turn she could see for herself when the ball moved. This tip really helped.

amy, I did not emphasize the up part, just the out. So far her pitches are legal in terms of ground contact.

abbygale, That too was a good suggestion. Her stride foot at 45 does seem to promote a more firm left side and fewer low pitches.

pitchmom, self correcting is great. DD is becoming more self-aware of her body mechanics and their effect on the pitching outcome. DD adjusted her pre-motion (her suggestion). She had been raising her hands above her head then going to the side. She decided to try the Hillhouse pre-motion and cut out the extra raise of the hands above the head and this seemed to give her a better feeling of loading up on that pivot foot side and also seemed to help in keeping that pivot foot more in-line with the power line.

We try to improve a little each practice and these suggestions we tried last night helped. Thanks to all.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,477
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top