Drag Foot Drag; A rudder or an anchor?

[Ken B]

I like Fowler's glove shove, but that's about it.

 

[starsnuffer]

Thank you everyone for your input...I appreciate it. Starsnuffer...by loading, do you mean using the legs? Sorry...I am just the "mom" and trying to decipher the language. Also, by the leap, do you mean the stride? She actually has a pretty long stride (compared to others I have seen). I have even gone as far as trying to have her crow hop (just to get the feel of the weight being forward and the resistance off the drag foot) but she can't do it. She has a hard time.

Hey Cola,

Carly, one of the pitching instructors that posts here frequently, has an article on this that can explain it better then me trying to summarize. It can be found here: Is Your Pre-motion Hurting Your Pitch? Find out if you're fake-loading

By loading, yes, I mean using the legs, or rather preparing the body and center of gravity to use the legs during the motion before the pitch. By the leap, I mean the stride. Yes, your daughter has a "long" stride, but she is not propelling herself off the rubber with her pivot (rear or left) foot. She is stepping long. What she should be doing is exploding off the rubber as if she were doing a standing long jump. You can try having her put the ball down and doing a few standing long jumps to get a feel for it. Work on this before you worry about that back leg.

-W

 

[Ken B]

Not saying I completely agree with you about Jordan, but I really like Carly's video. Wish we had a sticky for videos or posts that receive popular vote.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

That clip of Fowler was while she was trying to change her delivery to overcome the IPs.

 

[Ken B]

IMO, illegal pitches are not the priority. I think she's got tons of potential, but she's really fighting herself.

 

[cola3812]

This is GREAT...thank you! I am a visual learner so this really helped! And yes, she is "reverse-loading" now that I see it. I really appreciate the link!

Hey Cola,

Carly, one of the pitching instructors that posts here frequently, has an article on this that can explain it better then me trying to summarize. It can be found here: Is Your Pre-motion Hurting Your Pitch? Find out if you're fake-loading

By loading, yes, I mean using the legs, or rather preparing the body and center of gravity to use the legs during the motion before the pitch. By the leap, I mean the stride. Yes, your daughter has a "long" stride, but she is not propelling herself off the rubber with her pivot (rear or left) foot. She is stepping long. What she should be doing is exploding off the rubber as if she were doing a standing long jump. You can try having her put the ball down and doing a few standing long jumps to get a feel for it. Work on this before you worry about that back leg.

-W

 

[Ken B]

cola3812,
After watching Jordan's video a couple more times, I'm starting to see what starsnuffer is seeing and wonder if you could post a better quality video from the side when time allows.

I'd also like to confirm if I'm seeing the orientation of the palm during the downswing. In the posted video, I think I see her had on top of the ball. The elbow is whipping some, but if her palm is down, she could really add to her whip by turning it more palm up.


Thanks,
Ken

 

[cola3812]

Hi Ken,

Here's another video of her from the front (quality still poor...it's my slow-mo feature on my phone): Jord practice - YouTube.

This other video is not in slow-mo but it's better quality: Jord pitching - YouTube

Thank you!

 

[Ken B]

I can't see the hand/ball orientation but the release looks loose and natural.

 

[WinThemAll]

To help the pitcher feel their toe, Put this in front of the pitchers plate,

and then the drag foot on this tire chock ($3-$5). Do the motion without the ball and then pitch using it.

I also like for pitchers to get into a sprinters start on the pitchers plate, with/without the tire chock. Do the motion without the ball and then have them start with the ball between their feet and then "sprint" and pitch. You will see the biggest smile come across their face when the walk back to do it again.