Just curious if anyone is teaching leaping? Is Kelly Barnhill's or Jordy Bahl's style going to be the prototype? Who will be the next Amanda Scarborough of Youtube slow motion fastpitch perfection? Is the men's pitching game our best example now of what we will see in future years as we now dance between the question of what is a replant?
Have any pitching coaches changed their teachings based on leaping being allowed?
- Thread starter tomorrow
- Start date
Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch
Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.
- Apr 17, 2019
- 334
- 63
IMO, Jordy's style IS the protype, and was before they changed the rule. Now that it's legal we don't have to worry about coming off the ground that 1 inch. That back foot can glide smooth as butter and not have to worry about picking that nit over detaching for <1in.
I never worried about a minor detach unless I had a pitcher getting called for it in multiple games.
Jordy's only crime is having too powerful a drive. Barnhill - no. That's bad technique (come at me). Not teaching a crowhop.
I never worried about a minor detach unless I had a pitcher getting called for it in multiple games.
Jordy's only crime is having too powerful a drive. Barnhill - no. That's bad technique (come at me). Not teaching a crowhop.
Last edited:
Is anyone upset because they have worked so hard on dragging their toe and it seems to have been a waste of time?
Will you keep dragging or try leaping now?
Will you keep dragging or try leaping now?
- Jun 8, 2016
- 16,118
- 113
I could be wrong, but I don't think it is a matter of "trying to leap" but more about just not worrying about dragging...
I think that's correct. Explode off the rubber, drive hard into that front side. All the other proper mechanics that we've worked on for years should still apply.
- May 17, 2012
- 2,807
- 113
Hopefully, this will allow more pitchers to flourish at the younger levels. Those athletic kids that could throw but struggled with dragging the toe.
Exciting times.
Exciting times.
- May 13, 2023
- 1,538
- 113
Do think that some people are irritated because change happens.
That said... look at it this way
pitchers have more options now if they want them!
This will be a neat thing to see people's feedback about. There will definitely be those that stop dragging.
From it, There will also be different performance for different people.
Not everybody will experience the same developmental nuances.
Adding leaping there may be a slight Timing of the pitching mechanics but will be a brief adjustment that will be conquered.
- Jul 14, 2018
- 982
- 93
Here is a closeup of DD’s stride foot completely disappearing in the trench that develops in front of the rubber at most fields. If allowing leaping does anything to mitigate this, I’m all for it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
My DD and I were discussing this just yesterday. She's always drug her toe well, never had an issue other than wearing out her shoes too quickly.
We both kind of think that dragging the foot is taking away from forward motion, which would seemingly slow the pitch down. Seems you don't want to have an anchor on something you want to go fast, right?
While I doubt we start working on "not dragging", we certainly won't care one bit about keeping it down.
We both kind of think that dragging the foot is taking away from forward motion, which would seemingly slow the pitch down. Seems you don't want to have an anchor on something you want to go fast, right?
While I doubt we start working on "not dragging", we certainly won't care one bit about keeping it down.
- Aug 21, 2008
- 2,386
- 113
why be upset? Nothing says a pitcher MUST go airborne. They are simply trying to take all the pressure off the umpires and eliminate the "different rules for different pitchers" thing: meaning some get away with leaping while others do not.
The biggest challenge is now going to be: What is LEAPING and what is CROW HOPPING. Despite so many who misunderstand, crow hopping is not legal in men's softball. But the men do not care and don't complain about it they way so many do in the female game. I'm sure there will be an umpire here and there who will call illegal pitches for crow hopping but, overall, I think they will just let the game go without illegal pitches. But there will still be people who complain about this non-stop who don't realize the rules have changed. Similar to how idiots in the crowd and even many umpires still think the pitcher has to "present the ball". That literally went out of rulebooks 40 years ago but people still think it's there because it was there when their grandpa played in the 1960's.
I am hoping someone begins a study NOW on the effects of this rule in regards to health. I know I have had major knee surgery and get shots in my back for pain control, and a lot of that had to do with pitching. No question about it. It'd be interesting to look back in 15-20 years at the health of pitchers who begin leaping to see if they suffer similar conditions. I hope not for their sake, I hope everyone stays healthy but you'd be a fool to not think this action tears the body up. In my case, I pitched this way (or similar) since 1985 or so, including playing year round from 1990-2000 here in USA and New Zealand. So maybe my situation is worse than what these young ladies will have. There's also more awareness on pitch counts than yesteryear.
One interesting thing will be in pitching coaches. Unless you were a male pitcher in fastpitch softball, you probably didn't leap, jump or crow hop very much. Even Barnhill's jump is mild compared to men's pitchers. So, nevermind the male pitching coaches who weren't pitchers themselves, how will a female pitching coach who pitched but didn't leap, be able to teach it? Or, will it become a non-teach thing and kids will just monkey see-monkey do with what they see other's doing? My guess is that's what'll happen. Kids imitate their hero's. Many kids will try to jump like Bahl but not have a coach who can help them do this a bit more safely, if there is a thing as jumping safely for 12-15 years of a kid's career.
