halskinner
Banned
- May 7, 2008
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Cracking the whip at the exact right time
Ken, I am going to respectfully disagree with your analogy because there is a little more to it than that.
One of the things I would teach my new leap and drag students do is to push their body backwards, about 6" to 12", an instant before they release the ball.
Their pivot foot has been dragged most of the way forward and then goes backwards 6 to 12 inches. This produces more of a whip action for the arm and maintains the force against the stride leg until after release. That is an important factor nobody ever talks about, maintaining the resistance until AFTER the ball is released.
The stride foot touches down, the stride knee bends just a little bit more and then straightens back out as their body is still on a backwards lean. Thus pushing them backwards a few inches as they are releasing the ball. They catch themselves quickly on the back leg.
If you continue forward to the point your are standing straight up at release you will have no choice but to take an extra step forward with your pivot foot to keep your balance, as there is no way to stop your body's momentum. If you do that, you just lost the whipping effect for speed and spin.
One foot must stay in front of the other to stop the momentum AND you must be on a slight backwards lean at that instant. If you do not do that you will not have anywhere near the resistance against the stride leg required for some pitches, especially the riseball.
Having a whip means very little, unless you can 'crack the whip' at the exact right instant to make it the most effective instrument it can be.
From what I have seen (and taught), it isn't the aggressive forward movement alone that generates the speed. It's also the blocking of the front side that stops the body but allows the arm to swing freely (whip).
Think of what happens when you're driving along a little too quickly down the road, then suddenly have to slam on the brakes. What happens to your body? It lurches forward, accelerated by the sudden stop. If you hit the car in front of you, which creates a more sudden stop, your body lurches forward faster and more violently. The faster you were going before you slammed on the brakes, the faster you will move forward.
It's the same with pitching. Your body is the car. The more quickly and powerfully it moves forward, the more momentum it generates. When the stride foot lands it's like slamming on the brakes. The arm is the "passenger" lurching forward after the sudden stop (as long as it remains loose).
Ken, I am going to respectfully disagree with your analogy because there is a little more to it than that.
One of the things I would teach my new leap and drag students do is to push their body backwards, about 6" to 12", an instant before they release the ball.
Their pivot foot has been dragged most of the way forward and then goes backwards 6 to 12 inches. This produces more of a whip action for the arm and maintains the force against the stride leg until after release. That is an important factor nobody ever talks about, maintaining the resistance until AFTER the ball is released.
The stride foot touches down, the stride knee bends just a little bit more and then straightens back out as their body is still on a backwards lean. Thus pushing them backwards a few inches as they are releasing the ball. They catch themselves quickly on the back leg.
If you continue forward to the point your are standing straight up at release you will have no choice but to take an extra step forward with your pivot foot to keep your balance, as there is no way to stop your body's momentum. If you do that, you just lost the whipping effect for speed and spin.
One foot must stay in front of the other to stop the momentum AND you must be on a slight backwards lean at that instant. If you do not do that you will not have anywhere near the resistance against the stride leg required for some pitches, especially the riseball.
Having a whip means very little, unless you can 'crack the whip' at the exact right instant to make it the most effective instrument it can be.
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