RHP foot work on the pitcher's plate

[Madsdad]

I got the rubber band stretching part

 

[BoardMember]

Read three words, stop and look up a word. Read a few more, stop and look up another.... This might take me a while.

Pretending to be smart is easy...........

But actually being smart takes some work.........

If you don't want the answer.........DON'T ASK THE QUESTION!!

 

[BoardMember]

I could've answered his question by saying "SSC and the Stretch Reflex"!

But I doubt that would've meant much to him..........

 

[starsnuffer]

You could have also just quoted Newton's first law of motion, or to simplify, it's easier to move if you're already moving. Makes perfect sense, but I still say a move towards the batter is better then a move towards first base

-W

 

[javasource]

IOW... the brain sets the length of a muscle (it sends commands to motor neurons). The stretch reflex makes sure the muscle stays at that length. It forces the antagonist muscle to relax so it cannot resist the shortening of the stretched muscle, thus creating a rapid response. The knee jerk reflex is usually the example used to describe the ssc (doctor hits knee, patient then kicks him in groin).

Regarding the golgi... build core resistive strength in the body via stabilizing exercises. A strong foundation makes everything else function better - as it will create a much more balanced, controlled, and safer body movement. In pitching, the core muscles are vital. Set your training regiment with a focus on proximal muscles, then working outward (distal).

Hope that helps...

 

[BoardMember]

You could have also just quoted Newton's first law of motion, or to simplify, it's easier to move if you're already moving.

Obviously INertia plays a factor in all motion........But the biggest factor in generating force is truly how the muscles and tendons react to certain stimulus........

Makes perfect sense, but I still say a move towards the batter is better then a move towards first base

-W

And your right of course! When it's TIME TO DRIVE/PUSH forward, driving/pushing toward first would have disastrous results on pitch location!

But when preparing to drive/push......Pulling the foot/leg toward the center first, serves a whole different purpose.......As does tipping the barrel toward the oppo box, when the end goal is still to swing toward contact!..........

 

[inde53546]

Do most pitchers begin driving with their drive foot at or near the center of the plate? Have girlk on dd team that keeps her drive foot at the far right and slides her left foot over never moving thd drive foot. And she essentially refuses to pitch inside Im guessing because she cant.

 

[halskinner]

I always taught students to start their pitch with their feet no farther apart than trhe width of their tennis shoe. I also taught that the power line goes from the center of your body to home plate.

You drive straight forward keeping your body on the pwer line for the best balance and speed.

Having the feet that close together does NOT give you a well balanced feeling while standing on the rubber BEFORE you start your pitch. As Ken sort of mentioned, you can lose your balance with a little gust of wind, happened to me too. I always stood on the rubber, hands seperated and took the call with my feet around shoulder width apart. Then I would reposition as I brought my hands together, so I only had that unbalanced feeling for maybe one second before starting my pitch with the rock back.

Starting the pitch with the feet spread wide, farther away from the powerline, requires you to push a little to the left and forward to stay on the powerline; a distraction force that must be compensated for because you are pushing off in a direction that is NOT straight towards your target. NOW YOUR FORWARD MOMENTUM IS NOT GOING STRAIGHT, IT IS GOING FORWARD AND TO THE LEFT (For a RH pitcher). The stride foot touches down and must push your body to the right so you do not stumble forward and to the left off balance. Even more a distraction force. Now you started off pushing to the left of the powerline, then pushing to the right of the power line, a zig-zag, kind of. Then you are out of balance and either take an extra step forward with the pivot foot after ball release or you fall off to the right.

Those distraction forces , although they seem and even appear very slight, (even to a well trained eye) have a much bigger negative effect on speed and especially accuracy, then you can believe.

I have posted some advice here before that can help. Click on these;

The legal rock back. Drag foot; The ruddeer or the anchor?

The term 'Rock and Fire' has been yelled to fast pitch pitchers for alot lomger than I have been alive.

The legal rock back is where that term came from.

Mike White likes pitchers to 'Rock Back'? Good job Mike.

 

[cuzmail]

I could've answered his question by saying "SSC and the Stretch Reflex"!

But I doubt that would've meant much to him..........

Not at first, but the internet is a powerful tool when used properly. However, my Google is broke, so I am glad you put it out there.

Now that brings up just how many positive and negative movements (extension and contractions) actually contribute to increased energy when the pitcher moves forward to home plate during the arm circle. A lot of pitchers have a premotion with forward back forward back up down up down..etc. That just seems to be a waste of energy without any positive outcome (with maybe the exception of normalcy to the pitcher). At some point it would appear that the movements begin to cancel each other out.

At what point do we actually begin to be able to capitalize on the stored energy created by the movements. I would think it is the last negative (back swing) movement before going leaping forward to actually pitch.

 

[BoardMember]

N
Now that brings up just how many positive and negative movements (extension and contractions) actually contribute to increased energy when the pitcher moves forward to home plate during the arm circle. A lot of pitchers have a premotion with forward back forward back up down up down..etc. That just seems to be a waste of energy without any positive outcome (with maybe the exception of normalcy to the pitcher). At some point it would appear that the movements begin to cancel each other out.

Cuz.........Again, I think you're missing the point........You're broad brush approach seems to dump everything into the same bucket with regards to sequence of the pitching motion........

Think of it this way........NOTHING the arms/trunk/head does, causes the muscles of the legs to fire RAPIDLY AND POWERFULLY........NOTHING.........

In order to increase the ballistic energy supplied by the legs.........Something CAN be done to "trigger" that ballistic response from the legs...........It doesn't HAVE TO be done.........But it CAN be done.........

Swinging your arms UP AND DOWN and BACK AND FORTH, outside of momentum, has no bearing on how much energy is produced by the muscles used in leg drive..........

At what point do we actually begin to be able to capitalize on the stored energy created by the movements. I would think it is the last negative (back swing) movement before going leaping forward to actually pitch.