What important role does the pivot foot play?

[SoCalSoftballdad]

Other than to push off of the pitchng plate, what is the real role of the pivot foot?

Is it just a "rudder" for balance (Hal Skinner) or does it add to the "closing of the hips" to generate power to the pitch.

You look at the elite pitchers and the pivot foot seems to be doing more than just dragging lightly behind the pitcher.

 

[go4fpsb]

Good question. Is the pivot foot really doing anything more or is it another part of the body that makes it appear there is more going on with it? Could it be the hips snapping to their release angle or the torso / shoulder unloading to their release angle that causing the pivot foot to appear to be doing more? Is the foot replanting and finding another push off point however subtle? Looking forward to thoughts on this. Not to hijack the thread but another question is: how much does the stride foot contribute to the push off for the stride? It seems to me when I watch dirt fly up behind the stride foot during the start of the stride with many of the elite pitchers, I wonder if all the work is being done by the pivot foot to generate forward motion? If the stride foot is contributing to the stride out, how does that affect the position of the arm in the back half of the arm circle and the timing of the release? Have thought about this for a while and wonder if any instructors teach the stride foot to push more than the pivot foot?

 

[bigoz]

This is a good topic. I have read different opinions on how the pivot foot should come off the rubber straight or at an angle. It would be great to hear the reasons.

 

[go4fpsb]

Stride foot power

If anyone has the Right View Pro viewer and the NPF add on clips, look at the clips of Danielle Henderson and Jennie Finch in particular. When they push away from the pitching plate there is dirt flying up and back from their stride foot, indicating to me anyway there is some power being exerted against the ground by the stride foot to generate power for the leap out. Not all pitchers do this but start watching for this and draw your own conclusion.

 

[halskinner]

Good question. Is the pivot foot really doing anything more or is it another part of the body that makes it appear there is more going on with it? Could it be the hips snapping to their release angle or the torso / shoulder unloading to their release angle that causing the pivot foot to appear to be doing more? Is the foot replanting and finding another push off point however subtle? Looking forward to thoughts on this. Not to hijack the thread but another question is: how much does the stride foot contribute to the push off for the stride? It seems to me when I watch dirt fly up behind the stride foot during the start of the stride with many of the elite pitchers, I wonder if all the work is being done by the pivot foot to generate forward motion? If the stride foot is contributing to the stride out, how does that affect the position of the arm in the back half of the arm circle and the timing of the release? Have thought about this for a while and wonder if any instructors teach the stride foot to push more than the pivot foot?

There are two forces of energy that the pivot foot will / can cause;

1. FORWARD motion.
2. UPWARD motion.

Depending on where your center of gravity is, in relation to your PIVOT POINT, at the exact instant when you start your pish off, that is what determines how much of the energy will pudh you forward and how much will push you upward.

In other words, if you are standing straight up and you try and push off the rubber, you go straight up because the center of your body weight is directly over your pivot point.

On the other end of that; If you allow your body to come forward (forward lean) and THEN push off from the rubber, most of the energy will be driving you forward and less of that energy will be pushing you upwards.

"It seems to me when I watch dirt fly up behind the stride foot during the start of the stride".

Elite pitcher or not, if you see dirt fly up behind the stride foot when they push off, they are NOT pushing off from the rubber, they are pushing off from the dirt in front of the rubber. The rubber is a stable surface, the dirt is not. They are not getting the best traction and therefore losing balance, speed and accuracy.

If you think you are gaining a little edge by starting off with the ball of your foot ahead of the fron edge of the rubber, you are only fooling yourself and doing the batters a favor.

The pivot foot is as big a tool for good pitching as the rubber is. Using both correctly adds to your pitching game. Not using them correctly is,, well,, DUMB PITCHING! Loys of those kind of pitchers out there.

 

[Ken B]

I've seen a handful of well respected pitchers start with their heel against the front of the rubber, and several more that push from the dirt just ahead of the rubber. Would they benefit by changing their style?

 

[halskinner]

I've seen a handful of well respected pitchers start with their heel against the front of the rubber, and several more that push from the dirt just ahead of the rubber. Would they benefit by changing their style?

The pivot point for the human foot is the ball of the foot. The pivot point for the pitcher's rubber is the top front edge. One pivot point should be directly over the other so that when you come forward and 'Pivot', you stay pushing off from the rubber.

If a pitcher starts with the heel touching the front of the rubber, then comes forward and pivots, the pivot point for the foot is still the ball of the foot, that never changes.

But now the other pivot point is no longer the front edge of the rubber. The other pivot point is now the dirt in front of the rubber. You are now pushing off from somewhere other than the pitcher's rubber. If I recall, doing that is not legal.

 

[starsnuffer]

While I agree that the pivot foot does the majority of the "pushing", don't forget that the stride foot/leg, glove, and ball hand all contribute to the stride/leap as they "throw" themselves towards the catcher. In fact, you can go out and nearly "throw" your body to the edge of the circle without actually pushing off at all. When this all works together, it generates the power to cover the distance and energy that your stride leg then transfers through the body into arm whip on the landing.

-W

 

[Ken B]

But now the other pivot point is no longer the front edge of the rubber. The other pivot point is now the dirt in front of the rubber. You are now pushing off from somewhere other than the pitcher's rubber. If I recall, doing that is not legal.

The ASA rule states something along the lines of, "Both feet must remain in contact with the plate at all times prior to the forward step." I don't think it says much else in respect to what part of the foot needs to push off the rubber. I believe Coach Hillhouse suggests placing the heel of the pivot foot up against the front edge of the rubber. Curious if he or any of his students have been challenged on this and how do they respond?

 

[Ken B]

While I agree that the pivot foot does the majority of the "pushing", don't forget that the stride foot/leg, glove, and ball hand all contribute to the stride/leap as they "throw" themselves towards the catcher. In fact, you can go out and nearly "throw" your body to the edge of the circle without actually pushing off at all. When this all works together, it generates the power to cover the distance and energy that your stride leg then transfers through the body into arm whip on the landing.

-W

This is a great point to remember--thanks!