Leap now legal in USSSA?

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Jul 5, 2016
652
63
Maybe 🙄 they should measure the inseam of all the pitchers and give them each an individualized Circle diameter. They'll have to put different colored Circle/rings for each different inseam around the pitching plate.
🙈🙉🙊...NO

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Good point. I never really thought about it before, but you can see where the fixed dimensions of a batter's box penalizes taller players.
 
Jan 25, 2022
880
93
Whatever length that string is that's tied to that nail in the equipment shed...
I find this to be accurate. Umpires at our MS and HS games really don't check anything. No distances, etc. I've seen the game balls made dirty exactly one time. I've never seen a bat checked. Granted, there are primarily just a few models most kids are using so an ump could just be looking when they get to the box.
 
Jul 27, 2021
276
43
Agreed. And it is still illegal in NFHS.

I called it on a 12U pitcher as her foot was clearly leaving the ground and coming back down about 6-8 inches in front of the rubber. Her coaches said her foot was absolutely not leaving the ground (which was an obvious lie). I finally pulled the director over and had her watch from behind the fence. She said it was leaving the ground, but I shouldn't call it. So, being fairly new and the first time I ran across it, I stopped calling it.

We discussed in the official's area after the game when one of the other officials said a leap (foot leaving the ground) is legal this year in USSSA. I looked it up and it seems it was adopted to make it easier for officials and to be inline with Olympic softball rules. But, IMO, it is way easier to see a leap than to tell if there is a crow hop (replant) and it is very difficult to crow hop without a leap. I would prefer to keep them both illegal. We shall see what the future brings.

But, then officials are left trying to discern if the leap leads to a crop hop. In the game above, I thought there were 2 the first inning where she replanted, and I thought it gave her an advantage. BUT, there is always a gray area and young players and their over-zealous coaches are going to be hard to deal with the first time they are called on it (because many officials won't bring it up until someone like me comes along that wants to help players continue to get better the right way).
Are these "calls" beng made from behind the plate or in the field?
 
May 27, 2022
412
63
I find this to be accurate. Umpires at our MS and HS games really don't check anything. No distances, etc. I've seen the game balls made dirty exactly one time. I've never seen a bat checked. Granted, there are primarily just a few models most kids are using so an ump could just be looking when they get to the box.

Bat checks are now responsibility of coaches to monitor.
 
Aug 21, 2011
1,345
38
38°41'44"N 121°9'47.5"W
Yikes, wanting to completely change the whole reason for the circle’s existence. Not in favor of that, at all. However, I have been patiently waiting for the elimination of the leaping rule to mach the men’s game and the IFS, now WBSC, rules. Hopefully this happens very soon. I was thankful when they got rid of the one base penalty and made it a ball to the batter.

Getting rid of the rule should at least stop the whining of the parents.
 
Aug 27, 2019
640
93
Lakewood CA.
I find it hilarious that so many in this thread think that leaping and the pitcher’s circle have anything to do with each other!

The circle ONLY comes into play in regards to the LBR. Tall pitchers like Monica Abbot step outside of the circle due to math (as in she had really long legs).
SMH


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Aug 25, 2019
1,066
113
I find this to be accurate. Umpires at our MS and HS games really don't check anything. No distances, etc. I've seen the game balls made dirty exactly one time. I've never seen a bat checked. Granted, there are primarily just a few models most kids are using so an ump could just be looking when they get to the box.
While it's the umpires job to check bats and helmets, it's not the umpires job to check distances and dirty up game balls. If the distances are found to be wrong before the game by either team, it's up to the grounds crew/ home team to get it right. Same during the game.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
I find it hilarious that so many in this thread think that leaping and the pitcher’s circle have anything to do with each other!

The circle ONLY comes into play in regards to the LBR. Tall pitchers like Monica Abbot step outside of the circle due to math (as in she had really long legs).
SMH


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The point was to MAKE IT (eg change the rules) such that it has something to do with a legal pitch..try to keep up.
 

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