Crowhopping, Barnhill, and Confessions of an Umpire

I have never seen this...but...what is crow hopping as far as in pitching and why is it illegal? I've seen it in fielding (I've seen like a left fielder do it) but never a pitcher. I'm just confused, lol.

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A few years ago coaching TB I had a "new" pitcher on my team that had a significant replant. She was a decent pitcher and threw with more velocity than almost all my other pitchers. Unlike some of the examples posted on here she actually used the crow-hop as a crutch for a very weak, non-athletic drive. I began attempting to fix it and I received a huge push-back from the player and then the parents. The parents were so upset that they involved the pitching instructor to try and convince me it was legal. They didn't want to undo all the "progress" she had made since working with the PI. The instructor was actually teaching his pitchers to replant and had his own drills to encourage them to form the habit of replanting. After talking with the family and the instructor, I basically said that I would NOT pitch her in games until we were working together to minimize and ultimately eliminate her illegal replant. The player quit about a week later and went and played for another coach who either didn't know better or didn't care. LOL
She made varsity her freshman season and I assume that she is still using the same illegal pitch.

softgabby said:

I have never seen this...but...what is crow hopping as far as in pitching and why is it illegal? I've seen it in fielding (I've seen like a left fielder do it) but never a pitcher. I'm just confused, lol.

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It's illegal because the rules prohibit it.

Basically, a crow hop occurs when the pitcher pushes off the pitching rubber, her back foot loses contact with the ground, then it comes in contact with the ground and she pushes off again from that spot. So it's essentially like she gets to start two or three feet closer to the hitter than a pitcher who is pitching legally.

Many people use the term "crow hop" to also describe a leap, which is where both feet are also off the ground, but when the back foot lands it doesn't push off from the ground a second time. Think of a leap as what you would do to get across a small stream or over a branch that's in your way.

It's the second push-off that makes it a crow hop.

Ken Krause said:

It's illegal because the rules prohibit it.

Basically, a crow hop occurs when the pitcher pushes off the pitching rubber, her back foot loses contact with the ground, then it comes in contact with the ground and she pushes off again from that spot. So it's essentially like she gets to start two or three feet closer to the hitter than a pitcher who is pitching legally.

Many people use the term "crow hop" to also describe a leap, which is where both feet are also off the ground, but when the back foot lands it doesn't push off from the ground a second time. Think of a leap as what you would do to get across a small stream or over a branch that's in your way.

It's the second push-off that makes it a crow hop.

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Thank you for the explanation, Ken. I had seen discussions about it happening on here and knew it was illegal but I didn't know what is was or why it was illegal. Now it makes sense to me.

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softgabby said:

I have never seen this...but...what is crow hopping as far as in pitching and why is it illegal? I've seen it in fielding (I've seen like a left fielder do it) but never a pitcher. I'm just confused, lol.

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4 girl's dad said:

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Thank you for the video, 4 girl's dad. Now that I've seen it in video format I can understand it better. What can I do as a catcher if I see it with the pitcher in catching or as a hitter if I'm seeing it on the field?

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Ken B said:

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Thank you for the videos of this, Ken. What can I do as a catcher if I see this with a pitcher I'm working with or if I am hitting in a game and this happens?

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My .02:
As a catcher, I think it would be a conversation you would need to have with your pitcher and coach. If it was determined that she needs to work on it, having your instant feedback would be invaluable.

As a hitter, you might just politely mention to the umpire in passing that you think the pitcher is gaining an unfair advantage by crow hopping then leave it at that. If your coach wants to press the issue--leave that to them.