Rock back or forward lean start

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Jun 25, 2014
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Want to see what everybody thinks is better for starting your pitching motion. My DD just starts with a forward lean and goes. We recently attended a clinic with Rick Pauly and he recommended a rock back. After clinic we tried the rock back but DD didn’t like it. So wanted to see what all the pitching guys here think?
 
Dec 5, 2012
4,143
63
Mid West
Which is better? 1 piggy tail or 2? Braid or pony tail?
point here is this.... its a personal preference. Has no bearing on the pitch. Whats most important here is this...
1. Did she get a negative move
2. Was there overlap
3. Was it an explosive and powerful drive
4. Was her timing good

However you achieve max results on these 4 indicators, more power to ya!!
Don't be afraid to experiment on the variables. Things like backswing, grip, or load are all styles. See what feels "right" to her and go with it.
 
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Jun 25, 2014
159
18
Just to clarify Rick wasn’t advocating really which was better. He was talking about rhythm. He liked the rock back because off rhythm.
 
Feb 3, 2010
5,752
113
Pac NW
For me its a matter of how a pitcher gets to these two points in the drive:

KeyCheckpoints.JPG

How a kid gets to the sprinters "h" varies. I like the 2 Step sequence because keeping all of the torso mass over the front edge of the plate makes getting into the "h" and drive leg extension easier. The result is more explosive or ballistic. I find that with a rolling start, it's easier for some kids to fudge and just step into the drive.
 
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Sep 29, 2014
2,421
113
Want to see what everybody thinks is better for starting your pitching motion. My DD just starts with a forward lean and goes. We recently attended a clinic with Rick Pauly and he recommended a rock back. After clinic we tried the rock back but DD didn’t like it. So wanted to see what all the pitching guys here think?

Only thing that I would worry about during this initial lean where is her weight distributed and make sure she isn't leaking forward...only video will tell...we won't bite...what we don't want her doing is simply leaning forward and stepping off the plate.
 
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Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL
I like a rock back/negative move to start. If you were going to drive a nail into a board with one swing, would you start with the hammer high, or would you have it lower, raise it first, and then strike down?

Remember Newton's laws of motion. A body at rest tends to remain at rest. So if you start from a stationary point, you will expend energy that could have been put into the pitch on just getting moving. A little rock back breaks inertia so you can maximize the drive.
 
Jun 25, 2014
159
18
Here is a video. It’s a year old. I didn’t have any fresh good video. This what I’m talking about her leaning start. She’s a lot more explosive with her start now than the what the video shows but hope it gives an idea of what I’m talking about.
https://youtu.be/2mtqbuArvRk
 
Dec 5, 2012
4,143
63
Mid West
Hey Cat,
As a former boxer I'd compare your dds pitching to a jab, and not a cross or hook. The difference is the jab is designed to be a light set up punch( causes no real damage) the hook or cross requires a load back and a strong back leg to deliver a punishing blow. The rock back in pitching is a style preference but the load is manditory. If she's not getting some sort of negative move and overlap, all her pitches will be like the jab.
 

shaker1

Softball Junkie
Dec 4, 2014
894
18
On a bucket

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