Dragging keeps ball down?

[Coachmom]

We have a pitching coach in our area who teaches some interesting things.
She seems to put a lot of focus into the drag.
Some of the terms I've heard are to "drag hard".
Dragging hard helps keep the ball down.
I always thought that the drag should be as light as possible so as not to become an anchor.
She is a former D1 college pitcher.

What are the thoughts about this philosophy. Does dragging help keep ball low in the zone?

 

[coach james]

Obviously there are many ways to skin a cat, and my way may be different than his or hers. However, IMO I also teach that the drag is an anchor and should be light with as little contact as possible so that the forward momentum is fluid into the firm front side. Keeping the ball down is a matter of timing the release point. She (PC) is probably teaching the way she was taught, right, wrong or indifferent... She obviously had found some success in this approach in order to have played D1. Im not saying anyone is right or wrong, but take her advice whole hearted or not at all. In order to find the progress your seeking you must fully buy into what your PC is selling. If you dont, then keep shopping until you find what works for your dd.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I do sometimes say "Drag the toe. It will keep the ball down." So, it is probably just semantics. If I am seeing her lean, leaping whatever, then, I give instruction. Have your DD ask the instructor to demonstrate or explain further.

I do not advocate digging a trench, though.

 

[Carly]

What you have to say to a pitcher when you're working with her in person depends on what she's doing. The "anchor foot" is an extremely common problem, but it almost always involves turning out the foot and dragging the whole side of it. I wouldn't emphasize dragging hard with that type of pitcher.

However, equally common are girls who don't drive through at all. They hop, or lift the foot way too early and end up off balance and leaning forward (which frequently results in high pitches). In this case, I do emphasize a hard drag, provided the foot is in the right position. It's not really possible to drag too hard if you're truly dragging only the tip of your big toe, so as long as this is happening I find that telling a pitcher to drag harder often results in a stronger drive through.

Teaching pitching is often more about saying something that will get a given pitcher to give you the result you want. Different words resonate with different kids so explanations can vary. I can't speak for the instructor you're talking about, but just keep this in mind. When in doubt, ask her to demonstrate what she's trying to say.