halskinner
Banned
- May 7, 2008
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There are many versions out there of 'The Powerline', exactly what it is and exactly where it goes and how it is used in training. They are all pretty much the same but a little different.
My opinion goes like this; The powerline goes from the middle of the rubber to the middle of home plate. The pitcher starts out withe feet an equal distance from the powerline. If the pitcher looks straight down, she sees the powerline. The powerline is where you want to keep the center of your body during the entire pitching motion.
However far you start out your stride foot from the powerline, that is how far away from it that it should be when the stride foot touches down. My students started their motions with the feet no farther apart than the width of their shoe, very close together.
Here is an article that was published and then became a chapter of my 2nd book.
Extending the Power Line to fine tune a pitcher.
If you are working with a pitcher and you are the one catching for her, it’s tough to see exactly what is going on with the stride foot when it touches down. You are around 40 feet or so away and, let’s face it, you have a ball coming at your face at 45 to 60mph.
With 99% of your attention devoted to catching the ball and not getting hit, it is very hard to try and focus on the pitcher’s feet to see exactly where she is on the power line, to see exactly where the stride foot touches down. Unless something is DRASTICALLY off, you probably won’t see it.
To check a pitcher on the power line most folks will take their shoe and draw a fat line in the dirt right in front of the rubber. This is OK and it will help the pitcher, however, it seldom gives the person catching a good point of reference to see EXACTLY where the foot comes down. There is a lot of room for error.
When I have a pitching student that I want to ‘fine tune’ them, (because of problems staying on the power line) here is what I do. I extend the Power Line from the back tip of home plate, all the way to second base.
I will drive a 16-penny nail into the dirt just behind the back tip of home plate. I will use a roll of bright colored construction twine and stretch it tightly from that nail at the back tip of home plate, to the front of 2nd base. This will place the twine going over the exact center of the pitcher’s rubber. I leave the twine lying on the dirt in that straight line.
I will then drive a 16-penny nail, touching the twine, about 10 feet in front of the rubber.
Then I drive nails just behind the rubber and just in front of 2nd base.
Then I stretch the string from home plate to the next nail in front of the rubber and tie them off so the twine is taught.
Then I let the string go loose and all the way around the edge of the circle (so it is not in the pitcher’s way of throwing) and tie it to the nail behind the rubber.
I then stretch the twine taught to the nail in front of 2nd base and tie it off there.
Now we have a taught power line from home plate to second base, except for the 10 feet just in front of the rubber.
Have your pitcher take a pitching position with the power line with the exact center of her body directly over the Power Line, feet equally far from the power line to each side.
IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE TO CATCH as your pitcher is throwing, take a position about 8 feet in front of 2nd base and get down on one knee or sit on the power line to where your eyes are directly over it. Do not move the twine while sitting or kneeling.
Have the pitcher throw the same pitch several times and focus ONLY on the legs and especially the feet.
Having a thin and bright colored power line behind the pitcher will give you an exact reference point and you will see exactly where the stride foot comes down in relationship to the power line and any inconsistencies with the feet.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE SOMEONE TO CATCH FOR YOU, set up a video camera at the same spot you were sitting/kneeling down behind the pitcher. Make sure the picture shows as much of the power line behind the rubber as you can get in the shot and still see the pitcher at least from the middle of the back down, you might have to move the video camera back a little farther.
Again, have her throw the same pitch several times and then review the tape with her and you will both be very surprised at how much you can tell about the pitcher’s motions when you see it from behind with a visible Power Line in view.
As an example (R/H pitcher), If the pitcher is occasionally throwing wide to one side or another she might very well be crossing over the power line or landing way to the left of it. This will be very evident in the rear view. Rewind the tape and watch it a few more times and you might also discover the pitcher leaning at the waist to the opposite side of the power line to try and compensate for the error and still hit reasonably close to the target. Her landing might not be off by much and she might not be leaning much to compensate for it, maybe not enough to be evident from 40 feet away when you are concentrating on catching the ball. You will definitely see it show up from behind when you have 100% attention on her feet and the power line. Letting the young pitcher see it is always beneficial for them.
If you ARE catching the pitcher, having that bright colored twine power line, going from home plate to 10 feet in front of the rubber, will make it much easier to tell if the pitcher is off the power line without distracting you from the ball coming at you. Never stare at the line, always watch the ball during a pitch. With the line extended you will be able to tell, fairly well, if she is off the line immediately after you catch the ball.
Determine the stride length of your pitcher and you can extend that front section of the line closer to the rubber than 10 feet but make sure it does not get so close she lands on it or gets her feet caught up in it. The closer you can bring that line too her without it being in the way, the easier it is for the pitcher to use it as a guide and determine where she is landing after ball release.
If you do have a video camera, also try to get shots from the left, right and front views too. There is much that can be used for analyzing a pitcher from those different angles.
From the rear view, watch for excessive side-to-side movement in the overall pitching motion. If a pitcher has excessive side-to-side motion it will definitely take away from speed and accuracy. It will be VERY evident while viewing the pitcher from behind using this Power Line method. I have found this to be a major contributing factor in most problems of inconsistency with a young pitcher’s footwork. The majority of the time it is caused by the pitcher’s feet being too far apart on the rubber to have a balanced and smooth straight-forward push off and motions. If this is evident in your pitcher, try bringing her feet closer together on the rubber, as she starts her motions. This has cured the problem in almost every case with the pitchers I work with.
Use this method and you might be VERY surprised what you can see.
My opinion goes like this; The powerline goes from the middle of the rubber to the middle of home plate. The pitcher starts out withe feet an equal distance from the powerline. If the pitcher looks straight down, she sees the powerline. The powerline is where you want to keep the center of your body during the entire pitching motion.
However far you start out your stride foot from the powerline, that is how far away from it that it should be when the stride foot touches down. My students started their motions with the feet no farther apart than the width of their shoe, very close together.
Here is an article that was published and then became a chapter of my 2nd book.
Extending the Power Line to fine tune a pitcher.
If you are working with a pitcher and you are the one catching for her, it’s tough to see exactly what is going on with the stride foot when it touches down. You are around 40 feet or so away and, let’s face it, you have a ball coming at your face at 45 to 60mph.
With 99% of your attention devoted to catching the ball and not getting hit, it is very hard to try and focus on the pitcher’s feet to see exactly where she is on the power line, to see exactly where the stride foot touches down. Unless something is DRASTICALLY off, you probably won’t see it.
To check a pitcher on the power line most folks will take their shoe and draw a fat line in the dirt right in front of the rubber. This is OK and it will help the pitcher, however, it seldom gives the person catching a good point of reference to see EXACTLY where the foot comes down. There is a lot of room for error.
When I have a pitching student that I want to ‘fine tune’ them, (because of problems staying on the power line) here is what I do. I extend the Power Line from the back tip of home plate, all the way to second base.
I will drive a 16-penny nail into the dirt just behind the back tip of home plate. I will use a roll of bright colored construction twine and stretch it tightly from that nail at the back tip of home plate, to the front of 2nd base. This will place the twine going over the exact center of the pitcher’s rubber. I leave the twine lying on the dirt in that straight line.
I will then drive a 16-penny nail, touching the twine, about 10 feet in front of the rubber.
Then I drive nails just behind the rubber and just in front of 2nd base.
Then I stretch the string from home plate to the next nail in front of the rubber and tie them off so the twine is taught.
Then I let the string go loose and all the way around the edge of the circle (so it is not in the pitcher’s way of throwing) and tie it to the nail behind the rubber.
I then stretch the twine taught to the nail in front of 2nd base and tie it off there.
Now we have a taught power line from home plate to second base, except for the 10 feet just in front of the rubber.
Have your pitcher take a pitching position with the power line with the exact center of her body directly over the Power Line, feet equally far from the power line to each side.
IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE TO CATCH as your pitcher is throwing, take a position about 8 feet in front of 2nd base and get down on one knee or sit on the power line to where your eyes are directly over it. Do not move the twine while sitting or kneeling.
Have the pitcher throw the same pitch several times and focus ONLY on the legs and especially the feet.
Having a thin and bright colored power line behind the pitcher will give you an exact reference point and you will see exactly where the stride foot comes down in relationship to the power line and any inconsistencies with the feet.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE SOMEONE TO CATCH FOR YOU, set up a video camera at the same spot you were sitting/kneeling down behind the pitcher. Make sure the picture shows as much of the power line behind the rubber as you can get in the shot and still see the pitcher at least from the middle of the back down, you might have to move the video camera back a little farther.
Again, have her throw the same pitch several times and then review the tape with her and you will both be very surprised at how much you can tell about the pitcher’s motions when you see it from behind with a visible Power Line in view.
As an example (R/H pitcher), If the pitcher is occasionally throwing wide to one side or another she might very well be crossing over the power line or landing way to the left of it. This will be very evident in the rear view. Rewind the tape and watch it a few more times and you might also discover the pitcher leaning at the waist to the opposite side of the power line to try and compensate for the error and still hit reasonably close to the target. Her landing might not be off by much and she might not be leaning much to compensate for it, maybe not enough to be evident from 40 feet away when you are concentrating on catching the ball. You will definitely see it show up from behind when you have 100% attention on her feet and the power line. Letting the young pitcher see it is always beneficial for them.
If you ARE catching the pitcher, having that bright colored twine power line, going from home plate to 10 feet in front of the rubber, will make it much easier to tell if the pitcher is off the power line without distracting you from the ball coming at you. Never stare at the line, always watch the ball during a pitch. With the line extended you will be able to tell, fairly well, if she is off the line immediately after you catch the ball.
Determine the stride length of your pitcher and you can extend that front section of the line closer to the rubber than 10 feet but make sure it does not get so close she lands on it or gets her feet caught up in it. The closer you can bring that line too her without it being in the way, the easier it is for the pitcher to use it as a guide and determine where she is landing after ball release.
If you do have a video camera, also try to get shots from the left, right and front views too. There is much that can be used for analyzing a pitcher from those different angles.
From the rear view, watch for excessive side-to-side movement in the overall pitching motion. If a pitcher has excessive side-to-side motion it will definitely take away from speed and accuracy. It will be VERY evident while viewing the pitcher from behind using this Power Line method. I have found this to be a major contributing factor in most problems of inconsistency with a young pitcher’s footwork. The majority of the time it is caused by the pitcher’s feet being too far apart on the rubber to have a balanced and smooth straight-forward push off and motions. If this is evident in your pitcher, try bringing her feet closer together on the rubber, as she starts her motions. This has cured the problem in almost every case with the pitchers I work with.
Use this method and you might be VERY surprised what you can see.
