Hawkins Magic Carpet Ride

[Ken B]

Going back to the high skip experiment: try the skips with varying degrees of backswing. Try a broad jump and do the same. Kick a soccer ball or hit a softball with varying degrees of back swing. Watch these two videos and note how overlap creates load:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBMA2wWuqh8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQz3mXbp2Ds

Stretch and fire...

 

[Ken B]

Ken, as much as I have been trying to understand pitching for the last 4 years it always amazes me to how much I don't know.

I find that the more I learn; the more I realize I don't know!

 

[SoCalASABlue]

Impressive, no doubt - but to be perfectly honest all I see is a BLATANT illegal pitch.

 

[corlay]

Impressive, no doubt - but to be perfectly honest all I see is a BLATANT illegal pitch.

I'm not seeing anything so BLATANT, myself;
so I'm curious what you are keying on?

Her back toe MIGHT be a few inches rearward of maintaining contact with the pitcher's plate?

Also, her front foot leaves contact with the plate, BUT all before her hands separate;
so I see no infraction there.

 

[STRIKE3]

She has become one of our favorite model pitchers. Her mechanics are solid.

 

[pumpkinbear]

Last week, Denny Tincher held a couple of jumpropes ~9 inches high, had my dd (and another girl) remove their shoes, and hop over the barriers off their drive foot (one-footed).

Denny explained that this gives the pitcher the feel of bringing their drive foot with them instead of letting it drag behind.

The point of shoes off is to have the hoppers land on the ball of their foot. Landing flat-footed hurts less with shoes on and Denny wants them landing on the balls of their foot.

Not a panacea--both pitchers hopped ~30 seconds, both immediately improved their glide somewhat when their shoes went back on. But you wouldn't mistake either for Hawkins.

 

[Ken Krause]

What I have found is that it is often a timing issue. Instead of pushing off the rubber right away, the pitcher will throw the drive leg out without really engaging the pivot leg right away. Then she will push off, hence the back leg/foot getting left behind. I will work with pitchers to actually push as soon as the stride leg knee passes the pivot knee. Some get it right away, others don't.

I will also have them skip/use high knees to get a feel for the timing. In reading the earlier message it occurred to me to have the pitcher skip a couple of times to start her launch - like the walk-up drill, but instead of walking three steps skip two or three steps instead. If nothing else it should be fun.

Side note: I sprained my right ankle a couple of weeks ago after slipping on an ice patch and having my left leg go out while the right one stayed firmly in place thanks to my new shoes. When I just tried the skip up it hurt like heck.

 

[Doug Romrell]

Impressive, no doubt - but to be perfectly honest all I see is a BLATANT illegal pitch.

What's illegal about it?

 

[Rocketech1]

What's illegal about it?

Her left foot comes off the pitching plate as she starts her back swing. Technically illegal since she must remain in contact with the pitching plate until she strides forward.

BTW - one of our resident experts, Java, would be proud since he teaches this method.

 

[Dial]

I have been told as long as any part of the foot in over the plate, they wont call it.