Jordyn Bahl

[Hillhouse]

Bill,
If pitchers don't replant why do you see pitchers have dirt that kicks up 90 degrees to the pitch line degrees from the back foot? Isn't this a replant?



Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

I'm not suggesting pitchers don't replant. That is not what I said. What I'm saying is, they don't jump, land, then push again.
The most egregious crow hop pitcher jumps, lands, then pitches. There's no 2nd jump. And if you listen to people sometimes describe the crow hop, it makes it sound like they jump, land, jump again, then pitch.

 

[Shiloh]

The bottom line is, 99% of the population cannot tell the difference between a Leap and a Crow hop regardless of how it's defined. Some people exaggerate the crow hop definition by saying someone lands then pushes off again. I've never seen that, and I have seen the worst of the worst in crow hopping. Nobody lands then pushes off AGAIN. A crow hopper lands then pitches, there's no "2nd push". Pitchers that crow hop, whether its a large or small hop, still drag their foot after they land and throw the ball. That's not "pushing again". Some people make it sound like they are doing a triple jump kind of action. And it's people like that who are the ones that muddy the water in the definition. While both leaping and crow hop are illegal in NCAA, the fact that so many can't tell the difference they just call everyone who go airborne a "replant".

The reality is, all crow hoppers leap. But not all leapers crow hop. Cat Osterman was a good example of a pitcher who leaped. And people were equally outraged by that during her career, calling her illegal and posting on message boards back then.

When the NCAA changes the rule, and I do say WHEN because it's only a matter of time, there will still be a 2 year grace period before it goes into effect. All non-safety related rule changes have a 2 year grace period. If it's safety related, it can go immediately. And I believe they NCAA will approve the leap, same as the WBSC has. When that happens, it will be umpire's discretion on whether the pitcher "leaped" or "replanted". So crow hopping will become normal and it will never be called. Right now, an umpire can see the pitcher leave the ground and call it illegal. But when they legalize the leap, I doubt they will care if the pitcher crow hops or not. Just one man's opinion.

Thanks Bill.

I spent some time looking up the history of why leaping was banned from the women's game. Best I can tell, it was because most umps couldn't tell the difference between a hop and leap, so ASA, etc. imposed a blanket ban on leaving the ground to keep it simple/make it easier to call.

Agree that the NCAA will change the rules. Hopefully soon.

 

[Shiloh]

Leaping is just symptom of poor lower body mechanics. If you look at most any skippy, you will see that their mechanics are a hot mess. Barnhill was the poster child for someone who was able to overcome poor mechanics with raw athleticism. You can see this at most any high school or TB game. You will regularly see kids with a god awful swing mechanics who regularly hammer the ball. Most wash out as the level of play increases and out paces their athleticism. Some like Barnhill and others have the athleticism and go on to play at a very high level. But they are the unicorns. I cannot imagine anyone with a basic knowledge of pitching mechanics that would want their kid to take lessons from Barnhill, Bahl, or others. Would be interesting to see what some of them could do had they had proper instruction and developed truly great mechanics.

Just re-read this.

What a great comment. Every sentence is a highlight.
Totally nailed it.

Bravo.

 

[ArmWhip]

If we're going to be purists when it comes to the rules then the IR delivery is illegal. A legal pitch is defined as one where the wrist is not further from the body than the elbow.

"The delivery shall be an underhand motion with the hand below the hip and the wrist
not farther from the body than the elbow."

 

[Pigskinguru34]

"Agree that the NCAA will change the rules. Hopefully soon."

How so? Change the rule to allow pitchers to leap off the mound like AirBahl is doing now?

This is my greatest fear. I say that because everyone loved the CWS last year and the competitive games that they saw and the ratings number proved it. (People love 5-3, etc. competitive games) But, people HATED the Olympics and the 1-0 snoozefest with pitcher dominance and no hitting. If the NCAA changes the rule and lets AirBahl continue to leap then we are going to see leaping all throughout the ranks as everyone quickly emulates "the next IT thing". Then within 2-3 years the CWS will be the Olympics and sorry but the fan base will decline and ratings will diminish as a result.

If the NCAA is smart they build off the 2021 success and they want it continued, the only way to assure that is to keep a competitive balance between pitching and hitting by keeping the pitchers grounded.

 

[radness]

How so? Change the rule to allow pitchers to leap off the mound like AirBahl is doing now?

This is my greatest fear. I say that because everyone loved the CWS last year and the competitive games that they saw and the ratings number proved it. (People love 5-3, etc. competitive games) But, people HATED the Olympics and the 1-0 snoozefest with pitcher dominance and no hitting. If the NCAA changes the rule and lets AirBahl continue to leap then we are going to see leaping all throughout the ranks as everyone quickly emulates "the next IT thing". Then within 2-3 years the CWS will be the Olympics and sorry but the fan base will decline and ratings will diminish as a result.

If the NCAA is smart they build off the 2021 success and they want it continued, the only way to assure that is to keep a competitive balance between pitching and hitting by keeping the pitchers grounded.

Have you taken into consideration the Accelerated batting averages in fastpitch ...

TRUE they did make lots of adjustments over the years that substantially increased Runners on base, home runs and hitting averages. Which included narrowing the pitchers Landing path and restricting mechanics.
However then
With the addition of better flying softballs
'yellow rockets' and lighter bats things got a little off-balance...
I'm saying that because can see how many run-ruled games there are now.
Batting averages soared.

Think they are trying to find ways to adjust that.
After previously moving the pitcher back three feet and narrowing their Landing Lane they are now giving a little more laxity in how pitchers can start their pitch and maybe their finishing mechanics in the future.

For the people who will continue to eyeball the feet of the pitcher this is an old discussion that's still around decades later, and will continue no matter what the rules are.

 

[GunnerShotgun]

How so? Change the rule to allow pitchers to leap off the mound like AirBahl is doing now?

This is my greatest fear. I say that because everyone loved the CWS last year and the competitive games that they saw and the ratings number proved it. (People love 5-3, etc. competitive games) But, people HATED the Olympics and the 1-0 snoozefest with pitcher dominance and no hitting. If the NCAA changes the rule and lets AirBahl continue to leap then we are going to see leaping all throughout the ranks as everyone quickly emulates "the next IT thing". Then within 2-3 years the CWS will be the Olympics and sorry but the fan base will decline and ratings will diminish as a result.

If the NCAA is smart they build off the 2021 success and they want it continued, the only way to assure that is to keep a competitive balance between pitching and hitting by keeping the pitchers grounded.

How many more MPH do you think leaping adds to a fastball?

Do you think that the pitching rules lead to the "Olympic snoozefest" or the fact that it was the best pitchers in the world pitching in that game?

 

[radness]

Do you think that the pitching rules lead to the "Olympic snoozefest" or the fact that it was the best pitchers in the world pitching in that game?

Snoozefest was the boring approach of the US batters...

 

[Shiloh]

How so? Change the rule to allow pitchers to leap off the mound like AirBahl is doing now?

This is my greatest fear. I say that because everyone loved the CWS last year and the competitive games that they saw and the ratings number proved it. (People love 5-3, etc. competitive games) But, people HATED the Olympics and the 1-0 snoozefest with pitcher dominance and no hitting. If the NCAA changes the rule and lets AirBahl continue to leap then we are going to see leaping all throughout the ranks as everyone quickly emulates "the next IT thing". Then within 2-3 years the CWS will be the Olympics and sorry but the fan base will decline and ratings will diminish as a result.

If the NCAA is smart they build off the 2021 success and they want it continued, the only way to assure that is to keep a competitive balance between pitching and hitting by keeping the pitchers grounded.

In addition to full agreeing with RAD's and Gunner's great comments - there have been so many changes made to favor the offense, time to reup on defense - I don't see why there should be a difference in the mens vs womens game. Also, international play allows leaping/hopping; the US is an outlier. Plus, it's just plain weird to have to keep contact with the ground, and many pitchers struggle with it.

The Olympics was a snoozefest because the coaches planned and played for defense, i.e. they played not to lose rather than to win. (Crazy not to put Jocelyn Alo on the team, e.g.) Plus the use of older players killed the excitement...not saying they weren't qualified, they just weren't as familiar to fans who haven't been around for the past 10-15 years. Plus the Japanese pitchers are really, really good. Best in the world.

 

[JayW]

Snoozefest was the boring approach of the US batters...

i think the US left some of its best hitters at home.