KJ working on riseball

[FastPitchCat]

btw, what is the optimal angle of the hip at release? 30 or 45 degrees?

 

[Doug Romrell]

btw, what is the optimal angle of the hip at release? 30 or 45 degrees?

I believe that the optimal angle of the hip at release is somewhat dependent on the pitcher and the pitch. I don't necessarily believe that either of these two (K or M) has "the optimal" hip angle. I believe they both need to keep the shoulders more open in learning to throw a true riseball (one with little, if any, curve). I think if the shoulders remain a bit more open on the rise that the hips won't close as much.

 

[bobbleheadbill]

According to a very respected P coach at a perennial top 20 program that did a mini-clinic fro me back in April, a study of 10 high level P's was done and it was discovered that the optimal release angle for the hips was approximately 52 degrees. This coach had some other very interesting angles culled from the same study that dealt with launch angle of the drive leg, as well as ball position at stride foot land. I have no idea who the 10 P's were for the study.

 

[FastPitchCat]

According to a very respected P coach at a perennial top 20 program that did a mini-clinic fro me back in April, a study of 10 high level P's was done and it was discovered that the optimal release angle for the hips was approximately 52 degrees. This coach had some other very interesting angles culled from the same study that dealt with launch angle of the drive leg, as well as ball position at stride foot land. I have no idea who the 10 P's were for the study.

do you have a link to this 'study'?

 

[WillyT812]

Doug, you are "whipping" her into great shape. In honor of that I give you the best song for it....Let it Whip. Kickin' it old school R&B.

 

[WillyT812]

52 degrees. Hmmm. Sounds a bit suspicious, so specific. I'm betting it's the average of those ten pitchers. I once read that 73.66 percent of all statistics are made up.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

The number is from the 1996 Steadman-Hawkins report ....

p.s.
Note variation from 18-to-87 degrees.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

While a 52-deg hip angle at release was considered the 'average' from the Steadman-Hawkins report, what should also be noted is that only about 20% of the pitchers were close to this value (see 'red' arrows below). The hip angle at release ranged from 18-deg to 87-deg.

 

[drc9805]

No hard facts but I've always heard anywhere from 45-52 is optimal.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

No hard facts but I've always heard anywhere from 45-52 is optimal.

Yes, Michelle Smith commonly quotes that range while serving as a color commentator, and often she will reference her source as the Steadman-Hawkins study .... which you can see from the above chart only had a low percentage of pitchers that realized that range at release.