- Dec 16, 2010
- 170
- 18
Java
I have read your thread on drive mechanics and it's great. Buuuut I'm not so sure I'm liking this drill. Why is this non realistic and or legal footwork drill better than the rthyme drill or rocking drill that you do with your feet in a legal way. Can you explain why this is better than just doing the footwork the way you would do it with an actual pitch. I'm not seeing the benefit here. Can you clarify why this is better than what I just described, thanks and I don't wish to argue only to get clarification and pick your brain and get your thoughts behind this drill, also is their a part two that will include a pitch. Thanks
Curveball King
I believe this (pasted from #78 of the Drive Mechanics sticky) is the answer to your bolded question above: "to teach pitchers how to create what I call “stationary momentum”, teaching them immediate weight transfer, and establishing momentum through a rearward (or negative) move."
I watch a lot of 12U and HS games (2 dds pitch) and the weight transfer javasource describes is absent in most of the young pitchers I see. However, now that javasource has explained it, I see it in most of the best pitchers.
I believe the illegal raising of the foot during the drill is to allow the pitcher to feel and understand the power/momentum gains possible from efficient weight transfer. Once that feeling/understanding is gained, the pitcher can stop lifting (or lifting a tiny amount so as not to get called for an IP) in normal game delivery.
My 11-yr-old incorporated the weight transfer into her delivery easily after standing in on front of the computer and doing the drill along with the video once. I think the sliding of the drive foot backward in this drill actually lessens the likelihood of a "gym step" (picking up the drive foot and moving it in front of the rubber before pushing off).
I'm not javasource and there are dozens of folks here smarter than me on this and I hope one of them will set us straight if I answered incorrectly.
Good luck.