stride foot landing heel first

[FastPitchCat]

I'm not sure I'd worry too much about how the foot plants. I think the overall drive mechanics are a better focus. As a result of drive improvements, you may see a difference in how the foot plants. I see the foot plant as a symptom, not as an issue to fix.

Ken

ken, i agree with what you say about improving drive mechanics. baffling is that DD does it right sometimes, but is inconsistent. moreover, she's now a 'teen' and answers back - baaaaddd

 

[javasource]

Is this right:

at 3 o'clock, hands forward, stride foot forward, hips not open fully
at 12 o'clock pitching hand at 12 (of course), stride foot coming down, hips fully open
at 9 o'clock pitching hand ball to the sky (ideally), stride foot already landed
and off the pitch goes at 6 o'clock (or @ 5:55 )

@3... hips opened... shoulders then follow. Maximum stride height of foot reached. Stride leg should start to come down immediately after 3. You want the motions of the arm (to be rising) and the body (to be falling), to overlap one another.
@9 palm MUST be to sky... make sure it's not turning out to 3rd overtop, too. True spin killer... even if they 'reload' at 9

 

[Ken B]

ken, i agree with what you say about improving drive mechanics. baffling is that DD does it right sometimes, but is inconsistent. moreover, she's now a 'teen' and answers back - baaaaddd

If you don't already have one, it might be time for a PC. Drop her off with her catcher and wait out in the car with the smart phone. Hopefully she wants to improve and will listen to a PC's input.

 

[Thuba]

I've seen heel first come often when you add significant distance to the lunge.
edit: Like the video above: if you see karate kick (bottom of the foot out) i'd ask her to point her toe and it should get it to land first

 

[FastPitchCat]

If you don't already have one, it might be time for a PC. Drop her off with her catcher and wait out in the car with the smart phone. Hopefully she wants to improve and will listen to a PC's input.

she does listen to her PC but we don't go that often since PC moved and is about 150 miles out. ouch.

 

[FastPitchCat]

I've seen heel first come often when you add significant distance to the lunge.
edit: Like the video above: if you see karate kick (bottom of the foot out) i'd ask her to point her toe and it should get it to land first

did some workout tonight. DD's stride is almost 6 feet. she's a tad over 5'. is she over-striding?
come to think of it, some pitches had DD landing toe to heel and some heel - same stride distance.

Dd will need to work on pointing that toe down.

 

[Doug Romrell]

did some workout tonight. DD's stride is almost 6 feet. she's a tad over 5'. is she over-striding?
come to think of it, some pitches had DD landing toe to heel and some heel - same stride distance.

Dd will need to work on pointing that toe down.

I like Rick Pauly's take on this. He said to me (and I think here), "It's not how fare you stride as much as it is how quick you get there." At first, I was shooting for longer strides, now I understand what Pauly meant. I no longer push stride length as much as explosive drive mechanics, which do get the pitcher there (i.e., where she's landing) faster.

That being said, one would have to watch a pitcher to tell whether or not she's "over-striding." I know with my own daughter that there have been times I've called a time out in a game and told her to shorten her stride just a bit. She often times tells me later that it is what helped her pitch better.

 

[FastPitchCat]

was at a tournament today and observed pitchers from different teams. OMG, there are quite a few pitchers who land heel first and some of them are their team's top pitcher. i was very surprised.

 

[cuzmail]

did some workout tonight. DD's stride is almost 6 feet. she's a tad over 5'. is she over-striding?
come to think of it, some pitches had DD landing toe to heel and some heel - same stride distance.

Dd will need to work on pointing that toe down.

Maybe or maybe not. I have heard that a stride should be 75%-125% of the pitcher's height. The real consideration is if she is generating good forward momentum with her timing intact. I know of at one famous elite successful (and tall) pitcher who's stride is 125%. There is another who's stride is right at 130%.

 

[FastPitchCat]

At a young age, no. They should stride to what they can handle and not go by numbers.

FPC: Can you show us these heel landings, because I was looking at 14u videos and college pitchers and I don't see it. In my experience, I have never seen it, but I have to admit not looking for it.

I did see flat footed, straight leg landings, such as HR below (hard to find videos of her):

Game-ending walk gives Florida win over Tennessee - The Independent Florida Alligator: Softball

sorry, but i didn't take any videos of other pitchers. DW didn't want me as it was 'inappropriate'