Maybe it should be worded as poor training. My daughter's instructor claims leaping is bad mechanically because it can lead to injuries. Whether there is truth to that or not, I cannot say.
Well, here it is...
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Would love to hear them expound upon that because that's a new one.
- Jun 8, 2016
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I assume lower extremity issues
- May 27, 2013
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I could imagine that it is possible for more ankle and knee injuries if a pitcher is driving out really hard and then attempting to create strong FSR. That could be a lot of wear and tear on those tendons and ligaments. I guess time will tell.
Bill mentioned he has back and knee issues from pitching for many years, so maybe that's what she was getting at. She told us she would not teach a leap after it was first allowed in the other sanctions, but that was before the new NCAA rule change.
Maybe @Hillhouse can espouse upon this but it seems to me that mens pitching underwent this same change years ago(like 90's? Or later?). Even in the 2000's and 2010's there were top knotch mens pitchers using "ncaa" mechanics. Like manley and Kirkpatrick. I believe Hillhouse pitched both ways. I'm not sure how it effects the numbers/performance.
My opinion as an old fat guy is that its easier to throw using crow hops.
My opinion as an old fat guy is that its easier to throw using crow hops.
Ask her to elaborate and bring her answer back here. Genuinely interested to hear her point of view.
- May 13, 2023
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How pitchers/athletes are going to use their body, including having balanced muscle strength and good BODY mechanics,
will continue to be the most important relevancy to staying healthy.
( overall body mechanics not just feet elevating)
Pitchers have always been driving forward. Landing with some sort of resistance.
Being that there are many ways for pitchers to sustain injury, going to point out this about the feet...
Pitchers have been elevating their feet for many many years. Either it's the dirt's dug out in front of the rubber and it's not a flat plane they are working with or slight leaping. But this conundrum of the feet is nothing new. If there was some large numbers of treacherous results of injury of air under the feet this would have been exposed long ago. Including from the men's game. Especially from all the other softball players both men and women that are playing internationally where there has not been the rule to drag the back foot. That has not exposed any other hazards as to injury.
Again, How pitchers are going to use their body >>> balancing muscle strength will continue to be the most important!
Let us also remember that in baseball. Pitchers don't drag their back foot.
Rather they launch downhill onto their forward leg.
will continue to be the most important relevancy to staying healthy.
( overall body mechanics not just feet elevating)
Pitchers have always been driving forward. Landing with some sort of resistance.
Being that there are many ways for pitchers to sustain injury, going to point out this about the feet...
Pitchers have been elevating their feet for many many years. Either it's the dirt's dug out in front of the rubber and it's not a flat plane they are working with or slight leaping. But this conundrum of the feet is nothing new. If there was some large numbers of treacherous results of injury of air under the feet this would have been exposed long ago. Including from the men's game. Especially from all the other softball players both men and women that are playing internationally where there has not been the rule to drag the back foot. That has not exposed any other hazards as to injury.
Again, How pitchers are going to use their body >>> balancing muscle strength will continue to be the most important!
Let us also remember that in baseball. Pitchers don't drag their back foot.
Rather they launch downhill onto their forward leg.
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- May 13, 2023
- 1,538
- 113
For further discussion
While the pitcher is driving forward,
THE *dragging their back leg/toe in the dirt, could actually be problematic to injury.
There is the possibility that removing that particular anchor dragging behind the pitcher May alleviate an unnecessary part of mechanic that could be causing injury.
( thinking it through, if you were driving your body forward, while dragging your foot behind you, is a driving pulling forward and restraining/dragging happening at the same time)
In comparison throwing overhand generally the majority of the time we push off our back leg and our foot comes off the ground. We drive with Incredible Force forward and at a point stop. Which is not creating redundant injuries.
Injuries are generally sustained through bad angles of throwing mechanics.
Bad arm and body timing causing injury.
Additionally could bring up hitting mechanics and the differences of how batters will use their legs. Including some keeping back foot planted and others lifting it up.
To this comment about pitchers driving forward.
While the pitcher is driving forward,
THE *dragging their back leg/toe in the dirt, could actually be problematic to injury.
There is the possibility that removing that particular anchor dragging behind the pitcher May alleviate an unnecessary part of mechanic that could be causing injury.
( thinking it through, if you were driving your body forward, while dragging your foot behind you, is a driving pulling forward and restraining/dragging happening at the same time)
In comparison throwing overhand generally the majority of the time we push off our back leg and our foot comes off the ground. We drive with Incredible Force forward and at a point stop. Which is not creating redundant injuries.
Injuries are generally sustained through bad angles of throwing mechanics.
Bad arm and body timing causing injury.
Additionally could bring up hitting mechanics and the differences of how batters will use their legs. Including some keeping back foot planted and others lifting it up.
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- May 27, 2013
- 2,398
- 113
But, they also don’t leap forward either - and they are still sustaining injuries. Some think it’s due to stride length which would most likely be due to driving forward harder and with more force.
Increased Knee and Meniscal Injury Incidence in Professional Baseball Pitchers With Wider, Positive Stride Width - PubMed
Decreasing stride width may be beneficial for professional pitchers to reduce the rate of lower extremity injury, while also preserving performance metric outcomes.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
And these are professional ball players who have the best training pre and post practice, games, etc.
