News posted by Baseball in Illinois
Pitching with Lower Parts - Front leg:
The lift and lead leg purposes are to trigger and load the hips, point to the target-alignment, establish stride quality, act as a shock absorber, perform as a decelerant assistant and gague the action of the back leg release.
The front leg, stide leg and/or lift leg is integral to direction and alignment, and the lifting and loading of the hips is specific in giving power to the torso on rotation. Leading with the hips is specific in giving power to the torso on rotation. Leading with the hips is a great equalizer to alignment and also helps avoid "rushing". Leading with the hip and directing the knee toward the back shoulder (during the lift) sets the hips and activates the kinesis, which is vital to rotational energy and ultimately transfers the energy to the accelerating arm.
Stepping toward the stride line:
When striding forward, one should land on the ball of the foot slightly to the outside of the imaginary line running from the rubber to the plate. The foot should be slightly closed and the knee should be slightly bent to absorb the landing. Chest should be over the knee, knee over the ball of the foot, and the face on follow through whould be in front of the front foot. This assists deceleration and the shock absorber quality of the front leg come into play. A good strong front leg is integral to lower body excellence.Back Leg:
There is some controversy over the use of the back leg and while some propound it, most feel it's one of the important parts of the quadrants particular for power. Pitching with the lower part of the body and with the driving leg is an art form in itself. Getting as close as one can to the plate in the release of the ball actually increases velocity. This can only be done by using the pitcher's plate. Driving forward need not cause any imbalances if the picther leads with the hip and has the other three quadrants in synchrony. The power that is produced from the lower body is strongly related to the action of the back leg and the hips. The function of the back leg is to drive off, assist with the pivoting of the hips and assisting in the downward plane. By using the back leg does not necessarily make one "drop and drive" the knee to the ground concept. The assistance in the pivoting of the hips by the back foot is in the timing of going from closed to open. Lastly as the back foot turns and the heel comes up, a downward trajectory is established which increases pitching effectiveness by removing the batter's comfort eye zone.
Loading the Back Leg:
The back foot placed horizontally against or parallel to the rubber with the foot angling up somewhat initiates the loading event - the knee flexes and a slight drop occurs - for some this could be the dramatic "drop and drive". Then as forwad movement is initiated, the foot rotates so the ball of the foot acts as the pivoting point (fulcrum), and now a strong drive commences forward with a thrust from the rotating foot. This is central to the integration of the directional and rotational forces, and maximizing the synergistic effect of these combined forces.
As the other loading areas in effect(shoulder, girdle, pelvic and accelerating arm) come into play, a union creates a crisp and forceful delivery and likely a fastball worthy of this effect. For those who minimize the effect of the back leg or negate it completely there is the absence of the function and power of the quadrant.
Back Leg Release:
In pitching, getting the back side through and into the pitch is an area that seems to get overlooked quite often, and it demeans the whole pitching effect, becasuse it should be a serious "punctuation" mark on the delivery of an effective pitch. The activation of this quadrant, and its incorporation into the sequence of completing a strong throw to the mitt, signifies a coordination of drive-off, rotation, and release in a powerful kinetic thrust, which in turn gives a signature to a purposeful delivery.
Those with a strong back side involvement, generally have a high back leg release, and this is often characteristic of power pitchers who have quality fastballs.
There are numerous ways to get an impact high back leg, but the most useful and effective is to have a partner or coach hold the leg up, as one goes through "dry" mechanics and buries the shoulder and comes to the end of the pitch. This is indicated by follow-through with the hand passing by the opposite knee.