|
Pushing Off The Pitching Rubber
By Steven Ellis, former Chicago Cubs pitching pro
Until recently ("recently" meaning 1990s) everyone knew that pitchers
pushed off. There were no arguments or debates about it; pitchers pushed
off. They pushed off in the 1960s when the pitchers were so dominant that
the height of the mound had to be reduced. When the 1990s came along,
a few so-called "experts" decided that pitchers did not push, but actually
"pulled off". From what I can gather, it seems that this got started for two
reasons. First, someone watched some video of pitchers and could not see
the their back leg straightening. Second, someone conducted an experiment
that measured the amount of force applied to the rubber and found that
there was very little force applied.
Well, if you look at closely at enough videotape of power-pitchers (guys
that throw 95mph+), you'll see that the back leg actually does straighten.
It doesn't straighten out completely but it does straighten some, and that's
all it takes to push. I'm sure that some of you already know what the
problem with the "force experiment" was. The pitcher was applying most
of the force to the ground, not to the rubber. Stuff like this used to make
me think that science and baseball don't mix. I now understand that only
"bad science" and baseball don't mix.
Another thing to think about is: how does a pitcher get all the way out to
landing. Most reasonable people would say that some "pushing" is necessary
for the stride foot to land approximately 6 feet from the rubber. It really
gets interesting when you have a pitcher, like Nolan Ryan, who started
toward the plate by falling. That's been called the "tall & fall" method.
A pitcher obviously can't fall all the way to landing, so it really should be
called the "tall & fall then push" method.
Some of the "experts" that claimed power-pitchers don't push off now admit
that they actually do push. The funny thing is, though, is that they STILL
don't have it right. They are recommending pushing AFTER the stride foot
lands. This shows a real lack of understanding regarding the mechanics that
power-pitchers use!
In fact, some of these experts used to say that power-pitchers couldn't
push off because their back foot is already off the rubber and the top of the
shoe (shoelaces) is dragging along the ground BEFORE the stride foot lands
(I guess they forgot about that). Well, yes. Clemens, for example, could not
push-off after his stride foot lands since his back foot turns over BEFORE
footplant. He actually pushes when his back foot starts to turn over, just
BEFORE footplant.
All pitchers start toward the plate by either falling or pushing. Those are the
two choices. There are no other choices that I'm aware of. They then either
start to push (if they started by falling) or continue to push. Professional
power-pitchers give it a second, more serious push just before footplant.
This helps the hips to rotate BEFORE footplant.
And then there are the "experts" that say that pushing-off causes "rushing".
Well, you might "rush" if you push-off. And, you might "rush" if you DON'T
push-off. If you'd like to receive more of my best tips and techniques to throw harder with better control while reducing the risk of injury, I invite you to subscribe to my free baseball pitching tips here: www.pitchingtips.com/free
Subscribe to my free baseball pitching tips
Are you a pitcher? Need more velocity? If you throw 86 MPH or less, you better read this...
Simply enter your first name and a valid email address below to unlock the secrets of a 90 MPH fastball. You'll discover how high school and college pitchers can quickly add another 5-7 MPH to their fastball in 60 days or less...
Plus simple exercises, explosive strength training and velocity boosting techniques to get stronger, throw harder and pitch deeper into games. Don't miss out, sign up now for FREE... We take your privacy very seriously and WILL NEVER share
your contact details. Don't miss out on these pitching tips! |
|
