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bfriendly
376 Posts |
 Posted - 05/24/2016 : 00:37:40
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So I have seen kids do this both ways, have seen it taught both ways and disregarded as not important either way....to me it seems kind of important to do this correctly. But which way is Best?
Wind up position I see heels on the rubber to start, but at the top I have always taught my son to put his foot flat on the ground in front of/against the rubber. When he was practicing the other day I watched him let his foot get partly on top and he really struggled..........
Which way do you see in your camps |
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hshuler
1074 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2016 : 10:12:06
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| Foot against the rubber so that he can push off and really engage his lower half. |
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2016 : 10:32:14
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| Bottom line is you want something to push off against and you want good balance. Most fields for the younger kids, there is a big hole in front of the rubber. So, kids will put their foot in front of the rubber and push off the hole. As the fields get better, the hole diminishes, so you will see some kids putting their foot half on, half off the rubber and push off against the front of the rubber. It can be personal preference and a lot is dictated by the condition of the mound, but bottom line is you want something to push off against and you want good balance. Whatever it takes... |
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3sondad
220 Posts |
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IBABASEBALL
45 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2016 : 15:04:17
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| I don't believe you really want to push off the rubber. You want to have your foot on the rubber and ground at an angle. You don't push you just fall pretty much like the baseball swing you don't push off your back foot to stride or swing. You are leading with your hip. |
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IBABASEBALL
45 Posts |
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2016 : 16:59:11
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quote:
Originally posted by IBABASEBALL
I don't believe you really want to push off the rubber. You want to have your foot on the rubber and ground at an angle. You don't push you just fall pretty much like the baseball swing you don't push off your back foot to stride or swing. You are leading with your hip.
Kind of depends on what philosophy you follow. Tall and fall or Drop and drive. Personally, I think it is good to get a push off the rubber to generate forward momentum...
http://betterpitching.com/drop-and-drive-or-tall-and-fall/ |
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2016 : 19:16:47
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quote:
Originally posted by IBABASEBALL
I know some will disagree but watch a slow motion of a Pitcher or Javelin thrower not pushing off the back foot, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGDlwhITEp8
Maybe you made a mistake, but this video is of Tim Lincicum. And you can DEFINITELY see him pushing off with the back leg. When you see a pitcher's back leg flex in his delivery, then straighten out as he strides, that is pushing off the rubber. |
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nastycurve
244 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2016 : 20:38:42
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| you definitely engage your lower half to pitch and would need to push off the rubber... The only falling you will be doing is falling off of teams as you get cut :-) |
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2016 : 22:02:36
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quote:
Originally posted by nastycurve
you definitely engage your lower half to pitch and would need to push off the rubber... The only falling you will be doing is falling off of teams as you get cut :-)
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Punishers
688 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2016 : 23:39:07
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quote:
Originally posted by nastycurve
you definitely engage your lower half to pitch and would need to push off the rubber... The only falling you will be doing is falling off of teams as you get cut :-)
Gotta love it.
Always and I mean always in front of the rubber. Simple physics tells us we generate more force if we are braced by something to push off on. The rubber is that brace. Unless a pitcher can generate amazing velocity from a flat surface, the snip will come sooner than expected. |
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IBABASEBALL
45 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2016 : 11:26:25
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For those that think pitchers are actively pushing off the rubber for some added speed or velocity. Do you think Batters push off their back foot in the same manner to hit?
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2016 : 15:06:46
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quote:
Originally posted by IBABASEBALL
For those that think pitchers are actively pushing off the rubber for some added speed or velocity. Do you think Batters push off their back foot in the same manner to hit?
Pitching and batting are two completely different mechanics. In pitching you are physically moving toward home plate (even if you subscribe to the tall & fall philosophy). In hitting, if you are moving forward, that is called drifting and is NOT a good thing. Let's not compare two things that are completely different mechanically. |
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bfriendly
376 Posts |
Posted - 05/28/2016 : 09:10:33
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There is no doubt a pitcher is pushing off of the rubber or at least should be. But, is that push off foot in a better position when it is against the rubber, or if part of the foot is on top of it...................that was the question I was referring to.
I see some kids trying to push off with their heal partly on top of the rubber. IMHO, it presents 2 problems. First, a foot that is not on a flat surface will not be as stable as one against it. Second, if your back foot is not "Square" to the plate, will it not struggle throwing in a consistent direction?
I watched a Galarraga video and he showed some old school foot placement for throwing a pitch(ANY) to the inside or outside of the plate. When in the wind up, he will place his foot against the rubber on the same side as he wants to throw the ball(any pitch). It helps with the alignment so he will consistently throw straight to home, rather than with a little direction left or right. Makes sense, but it might be picked up by savy batters.........regardless, his foot is against the rubber, never on top of it. Any big time pitchers successful with their foot on top? |
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 05/28/2016 : 12:19:32
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I think I addressed most of this above. At the younger ages, most mounds have a big hole in front of the rubber. You definitely want your foot in front of the rubber on these mounds. When the kids are older and play on better fields, there is no hole in front of the rubber. The ground is basically even with the rubber. In this case, you can have your foot half on - half off the rubber and push off the front of the rubber. Hope that makes sense. As I said before, you want balance and a push off point. How you attain that is dependent on the pitcher and dependent on the mound you are throwing off.
As for the Galarraga video, I don't like that approach either. I agree that batters would easily pick up on that. |
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HITANDRUN
436 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2016 : 15:42:32
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just because the last poster says you push off the rubber don't believe it. Do a few Google searches yourself and decide for yourself. It is another great debate in the baseball world. It's like hitting, to say you don't moving forward when hitting is not a good thing? I am not sure exactly what you mean but I guarantee most great hitters have early head and hip movement toward the pitcher before their front foot lands.
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2016 : 18:02:16
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I've just done a little more reading on this subject due to the varying positions. The general gist of what people are saying is that there is a push, but it's not a "teach". Some MLB guys acknowledge the push, some don't. The guys that teach no push indirectly say that there is a push off, but you shouldn't teach it because if you focus on it, you do it too much and alter the kinetic chain in negative ways. So, relative to this discussion, I still think it's important to position your foot in a way to accomplish the natural push off and maintain balance.
I still think the forward momentum thing in hitting doesn't relate to this. If there is any forward movement in hitting, it comes from moving back slightly during the load, then back to where you started. You're not really using forward momentum to generate bat speed. It's much more rotational. Pitching is very much rotational as well, but there is much more forward drive to it than hitting... |
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Topic |
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Foot on or against the rubber
