Pitching and Pitchers Discussion Crow Hop

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Any thoughts on how to stop a pitcher from crwo hopping ??

 

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The easiest thing to do is get a piece of paper and put it on your dd's drag foot. The idea is to get the paper to drag along.

 

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If when she rocks back, her toes on her lead foot pivot on her heel and lift off the ground she will inevitable crow hop. If she can keep her foot flat she won't. Like everything else in softball a crow hop starts in the wind-up. Keep the ball of her foot on the ground and her foot will stay down.

 

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I used a piece of rope (durable) and placed it in front of her drag foot and she had to drag it with her. We used it until she didnt need it anymore and the crow hop was gone. Believe it or not it didnt take long 2-3 weeks and it changed her muscle memory.

 

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Ok. I'll get this going..... So everyone here teaches their kids to release the ball after the back foot has "dragged along the ground" and then re-planted? Because if they are releasing the ball before the back foot replants, then this conversation is irrelevant.

 

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Ok. I'll get this going..... So everyone here teaches their kids to release the ball after the back foot has "dragged along the ground" and then re-planted? Because if they are releasing the ball before the back foot replants, then this conversation is irrelevant.

How in the world do you drag then re-plant? That foot must stay in contact (or level) with the plane of the field until release. Not complicated to understand. ;&

 

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I used a piece of rope (durable) and placed it in front of her drag foot and she had to drag it with her. We used it until she didnt need it anymore and the crow hop was gone. Believe it or not it didnt take long 2-3 weeks and it changed her muscle memory.

DD used this drill along with the "peice of paper" drill mentioned by Brownsfan...both worked well and the leaping was gone within a couple of weeks. Is she "trying" to stride out too far? i.e., is she marking off a spot in front of her that she is trying to "reach for" with her stride that might be a little too far for her height? DD's pitching coach noticed that this was often the cause of my dd's leaping and he had to remind her not to try and stride out farther than she is capable of. JMHO

 

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It's not complicated at all. If the pitcher leaps off the mound, even if their foot is still level to the ground, their right foot, (for a right-handed pitcher) re-plants, and they get a second push-off before the ball leaves their hand, it is still a leap. There are so many kids doing this now. Very few umps call it. I suspect that's why ASA is considering a rule change to allow it. Then everyone will have to learn to leap.

 

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One good drill for this is to have your pitcher start by taking small strides while not letting her pivot foot touch the ground ending knee to knee. They need to feel the weight transfer into their stride foot. Most girls that crow hop release with their legs in an "A" frame shape and usually the foot is flatter. The pivot foot should be a reverse "L" @ release with the hips @ a 45 to 52 degree angle. In the beginning have them perform about 8 to 10 of the one leg drill and then pitch 1 to 2. The next step would be to take a small squishy ball and have them place their pivot foot on the ball so when they stride the foot rolls over and stays higher on the toe. Again perform 8 to 10 and pitch one or two with out the ball. It is important that the pivot foot is smooth and does not carry a lot of weight on it during the pitch. You will find if they have proper weight transfer speed will increase. When pitching outside you can see the line the pivot foot makes. The straighter the line is what your looking for. An elongated "S" is acceptable too. The drag should not create a deep rut in the dirt.

 

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Have a pitcher that is working on this and all the drills above is pretty much how all the instructor fix this problem.. One thing to be careful of is all pitchers go indoors for the winter and if your throwing of a gym floor some will pick up the leap or replant to get more on the pitch. i think this is were we got it from so there will be pitching mounds this year...

 

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buckeyes21,
This is when we really implement the paper drill when we need to. We haven't needed since dd first started pitching.

 

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It's not complicated at all. If the pitcher leaps off the mound, even if their foot is still level to the ground, their right foot, (for a right-handed pitcher) re-plants, and they get a second push-off before the ball leaves their hand, it is still a leap. There are so many kids doing this now. Very few umps call it. I suspect that's why ASA is considering a rule change to allow it. Then everyone will have to learn to leap.

If they are pushing off and dragging properly, there is NO WAY to replant because they are either dragging the top of their toes or the side of their foot. Please, tell me how you get a second push-off from a dead-weight foot?

Obviously, if they are leaping, that's when they can replant. But not all leapers replant.

 

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I agree with you, Crystalmc, but what seems to happen, is that you get certain (not all)pitchers who do replant, and want to make the arguement that since they dragged their plant foot (look at the line in the dirt, I couldn't be leaping) they are legal. It's really more about the timing of the ball release. And for some reason, most umpires will not call a leap under any circumstances, if the pitcher's foot doesn't leave the ground. If they do get a second push, and many do, even though they might not realize it, it's not legal.

 

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How are they going to call a leap if "the pitcher's foot doesn't leave the ground"? And if they dragged at all, they didn't/couldn't replant. Maybe I am misunderstanding you. Could you find some video showing what you are referring to?

 

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I completely agree, I'm lost. If the foot is dragging, the foot will literally have to stop to restart. I'm also confused aout the release, how does the release tie into this?

MHO--the reason there's a leap, is the girl is pushing up and not out.

 

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Very interesting.... I'm taking this to my pitching coach.

Thanks to all for the insight.

 

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Why wouldn't the DD's pitching instructor notice the crow hop and fix it for her??? Or at least teach her how to eliminate it. Proper mechanics fixes many flaws

 

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I have seen many pivot style pitchers replant as there drag foot leaves the mound as they are pivoting off the plate there foot replants then pushes off just in front of the mound(pitching rubber).It is considered an illegal pitch but many umps will just say something to the pitcher and do no more.Toe dragging leapers(most pitchers)use the pitching rubber to drive hard off and the drag foot does not stop dragging untill the pitch is on its way.Maybe ASA will at last eliminate this rule(toe drag part) so the girls can have it the same as men who are not required to keep the drag foot on the ground.

 

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And for some reason, most umpires will not call a leap under any circumstances, if the pitcher's foot doesn't leave the ground.

I certainly hope not! By rule and definition, if the pivot foot never leaves the ground the pitcher hasn't committed a leaping violation.

As in many other pitching discussions, some seem to be mixing up and misunderstanding the leap and the crow hop, which are two distinct, separate violations covered by two different rules.

 

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Leap = illegal pitching motion where the drag foot does not remain in contact with the ground. Actually, a pitcher can "leap" AS LONG as they keep their drag foot in contact with the ground. Many college pitcher's stride foot lands on or near the front of the circle.

Replant = illegal pitching motion where the drag foot stops and "replants" before delivery of the ball, providing the pitcher with a second push-off point (impetus).

Crow Hop = a desirable motion by an outfielder to gain momentum in order to impart more energy into their throw.

P.S. Remember... there is no "mound" in softball - - - but there is a "circle" and a "pitcher's plate".

Agree that you should find a pitching instructor that not only recognizes flaws in mechanics, but knows how to instruct how to correct those flaws.