Pitching Mechanics: The Leg Lift

1. Hips: Completely close the hips to the target (meaning to turn completely sideways to the plate)

2. Knee: Lift the glove side knee to at least parallel to the ground, which is approximately as high as the waist line. Lift the leg with the thigh(or quad) muscles and keep the foot underneath the knee.

3. Hands: Keep your hands in front of the chest or belly button.

4. Eyes: At the top of the leg lift, lock your eyes on the middle of the catcher’s mitt.

5. Body: Remember to maintain rhythm and tempo throughout. The tempo of your entire body should increase throughout the pitch.

You are now ready to deliver a powerful and accurate pitch!

1. Body alignment – The pivot allows the hips to start to turn so as to align the glove side of the body with the target, i.e. the catcher. Having the entire glove side of the body lined up with the target is considered being properly closed to the target.

Aligning the body properly to the target at this point is crucial because it sets the stage for you to deliver an accurate pitch to the catcher. When you align yourself properly each time, you increase your ability to deliver the pitch within a smaller area accurately; and you decrease the likelihood of missing your target by a large margin.

2. Height of the Leg Lift – The general consensus regarding the leg lift is that the knee should get to at least parallel to the ground. The waist line is approximately parallel with the ground. The reason parallel is the standard is because lifting the knee higher will give you a better chance of correct timing. Think of it this way…the higher you lift your knee the more time it gives you to get the throwing hand and forearm into the best position.

So how high a pitcher needs to lift his knee depends on his particular timing. If he has a particularly short arm swing, he probably won’t need to have a super high leg lift and vice-versa.

3. Tempo – Continue to build up a nice tempo at this point. Remember, you’re gearing up to powerfully deliver your pitch to the target so you shouldn’t be timid with your tempo. There is a fine line between having an aggressive tempo and losing body control. If you lose body control, you’ll most likely lose velocity and direction on the pitch.

There’s also a fine line between being under control and being so conscious of your mechanics that you become robotic. A slow, passive tempo will look weak and will lack power resulting in a lack of velocity. Develop a tempo that is aggressive yet under control. That will give you the best chance to maximize your power and athleticism on every pitch. Good pitching mechanics are a happy medium between agressive and controlled.

1. Over-rotating – As a pitcher closes his hips to the target by turning sideways to the plate, it is easy to turn too much away from the target. There is no pitching mechanics law that says a pitcher’s hips must be 100% in line with the target, no more. It is ok to close the hips a little more than perfectly in line with the plate, as long as the pitcher is able to get back on line and stay on line to the target as he delivers the pitch.

Where over-rotating becomes an issue is when the pitcher turns away from the target so much that when he delivers the pitch, his shoulders and hips fly open. Flying open can cause him to lose direction with his body and his eyesight and ultimately lose his pitching mechanics.

2. Losing Eye-Contact – In order to maintain good pitching mechanics past leg lift, a pitcher must make eye-contact at the top of the leg lift and keep it there as he delivers the pitch. Locking your eyes on your target will give you a better chance of delivering an accurate pitch. It signals to your brain and reminds you exactly where your body is to deliver the pitch. If you never make eye-contact or make it too late it will only hurt your location of the pitch.

3. Low Leg-Lift - Proper timing is essential to have consistent pitching mechanics that consistently deliver accurate pitches. A poor leg-lift will negatively affect the pitcher’s ability to get the forearm and ball into the correct position. Get the leg to the waist and you’ll have a better chance for correct timing every time.