crow hopping

[SoCalDad]

DD has been periodically crow hopping the past few weeks due to a change in her delivery. The delivery change was necessary as it has improved her location and control but messed up her timing and the result was the crow hop. PC came up with an innovative practice routine last night that is helping her recognize when she does it. She took a second portable pitching plate and hammered it down about 6 inches in front of the permanent plate. If you visualize it her toe touches the back of the second plate and her heel is in the proper position on the permanent plate. If DD takes the crow hop it forces her drive foot up and the tactile feedback lets her know immediately. She practiced about 30 pitches with the second plate in place and then took 30 more pitches with the plate removed. Once removed 0 crow hops.

 

[Jojo]

DD has been periodically crow hopping the past few weeks due to a change in her delivery. The delivery change was necessary as it has improved her location and control but messed up her timing and the result was the crow hop. PC came up with an innovative practice routine last night that is helping her recognize when she does it. She took a second portable pitching plate and hammered it down about 6 inches in front of the permanent plate. If you visualize it her toe touches the back of the second plate and her heel is in the proper position on the permanent plate. If DD takes the crow hop it forces her drive foot up and the tactile feedback lets her know immediately. She practiced about 30 pitches with the second plate in place and then took 30 more pitches with the plate removed. Once removed 0 crow hops.

I'm having trouble understanding this.
Is she starting on the back (normal) plate?
What is the feedback she's getting? What happens at the front plate that gives her the feedback?

I'm just visualizing my kids hopping and dragging over the front plate.

 

[SoCalDad]

I'm having trouble understanding this.
Is she starting on the back (normal) plate?
What is the feedback she's getting? What happens at the front plate that gives her the feedback?

I'm just visualizing my kids hopping and dragging over the front plate.

She is starting with her heel on the back plate as normal and the tip of her toe is touching the other plate that is running parallel and six or so inches in front. The plate she used was about half the thickness of a standard portable plate so it didn't interfere too much with her drag (and if it did it serves her right for crow hopping). The feedback she got is if she moved her right foot forward it ended up this other plate which first pushed her foot up and also gave her no leverage to throw. Her PC referred to it as a tactile feedback drill. I wanted to use a shock collar like that Doritos SuperBowl commercial but PC thought that was a bit severe.

 

[Ken Krause]

I have a student who had this problem. As Jojo describes, we tried all the usual solutions to no avail. I'm sure part of it was a lack of interest, at least earlier on, in correcting it. Part of it also was she felt good doing it. You wouldn't exactly call it a crow hop. It was more like walking off the pitching rubber before she pushed off, so technically it was an illegal replant. A pretty pronounced one, too -- nothing subtle about it.

I finally came up with something that worked for her. It was all about momentum transfer before pushoff. I describe it here on my blog. There is even video to accompany it. She needed something to do before push-off to feel right, so I gave her something legal to do. She'd fall back into her old habits now and then, but even then it was nothing like before. Still, a little illegal is illegal so I'd call her on it and make her work on correcting it. Hope this helps.

 

[redhotcoach]

I have seen just tons of 14u doing it this spring. Doesn't seem to get called much. Neighbor umps high school and college and is known for calling illegal pitches. Few years ago small school lost state in semi final because as he said the three pitchers they had could not throw without replanting. It needs to be called and corrected at much younger ages.

I can't figure out how crow hopping is possible without messing up the arm circle timing. Are they pushing off at 6:00 on start of windmill then again at release time? Seems like it would be alot easier to not crow hop to me.