Today will be a shorter post, an add-on to the previous post I made in regards to the hand vs elbow dominated arm actions. As the title indicates, we will focus on one characteristic of the hand dominated arm action.
In the previous article, I talked about the necessity of hand dominated throwers to have a quicker lead leg brace upon foot contact. We discussed how these types of throwers tend to cover less distance as they accelerate the baseball, which leads to the need to have better initial acceleration to get up to speed. And an above average lead leg brace is a prime way to do that.
What I’ve begun to notice is that many of these throwers, although not all, share one characteristic: a straight stride leg. Here are some examples:
Those examples with an emphasis on the portion of their delivery that I’m referring to:
By straightening out their stride leg after their initial leg kick, these throwers are likely giving themselves a better chance of landing with a pre-braced lead leg, which will allow for the quicker acceleration we were talking about before.
Another way to think about this is “balancing out” their movement. Many hand dominated throwers will extend their throwing arm straight back as they break their hands. By extending the lead leg, which is the body part in opposition of the throwing arm, they are keeping their body in better balance.
That brings us to the end of today’s post. Thanks for reading! As always, if you have questions, comments, or would like to learn more about what it means to train with DAC Baseball, email brady@dacbaseball.com and we’ll get back with you shortly.
Stay Hungry.
Brady