In today’s video blog post, we are talking about the “Push Off” Drill for softball pitching mechanics.
“Push Off” Drill for Softball Pitching Mechanics
As your pitcher gets better and more comfortable with the basic softball pitching mechanics, you want to start adding in a little more of a push off.
You might have seen some girls look like they’re pushing off or “jumping” off the mound. The rules are you have to have both feet in contact with the pitching rubber when you start.
But as you push off, you can drag the right foot and push off with the right, and as long as it stays in contact with the ground, that would be a legal pitch.
So the push off drill is one thing I have my athletes do is — because I don’t want them to jump out too far, but I want them to get a little more momentum to help them drive that right leg into drag faster.
Breaking Down the Push Off Drill
Without her ball and glove, she’s just going to use her legs and begin moving in a rocking motion. And she’s going to push off so that she’s jumping out and her toes are dragging at the same time, in a rock and push motion.
The push off is cutting down the distance between her and the catcher and she’s getting a little more momentum to throw the ball a little harder.
You want to make sure that when she lands, her toes are in at about a 45-degree angle.
From there, she can put her whole pitch together. The timing here is as her arm swings back, on the way up is when she pushes off. And at that same point is where her body starts to lean a little forward and she starts to push off. So you are actually using your arms to help you push.
You may be able to hear her as she drags, and this is good. You want to have that nice drag so that she can find her release.
Looking for more awesome softball pitching mechanics tips? Then be sure to check out Championship Coach Sue Enquist’s other Softball Coaching Videos! Sue will share some great tips and softball pitching mechanics, hitting and much more! And don’t forget to Like Us on Facebook, where we share more great drills, tips and suggestions.