Pitching Drill: Load and Explode
Hey There Friend!
This week I'm highlighting a great drill to work on lower body strength, explosiveness and stride leg quickness. Take a look at the video above to see the drill being done by some of my pitchers.
This drill can improve:
Leg Strength
- Pitchers that regularly use this drill during training will improve their lower body strength.
- Try getting into this position yourself, you will "feel" it in your legs after just a few reps! ; )
Load/Launch Position
- When done correctly, this drill will position pitchers so they get on the balls of both feet and have bend at the knees and hips. Many pitchers struggle to get all 3 of these things to happen when pitching.
- Practicing from this slightly exaggerated position can make it seem "easy" to get into an aggressive position during their regular pitching motion.
Stride Leg/Foot Quickness
- Try to have your pitchers do this drill in pairs whenever possible so they can compete with each other. The "winner" is the pitcher that gets her stride foot set the quickest.
- Don't let your pitchers "cheat" and shorten their strides! They should be working to set their stride foot at their NORMAL stride distance as FAST as possible!
- The faster the lower body moves forward, the faster the rest of the body (arms and back leg) will move to keep up if your pitcher has good mechanics!
The video shows a couple of different tools used under the drive foot to help pitchers feel pushing straight over the toes. Click the links below if you'd like to use either or both with your pitchers.
When incorporating the "Load and Explode" drill into workouts, I would suggest having pitchers do 2 sets of 10 repetitions.
Make sure your pitcher's first move is to go OUT towards her target and NOT stand straight up. This is a common mistake when she gets tired or her legs start to fatigue.
This is a drill that can be done DAILY. Encourage your pitcher to commit to 2 sets of 10 reps every day for a month! She will notice a significant improvement in her lower body strength in that short amount of time!
Give the "Load and Explode" drill a try with your pitchers. It's one that can make a big difference for her!
All My BEST,
Myndie
Let's GET BETTER together!
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Myndie Berka
Author
Hi, I'm Myndie. Welcome to my weekly blog! I'm the founder of a training company called BreakThrew Fastpitch and I love helping softball pitchers and their parents, catchers and coaches GROW. I blog about ALL THINGS PITCHING - from mechanics, skill development and workouts TO habit building, growth mindset and competitive practice games. Watch video, listen to audio content, and download PDF files to use during your at-home or team practices. I try to give you something a little bit different each and every Thursday morning!
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