How to Use Your Back Leg to Throw Harder

TMVP #019: Pitch Grips: Zack Wheeler and Yu Darvish

In this episode, Josh and I breakdown Wheeler and Darvish's pitch grips, cues, and data.

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3-Day Pitching Masterclass

I am running a 3-day pitching masterclass August 9th-11th in Phoenix, Arizona.

This is going to be a pitching mechanics and pitch design focused camp.

Motion capture and force plate bullpen
Trackman and edgertronic pitch design session
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Cost: $2,000

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If you would like to watch the video version of MMV #081, click here.

Back leg mechanics are arguably the most important part of the delivery.

How you use it will have a ripple effect on the rest of the delivery.

Today I am going to share the 3 directions force is created in the back leg and what is optimal.

At the end I'll share 6 drills to improve your back leg force production.

Let's begin.

The 3 directions of force are:

X direction - force between 1st and 3rd base

Y direction - force toward 2nd base

Z direction - force straight into the ground

X Force

You want as little force as possible in the X direction early in the delivery.

When there is too much force here that means you are either getting pushed towards the toes or sitting back towards heel too much.

Y and Z Force

A good back leg has force in both the Y and Z directions.

High Z force and low Y force is a sign of staying over the rubber too long and can lead to jumping off the mound.

High Y force and low Z force can be a sign of not enough flexion in the back leg and can lead to a pushy lower half.

A slight drift (center of mass moving towards home by the time you reach peak leg lift) upon leg lift can help initiate force in the Y direction, accompanied by loading/hinging as you go into your stride.

Impulse

A great back leg is able to produce high impulse.

Impulse is Y force x time.

What this looks like is getting into a good load and the ability to stay in it as you go down the mound.

While the equation doesn't include Z force, it is still necessary to produce high impulse.

If there is low Z force the player will likely push off the rubber and won't be able to produce Y force over a long period of time.

Click here for a great article on this topic by Randy Sullivan.

In order to produce high force in the back leg you need to:

✅ Be grounded

✅ Find tension in back hip

✅ Get into your load after peak leg lift

Here are some of my favorite back leg drills:

Interested in my 3 day-pitching camp masterclass?

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That's all for today.

See you next week!

Whenever you are ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

1. Remote Training: a personalized throwing and lifting program built for you and your goals.

2. In-Person Training: Work with me in Phoenix, Arizona. Personalized training program to help you reach your goals. Trackman and edgertronic for bullpen sessions.

3. Pitch Design "U" Course: A complete blueprint for developing nasty pitches and optimizing how you use your stuff. 3+ hours of easy to follow video lessons.