Softball Pitching: Crow Hopping

This is probably one of the most common mechanical issues out there. That's right, it's a MECHANICAL issue! Meaning it affects your pitch in a BAD way. No it does not add speed. No it does not make your pitch better! It hurts your power and command! And on top of that, it is illegal in most places! I am talking of course about the crow hop/re-plant during the push off the rubber. Check out todays video on what crow hopping is and why it's hurting your pitch
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[@mrscaballero1375]

This helped me to softball pitch in Like 5 minutes! totally recommend this for starters. I'm 11 and this totally helped me! Thank you!

[@shannonkamp2274]

This is not a crow hop, nor is crow hopping legal in USA Softball. A crow hop requires your drive foot leave the pitching rubber while your hands are still together, land/replant, then push off again. It is rarely, if ever seen in the female game. You are doing more harm with this video than help.

[@mylesmarkson1686]

I agree. I can't believe they are nit-picking pitchers whose drive-foot {gasp} briefly comes off the ground. Who cares? Especially when they insist it doesn't help. The beauty of pitching is that people develop different styles, and it's fun to watch how pitchers can be successful doing it different ways. When I was hitter, I always had a harder time hitting the unorthodox pitchers than the ones who did it exactly by the book. Edit: Okay, after seeing Kelly Barnhill and Jordy Bahl leap and hop all over the place, I must admit that I was wrong, and it does need to be cracked down on like Jill and her dad says.

[@deansvenvold1458]

​@@mylesmarkson1686In my opinion, Jordy Bahl is near perfect in her pitching mechanics. She leaps now and then, which is now legal in NCAA ball. On the other hand, Barnhill does crow hop.

[@VioletsTopStalker]

However it is used everywhere in men’s softball

[@tomjohnson6514]

Greg, you are correct. A crow hop is a replant and a second push occurs after the initial push from the rubber. Leaping, which the video shows, is losing contact with the ground with the push/drive foot as you drive from the rubber.

[@rayramos6122]

Yes I thought this video was going to discuss what you describe Tom. We play against some pitchers that replant that back foot and then deliver, getting that much closer to the plate. Illegal pitch.

[@JeffreyBue_imtxsmoke]

Agreed. Leaping and double planting are two different things in my mind. They're both illegal in the women's game and often referred to as crow hopping. When I was teaching my girls how to pitch (back in the day early 90's) we didn't have YT so I bought some VHS tapes that taught the mechanics of pitching and specifically remember them stating that in Men's Fastpitch, leaping was legal whereas in the Women's game - illegal. Crow-hopping, or replanting the drive foot, was stated to be illegal in both Men's and Women's.

[@wordragon]

@@JeffreyBue_imtxsmoke-They just made leaping legal, but crow hopping is still illegal.

[@tipwaria]

This helped I used to crow hop while pitching

[@roxanecantillano5481]

Adam Folkard is throwing 83mph by crow hopping. In wbsc mens championship they allow that style. I thino its time to change the training program for pitchers because wbsc is already allowing it

[@VioletsTopStalker]

It’s better to hop in men’s because you have a different separation

[@michellenicolesantos]

Can we have drills for this please?

[@elzadaipan3495]

How about the replanting examples thankyou

[@tamarturner1568]

If it doesn't help the pitcher have an advantage, why would it be illegal?

[@jasonsechrist1]

Kelly Barnhill made a great career of crow hopping or replanting or whatever you want to call it

[@FastpitchPower]

she also pitched illegally her entire career. And now that she is in a pro league where it is allowed, and I don't know if you watched any of the professional games this season but she is crow hopping even more than she did in college and she gave up by far the most hits and home runs than any of the other pitchers. Does not help the mechanics. Who knows, she could have thrown even harder than she did had she kept her foot on the ground

[@jasonsechrist1]

If you speed up your arm circle a little it usually will stop young pitchers from crow hopping, it's a hitch in the arm circle that causes it I think , a lot of people try to fix the feet but I've just told the girls I've seen do it to just speed up the circle and they usually quit doing it.

[@mtrithart]

What is the problem with it? Why is it a rule? If makes the pitch worse than why is it illegal? Or if it was legal, does it open the door for other type of illegal deliveries? Is there a potential for injury? Just a concerned parent, trying to understand. Getting conflicting information.

[@jacknolan62]

I thought any flight was crow hopping. So I'm glad to know that.

[@garonwestfall9974]

Can you add links to drills that can help fix the issue?

[@FastpitchPower]

We have a ton of drills that can help with this on Fastpitch Power+ ! (www.fastpitchpower.com/fastpitchpowerplus/)

[@stevemclean1860]

the ancient pitching rule was the drive foot could not leave the ground until the ball was released The video breaks that rule but is not a crow hop. A crow hop is a replant of the drive foot prior to ball release. I could not slow the video down but at the high school and some travel leagueshaving the drive foot off the ground is legal now as long as it does not return to the ground prior to ball release

[@erichealey1391]

I pitch (mens) your drag foot lands first in a crow hop

[@hibiki54]

So... since you lose velocity with crow hopping, wouldn't throwing a change-up combined with crow hopping result in a slower off-speed pitch?

[@anthonyz5671]

It's not just the speed it affects. It's the quality of your pitch.

[@xxxllloorpoopypants3687]

​@@anthonyz5671you're not explaining anything when you say "quality". Are you talking spin, break, velo, etc?

[@nickchoporis5901]

Does or does not the push foot have to remain in contact with the rubber until the ball is delivered ? Because when Coach Jill is trying to demonstrate a proper delivery, her back foot is quite a few feet downrange from the rubber before the ball leaves her hand ...

[@mylesmarkson1686]

That's what I was thinking too. That foot seems to slip an awful long way from the rubber by the time the ball is finally pitched. But then again, they all do it that way, so I guess that rule is just a suggestion and is never enforced. I guess the old saying is true... "If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'!"

[@user-ns8ic1cs4o]

@@mylesmarkson1686 The drag foot does NOT need to remain in contact with the rubber until the ball is released. In High School (NFHS) the drag foot needs to stay in contact with the ground throughout the delivery. In 2022 USA softball Girls Fast Pitch allows the drag foot to come off the ground (leaping)

[@mylesmarkson1686]

@@user-ns8ic1cs4o Pretty soon, they're going to be able to hop, skip, and jump all the way to home plate. Just look at Jordy Bahl.

[@xxxllloorpoopypants3687]

​@@user-ns8ic1cs4oy'all ever think softball could become more popular without the dumb rules at every level

[@xxxllloorpoopypants3687]

​@@mylesmarkson1686one reliever made it to mlb jumping off rubber and it didn't matter cause the truth of it is hitter hit

[@JeffreyBue_imtxsmoke]

I always thought that "crow hopping" was illegal because by essence of "double planting" the pitcher is effectively throwing the pitch from ~36 feet as opposed to 40 feet (the rubber). i.e. it was deemed an unfair advantage to the pitcher, hence the rule.

[@YouthSoftballShorts]

This is correct they aren’t depicting what crow hopping actually is

[@YouthSoftballShorts]

Kelly barnhill crow hop and it definitely helped her pitching

[@mylesmarkson1686]

@@YouthSoftballShorts I had to check her out after reading this comment, and wow, I don't think a crow could even hop that far!

[@charlesgeorges3192]

IMO, this is leaping.

[@paulhughes1489]

​@@charlesgeorges3192💯

[@Tomlimesq]

Jordy Bahl from Oklahoma! Not a crow hop according to NCAA.

[@gregkuhlman7576]

Leaping and crow hop are different. IMHO you are discribing leaping not crow hopping. Love your stuff but minor disagreement here.

[@FastpitchPower]

crow hopping is when the push off foot leaves the ground and then re-plants. I'm actually really not great at demonstrating crow-hopping because I never did it and can't get the hang of it (which is good) but either way, crow hopping and leaping are detrimental to the mechanics

[@michaelterry4394]

You are correct having played with and against the great mens pitchers Ty Stofflett Roy Burleson Darren Zack Al lewis who played 2 yrs with me Interstate Batterymen , the crow hop is different than the leap, also the Crossfire but thats another story.

[@nicolebuchmuller7760]

When my generation played we (graduated from 90-94) were able to take a step back. There was this one girl who I played with & against and she did the "crow-hop". When she finished the pitch she was at the circle. There was another girl who pitched "sling shot" and relased the ball at her ankle. We played fastpitch softball in the ASA MID-ATLANTIC REGION & in the top 1% of the nation. Our fences were 350-400 not these little leauge fields they play on now, just don't understand how the girls now a days are not hitting constant homeruns.

[@FastpitchPower]

they are hitting constant home runs haha I agree with you about the fences!!! I truly believe they should be moved back

[@smalltownfamous1776]

It’s legal via USSA and FASA as of this season for travel ball. And we’re not happy about it.

[@FastpitchPower]

neither are we.....

[@JoseDelgado-xd4gv]

@@FastpitchPower you can hear that from the way you speak. I am having a hard time listening. I am looking for open minded explanations and all I hear is radicalism.

[@FastpitchPower]

@@JoseDelgado-xd4gv crow hopping and leaping are often caused by other mechanical breakdown which affects the pitch. It also tends to cause knee and hip injuries because of the poor mechanics. Apologies if you feel we are radical but we also care about the health of our pitchers. if you are not a fan, feel free to find other instruction

[@jkbenedict]

The Hokies' #27 needs some anchoring.

[@FastpitchPower]

I heard there were lots of illegal pitches being called in the FSU vs Virginia Tech game

[@jkbenedict]

@@FastpitchPower Yes there were! Hokies did awesome, but one of their younger pitchers has a reallllllly bad crow hop problem. This was the first place I went to make sure I wasn't being overly critical, but thanks to your video... I was right! :)

[@j-rod418]

Jordy Bahl from Oklahoma completely disproves this entire video🤣

[@FastpitchPower]

lmaoooooo she sure does

[@roneagleroad4849]

jordy bahl pitches like pitchers in the mens game…and you most definitely gain speed by crow hop/replant…

[@mylesmarkson1686]

@@roneagleroad4849 Yeah, they need to make it clear what's legal and what's not. If Jordy can get away with that, then everybody needs to start doing what she's doing because it's obviously working well for her, and the umpires are all apparently too scared of their own shadows to try to stop it.

[@jamiebaker2249]

This video is correct about the leap, not really much of an advantage to be had. It is the crow hop or replant that gives pitches a huge advantage as it allows another starting point 3-5 feet closer to the batter with built up momentum. This to me has no place in the women's game as it does in the men's game. The replant ruined the men's game from a pitching stand point (the essence of pitching with good location and spins is not such a premium as it once was) just throw it hard. Now with this came many other changes to the game to try and give back to the batters (balls and bats) and now most men's games are decided by the long ball. Unfortunately the ball and bat changes are in the women's game and we are seeing HR's up year over year at an alarming number. Solution--Keep the replant out of the women's game and if the field dimensions are not going to change then dummy down the balls (core .45 or lower). I would rather see a ball in play with good defensive plays and speed then HR after HR. Sorry to rant on but just my 2 cents.

[@itsmady9647]

Jennie finch had a crow hop just to let you know

[@jasonsechrist1]

Jennie finch took a small step ,that's not a crow hop, huge difference, Monica Abbott does it every time, it's allowed in international play, the small step can help a little with momentum, but I can't see a crow hop helping because it's slowing the arm circle down.

[@mylesmarkson1686]

Yep, but when you're Jennie Finch, you're above the law.

[@user-ns8ic1cs4o]

As a 28 year umpire of Fast Pitch I would not call the second pitch as a crow hop. I WOULD call it a leap. A crow hop is a replant of the pivot foot with a push off in a different location. In her second pitch there was no replant with a push off of the drag foot.

[@FastpitchPower]

I know the difference between leaping and crow hopping, I am just very honestly terrible at demonstrating crow hopping because I have never crop hopped in my life and very honestly cannot figure out how people do it, it is not something I am used to doing because the mechanics I was taught were never broken down to the point of causing a crow hop.

[@davidlarpenteur]

His opinion on the feet when hitting is wrong. Just look at Bryce Harper’s feet when hitting 500 ft home runs. His back foot is off the ground while all weight is leveraged off his locked out front leg. Does a baseball pitch have both feet planted on release? No.

[@chepegoes9626]

Haven’t seen Bryce Harper hit, I’m here because of the new rule today .. Crow hop

[@MeganNicholeLuna]

Coach Jill is upset at nobody lol

[@jasonsechrist1]

Ally Carda replants like Kelley Barnhill

[@FastpitchPower]

Yes, she does, very badly

[@mariocanales4735]

Monica Abbott rule.

[@MeLoNHeAd00]

Men's legal .

[@deansvenvold1458]

Your demo was leaping, not crow hopping. Two totally different things. As far as I know, crow hopping is not legal in any level of play, men or women. Leaping has been legalized in most all play now.

[@txlips1466]

Crow hopping is an illegal pitch.

[@DividedByAlgorithms]

The rules are holding women back and making Women's Fastpitch Softball stale. Anyone who can hit Adam Folkard or Ramon Jones efficiently have room to speak. When a sport becomes stale on field with age people turn to watching it on Television. Don't let the official rules drive Television Revenue by making your sport stale.

[@jasonsechrist1]

Womens fastpitch isn't stale, it's bigger than ever

[@DividedByAlgorithms]

Teach your pitchers to all throw exactly the same with the same movement...lol Derp