What Causes Crow Hopping?

Long caption ahead, but please take a moment to read!

USSSA has just come out with a rule adjustment, stating that pitchers may now LEAP off the rubber. First, let me be clear, leaping and crow hopping are not the same thing. Crow hopping is still very much illegal. A leap is when both feet are momentarily air born, and a crow hop is when the drive foot re-plants and pushes off again.

Let me also be clear, BOTH leaping and crow hopping are extremely detrimental to pitch command and speed. Pitching requires ground force and a stable foundation with the ground. It is impossible to have that when one or both feet are in the air. It would be like trying to hit a home run on one foot. We will continue to teach our pitchers to keep the drive foot on the ground as they launch off the rubber.

But, as stated above, crow hopping is still very much illegal, and one of the most common questions we get from parents and players is “what causes crow-hopping and how can we fix it?” We will be addressing that questions in todays video!