Foot position in windup

Can you post a picture or video?  What do the rules state by the way?  Foot against rubber? 

Yes, it's legal. He just has to have contact with the rubber. In practice, even being slightly off the rubber in the hole is allowable.

I did a cursory search and didn't see anything about foot direction.

Rule 8.01(a) Comment: In the Windup Position, a pitcher is permitted to have his “free” foot on the rubber, in front of the rubber, behind the rubber or off the side of the rubber.

Found this old thread. Talks a little about it from 2013.

http://community.hsbaseballweb...chers-feet-locations

Didn't read the whole thing so not sure if a definate conclusion was made.

ThrowHarderFaster,

Coming from an umpire, Matt13 gave you the correct answer the first time.

I'm not seeing anything crazy in the video.  If the toes of the pivot foot are turned slightly toward the catcher, it's nothing to write home about.

If you want to teach your pitchers to have their pivot foot perpendicular to the rubber when they go to throw, by all means, teach them that.  Just don't question your methods when they have arm problems because of the lack of hip/trunk rotation.

The main rule for windup is that the pivot foot in contact with rubber, the non pivot foot must be on or behind imaginary line running through the pitching rubber.

That's the FED rule.  The OP was about college, and college does not have that restriction on the free foot.

Oh -- on the OP -- it's legal.

Heel below the toe is a very poor athletic position.  I can't imagine any pitcher throwing well doing that.  Now if the ball of his foot were in the hole with heel above toe, that would be a different story.

Also there are mounds that are so hard they have no hole.  These mounds actually benefit the low heel guys.

I am not sure of the NCAA or OBR vergiage, but in 2014 NFHS did change the rule where the pivot foot must be parallel to the rubber.

This was a point of emphasis to eliminate the "hybrid" set position, so the runner could clearly identify the difference between a set and widnup.

Reference

NFHS 2014 Baseball Rules Changes

6-1-3

ART. 3 . . . For the set position the pitcher shall have the ball in either his gloved hand or

pitching hand. His pitching hand shall be down at his side or behind his back. Before starting

the delivery, he shall stand with his entire non-pivot foot in front of a line extending through

the front edge of the pitcher’s plate and with his entire pivot foot in contact with or directly

in front of

and parallel to the pitcher’s plate...any other infielder.

Yeh, why not, as long as you're touching the mound, you could do that.  You could also drive a car with your feet, but that doesn't make it a good idea.

To get the most out of my leg drive and hip speed I always felt like having my back foot heel be very slightly off the rubber was best.  It just felt right to me.  I have also noticed this in a lot of other pro pitchers.

Please note that we are talking about the windup position. Also note that the position, in all rule sets, is defined at the time the pitcher engages the rubber intentionally. Foot position after the pitch has started is irrelevant to defining the position. In this case, the question is what can the pivot foot do in the windup after the pitch has started and before it is released.

What I saw (or may have seen) is this:

He comesthrough the windup with his heel touching the rubber and his toes pointed forward. As he does so, he then wheels on the ball of the pivot foot and repositions the pivot foot into a position perpendicular to the pitcher's plate, but now, becuase of the original position of the heel on the rubber, he's gained 10"-12" out in front of the rubber. It's intriguing isf that is what's going on.