KilroyJ posted:RichDunno posted:This is why I created the King of the Hill Ground Force Trainer.......I had a 14 pitcher throwing 80mph which is pretty good. I also had a 18yr old 6'5" 180....dunk a basketball and throw 88 from outfield and couldn't get off 81mph off mound. When the 14 year old was pitching he would drive my portable pitching mound backwards 1" to 1 1/2" when he pitched. Which told me he was creating ground force into the front bracing leg which causes the hips to rotate. The 18 year old......no drive and never created a drag....just rotated off the rubber.
The next 2 lessons our focus was driving the pitching mound back.......result after 2 weeks: 20 pitches he topped out at 87 mph with 3 pitches the rest at 83-86. Later in the summer He eventually topped out at 91mph and sat 86-87mph.
More and more studies are finding out that the harder throwers excel in Vertical and horizontal jumps which tell us they have elite power and explosion........now to put this into play on a pitching mound you have to get them to create a solid LOWER HALF to CREATE POWER and upon landing be able to brace up to TRANSFER that into rotational energy to rotate the hips causing more separation!
Again.....this is why I created the King of the Hill! It will help coaches train kids to "USE THE LEGS!
Crushing the MLB teams and Major Colleges!
This is a really interesting idea and a great description of learning through intent. Simply by changing the intent (push the portable mound backwards) the body arranges itself to accomplish the task. It's a no-teach which is always a good thing. Gonna have my son try this after Thanksgiving break, thank you!
I would encourage you to go to the King of the Hill website and read the description of what this training device is supposed to accomplish. It is right on target. I am a pitching coach and this is exactly what we teach. I don't have experience with this specific training device - we use something simpler - but it is promoting the right concept. A word of cautionary advice - there can be a tendency for kids to misunderstand how to create the position of the post leg to result in the desired drive off the pitching rubber toward the target. Many want to collapse the back knee of the post leg thinking they have to do that in order to drive forward - and it kills momentum if this is done. The knee of the post leg has to cave in toward the target (without buckling), which promotes leading down the mound with the hip. All of which is about having the legs be the foundation of the pitching delivery. Anything that helps teach this movement is worth the investment. Especially considering that this movement is at the beginning of the kinetic chain - so if it isn't done correctly anything that comes afterwards is going to be affected negatively.