Thanks,
How many of you guys work closely with 91+ mph pitchers? I'm interested in shoe wear and blisters on the posting foot/toe. No low mph stuff, strictly high mph stuff.
Thanks,
Thanks,
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
I may be stupid, but what difference does mph make and foot issues?
The 90+mph throwers need bigger toe plates.
Just as some coaches need Barry Bonds size helmets.
Just as some coaches need Barry Bonds size helmets.
You should never discount your questions. The higher the velocity, the more efficient the total mechanics. Posting foot action prior to ball release is a result of all of the preceeding mechanics. I'm simply curious as to the wear and tear on the inner big toe and inner ball of the posting foot and/or shoe of elite high velocity pitchers. Do the majority of the high velocity pitchers get callouses and wear the shoe out in this area as well?quote:Originally posted by Dtiger:
I may be stupid, but what difference does mph make and foot issues?
Well I will say that I'm not a high velocity guy, but I do get a lot of callouses. Or I should say I did before buying one type of shoe. I use it for only pitching and it's lasted long and been great.
quote:Originally posted by cap_n:
I'm interested in shoe wear and blisters on the posting foot/toe. No low mph stuff, strictly high mph stuff.
I suspect wear and blisters are simply a function of mechanics and not mph. I'm not buying your theory that high velocity pitchers wear more on their feet. I'm guessing there are high velocity guys with little wear and low velocity guys with a lot of wear.
But what's your point. What are you really asking? Are you trying to verify your theory or looking for something else?
FWIW, My son throws 86 and he beats the he^* out of his shoes and feet. Just tears them up. I'm long been looking for a leather pitching to like they mad in the old days but can only find plastic ones now.
WHOA...BACK-THE-TRUCK-UP!quote:I suspect wear and blisters are simply a function of mechanics and not mph. I'm not buying your theory that high velocity pitchers wear more on their feet. I'm guessing there are high velocity guys with little wear and low velocity guys with a lot of wear.
But what's your point. What are you really asking? Are you trying to verify your theory or looking for something else?
FWIW, My son throws 86 and he beats the he^* out of his shoes and feet. Just tears them up. I'm long been looking for a leather pitching to like they mad in the old days but can only find plastic ones now.
I have no theory, I have no agenda. What I do have is a pretty straightforward question.
Is there anyone on this forum who deals daily (or weekly) with pitchers who are consistently 91+mph? If so, what kind of wear is evident on the shoe, posting foot big toe and ball of the foot? That’s as hard as my question gets.
Thanks,
I throw between 86-88 and i always have blisters on my foot and a hole in the toe of my cleats
quote:The higher the velocity, the more efficient the total mechanics. Posting foot action prior to ball release is a result of all of the preceeding mechanics.
Sounds like a theory Cap.
Some of the worst mecanics I have seen involve high velo guys.
My son has worn his toe out since he was 10. Some years the shoe lasts 1 season. Dragging the toe is not a bad thing unless you believe in "exploding Hips" garbage.
I'm not a high velo guy, i throw low 80's and i have a huge calasis on the ball of my posting foot, and the cleet on the ball of the posting foot is worn, it's shorter than the others, and on the landing foot i have calasis along the side of my big toe.
capn,
Can tell you that for a 90+ guy mine needs new feet!
Seriously, I haven't really seen them in a while up close and personal.
I never noticed any wear and tear on the bottom of the shoe, but in HS he went through cleat after cleat from toe dragging. And often ripping the front cleat out. I had not noticed it in the last few years, but that probably is because I didn't have to clean them
and wearing a much better cleat.
Seriously, there has been much less dragging over the last 3 years.
Can tell you that for a 90+ guy mine needs new feet!
Seriously, I haven't really seen them in a while up close and personal.
I never noticed any wear and tear on the bottom of the shoe, but in HS he went through cleat after cleat from toe dragging. And often ripping the front cleat out. I had not noticed it in the last few years, but that probably is because I didn't have to clean them
and wearing a much better cleat.Seriously, there has been much less dragging over the last 3 years.
quote:Originally posted by BobbleheadDoll:quote:The higher the velocity, the more efficient the total mechanics. Posting foot action prior to ball release is a result of all of the preceeding mechanics.
Sounds like a theory Cap.
Some of the worst mecanics I have seen involve high velo guys.
My son has worn his toe out since he was 10. Some years the shoe lasts 1 season. Dragging the toe is not a bad thing unless you believe in "exploding Hips" garbage.
Dragging to landing, not a problem. Dragging after landing, problem!
I guess TPMom is the only person here on this forum with baseballs enough to answer my question straight up. Thanks TPMom! And like I said, I'm not interested about pitchers velocities below 91 mph.quote:Is there anyone on this forum who deals daily (or weekly) with pitchers who are consistently 91+mph? If so, what kind of wear is evident on the shoe, posting foot big toe and ball of the foot? That’s as hard as my question gets.
So....if anyone else here has a +91mph thrower on their team or at home, please chime in. Surely someone here has seen a thrower go through the "sound" barrier, and the changes to foot/shoe wear.
Thanks,
Hey Cap_n. I have worked with and played with several low 90's guys and a few mid 90's guys. When I watched 1 guy, he almost never dragged his toe, but then tells me he needs to modify his cleats because he keeps wearing the toe out and the inside ball of the shoe was also worn. In the late 1990's I began to see a shoe with a pitchers toe built onto it. Can't remember the Mfg. but I am sure you can find them online. These 90's guys did imo wear out the toe especially, and very often. I had many more mid 80's guys and it did still occur, but not as quickly. Try online for the pitchers toe shoe, maybe a Nike or Puma but I'm not sure.
"Toe guard" is a plastic glue on toe gaurd that wprks well.
Thanks. How about blisters? Any changes in the severity of foot blisters of the instep of the ball of the foot and/or big toe? +91mph only please.quote:Hey Cap_n. I have worked with and played with several low 90's guys and a few mid 90's guys. When I watched 1 guy, he almost never dragged his toe, but then tells me he needs to modify his cleats because he keeps wearing the toe out and the inside ball of the shoe was also worn.
Not something I've really thought about, but trying to remember.
We might see as many 91+ guys in a year as anyone, but not enough to track shoe wear. I’ve also coached some, worked with some and had two sons who threw that hard.
I really haven’t seen anything that would lead me to believe that their toe wears out any quicker than other pitchers. I have noticed that some pitchers wear out their toe faster than others, but can’t say it has anything to do with velocity.
IMO… It has more to do with a pitchers mechanics than how hard he throws. The same amount of contact with the ground that can cause instep/toe wear can be the same for 80 mph guys as 91+ guys. I don’t think one pitchers toe gets more wear than the other pitchers toe just based solely on velocity. But I'm not 100% sure about that.
We might see as many 91+ guys in a year as anyone, but not enough to track shoe wear. I’ve also coached some, worked with some and had two sons who threw that hard.
I really haven’t seen anything that would lead me to believe that their toe wears out any quicker than other pitchers. I have noticed that some pitchers wear out their toe faster than others, but can’t say it has anything to do with velocity.
IMO… It has more to do with a pitchers mechanics than how hard he throws. The same amount of contact with the ground that can cause instep/toe wear can be the same for 80 mph guys as 91+ guys. I don’t think one pitchers toe gets more wear than the other pitchers toe just based solely on velocity. But I'm not 100% sure about that.
cap_n,
Not sure if this is what you want, but Spizzle is a fairly hard throwing lefty (88-92). He drags the top of his left toe. His shoe's toe is dipped and that pretty much takes care of wear and tear. He normally doesn't get blisters, but when he packed his bags at the end of school this year he picked up the wrong cleats, those of a soft tossing LHP and a real toe dragger. The shoe was worn and torn all the way through the leather behind the dipped portion. So he pitched all summer in the wrong cleats, and as a result he developed a pretty good pair of blisters on the inside of the metatarsal head (where the shoe had worn through and also where you find bunions) and on top of the great toe. Some of that I suspect is because the structure of the shoe had broken down and created unusual friction points (with lots of dirt), but it also indicates an area commonly susceptible to shearing. I can't tell you much about the wear pattern on the ball of the foot because I don't have his own cleats to look at, but I'm gonna guess that all ball players wear the cleats on the ball area due to eversion (pronation). This is much more common in athletes than inversion (pigeon toe) which wears the outside of the shoe more. Hope this helps a little.
Not sure if this is what you want, but Spizzle is a fairly hard throwing lefty (88-92). He drags the top of his left toe. His shoe's toe is dipped and that pretty much takes care of wear and tear. He normally doesn't get blisters, but when he packed his bags at the end of school this year he picked up the wrong cleats, those of a soft tossing LHP and a real toe dragger. The shoe was worn and torn all the way through the leather behind the dipped portion. So he pitched all summer in the wrong cleats, and as a result he developed a pretty good pair of blisters on the inside of the metatarsal head (where the shoe had worn through and also where you find bunions) and on top of the great toe. Some of that I suspect is because the structure of the shoe had broken down and created unusual friction points (with lots of dirt), but it also indicates an area commonly susceptible to shearing. I can't tell you much about the wear pattern on the ball of the foot because I don't have his own cleats to look at, but I'm gonna guess that all ball players wear the cleats on the ball area due to eversion (pronation). This is much more common in athletes than inversion (pigeon toe) which wears the outside of the shoe more. Hope this helps a little.
Info I'm looking for, and I appreciate it! Anyone else? Some of you guys and gals have to have a son or coach a player that's made the jump to +91. Do they mention new blisters or show new wear patterns in their cleats when they do?quote:He normally doesn't get blisters, but...
Thanks,
