Want to throw a ball faster and stay healthier? Let’s talk about the drive leg.

This is an advanced post for serious baseball players and coaches. It blends physical and mental skill development about a singular important aspect of throwing a baseball; the drive leg.

One of the first things a child hears and learns when throwing a baseball is “Step and throw to your target.” The foundation of the throw, literally, connection to the ground. It is surprising how much you can learn while watching a player play catch.  Observing how they naturally move when warming up can show so much bias to where they can function optimally when throwing off a mound. From observing, what does the player do when their lead leg leaves the ground.

Let’s start there.

What happens when you step and throw to your target? The physical and mental controllable’s

-made a decision on a plan of action

-Create direction with your body

-create momentum with your body

-picking a place where you want the baseball to go

-begin the foundation of the kinetic chain

Why does the drive leg matter?

-connection to the ground during the initial phases of the throw (only thing connected to the ground)

-the foot position is important for the pelvis (this is important for the sequencing of the kinetic chain going into the torso and the arm for hip/shoulder separation and closing of that spacing when accelerating the arm)

-influences how the plant leg will interact with the ground (through pelvis orientation), preparing for absorbing ground reaction forces (GRF’s) and transitioning those forces up the kinetic chain efficiently

What factors into an efficient drive leg during the throw?

-the active mobility and strength of the tissue around the pelvis

-the angle of the leg towards the ground (and angles as you move)

-orientation of the foot and how it interacts with the turf, dirt, rubber (shoes matter)

-body posture

-ability to turn on and off with muscle activation

So…

Players instinctively solve for getting the ball to their target as efficiently as possible depending on the context of the situation. Ask a player to throw a runner out at a base from the outfield and they’ll take a few steps to gain momentum and get rid of the ball as fast as possible, usually on a line. Ask a player to throw a ball at a wall from 4 feet away and watch as they decide how much energy they want to expend in doing that. Ask a player to throw a ball as far as they can from a stand still and watch as some players counter turn as much as they can and spin to let that thing fly through the air. Hit a ball down the line to an outfielder and depending on the way they received the ball watch and see if they will add a spin into their throw (if fielding a ball away from the target) before letting it loose to a base.

You’ll see arm angle influenced by the direction of their momentum and rotation too. Did the player load into his drive leg deeply? Did they barely hinge at all? Did they create a bunch of momentum towards the target in a line or did they do a deep hinge and counter turn, barely gaining any ground before throwing? Higher arm angles usually happen with more linear moves and you’ll see the arm angle drop with more rotational foundations of the throwers lower half (more counter turned throwers tend to have lower arm angles). The most efficient throwers will match these planes of rotation which is most of what you see at the highest levels of baseball around the world.

Thats where we come back to the importance of the drive leg, and the importance of how it interacts with the ground.

The higher levels of baseball you go the more ingrained the patterning of how players move. The patterning that they established at very young ages and have hard wired into their brains over the hundreds of thousands of physical and mental repetitions. To help the most efficient throwers maximize what they do at the highest levels (and even lowest levels), we can influence with pulling easy levers to help their delivery of the baseball. An example of an easy lever to pull would be how their foot is oriented on the rubber while pitching. Toes pointed directly towards 3rd base which we can consider neutral along the rubber, toes pointed in towards home in some degree biasing preset internal rotation, and toes pointed towards second base to some degree biasing external rotation.

These positional changes can have huge downstream impact because of the space created or taken away when the pitcher is trying to move while creating momentum and loading the lower half to throw.

What about the decision to throw the baseball?

Why is  making  the decision to throw a ball to a target matter for the physical part of throwing?

The brain and intent makes decisions on how it needs to move to solve for the problem of throwing the ball to a target. This all happens quickly.

“How will I load my body to create the force to throw the ball?”

“How far do I need to throw this ball?”

“How fast do I need to throw it?”

“How fast must I move?”

“What do I do first? Then what?”

“When do I add intensity and how much intensity is correct?”

Rhythm and timing matter so much when throwing a baseball. Coordinating the body to move how you want when you want are the most important factors when throwing a baseball accurately and with maximum force at the lowest levels possible for energy usage (The best players beat you with their first pitch and last pitch, managing fatigue separates the good from the great). How can we influence that? Having the physical capacity to handle the loading and unloading of the throw is a necessity to the mental capacity to focus on doing the task over and over again.

What muscles factor into leveraging the drive leg to work optimally? Here they are and their specific purposes.

Hip rotation is critical, the drive foot positioning allows for the skeletal structure to function optimally, if the foot is positioned optimally for the thrower we can maximize rotation with efficient movement to help the thrower move powerfully and gracefully to deliver the baseball through the kinetic chain.

Hip Rotators - Responsible for internal and external rotation of the hip, essential movements of the throw.

1.Gluteus Maximus - Primary hip extensor and external rotator- contributes to pelvic rotation by driving the hips forward and externally rotating the drive leg, helping to generate torque for the throw (the counter turn, the load, usually looks like a turn away from the target at the pelvis)

2.Gluteus Medius - hip abductor and stabilizer, with contributions to both internal and external rotation depending on the phase of motion - stabilizes the pelvis during the stride phase and aids in controlled rotation, ensuring proper alignment and force transfer (staying closed or sideways long enough to maximize torque created)

3.Piriformis - External rotator of the hip when the hip is extended, internal rotator when the hip is flexed - assists in “fine-tuning” pelvic rotation, particularly during the transition from stride to acceleration (helps transition energy from hips up chain)

4.Obturator internus and externus - internus aids in external rotation while externus aids in both internal and external rotation. These deep rotators help stabilize and control the hip joint during rapid pelvic rotation.

5.Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL) Assists in hip abduction and internal rotation via its connection to the iliotibial band - supports pelvic stability and aids in internal rotation during the follow throw phase of the throw (you can feel tension in this when you squat or hinge and try and turn your foot out)

6.Adductor Muscles (adductor magnus, longus, Brevis) - primary adductors but also contribute to hip rotation (internally and externally depending on position) - assists in stabilizing the pelvis and controlling rotation, especially during the stride and landing phases (the active mobility and strength of these muscles allow for stride length variation)

7.PSOAS Major and Illiacus (Illiopsoas) hip flexors with secondary role in internal rotation - help initiate pelvic rotation by flexing the hip during the stride  and stabilizing the pelvis during rotation

The drive leg at each phase of the throw and the muscles working for you

1. Wind-Up and Early Stride

   - Drive Leg Position: The drive leg is flexed at the hip and knee, with the pelvis slightly closed (rotated toward the throwing side). Whenever you hear coaches speak about “creating space,” this is what they are referring to with the lower half.

   - Muscle Function:

     - Gluteus Maximus and Piriformis engage to stabilize the hip and prepare for external rotation as the pitcher pushes off the rubber.

     - Iliopsoas initiates hip flexion to lift the stride leg, indirectly stabilizing the pelvis for the upcoming rotation.

     - Adductors and  Gluteus Medius  maintain pelvic alignment to prevent excessive lateral tilt. Too much lateral tilt essentially pinches the tissues which restricts how the tissue functions.

2. Stride and Foot Plant

   - Drive Leg Position: The drive leg extends and externally rotates as the pitcher pushes off the mound, driving the pelvis forward and rotating it toward the target (open position). This is where hip shoulder separation tension matters the most for spacing and the ability to close that space.

   - Muscle Function

     - Gluteus Maximus is highly active, driving hip extension and external rotation to rotate the pelvis open, generating torque.

     - Obturator Internus and Piriformis assist in controlling external rotation to maintain stability.

     - Gluteus Medius stabilizes the pelvis to prevent collapse as the stride leg lands.

     - A more extended and externally rotated drive leg increases gluteus maximus activation, enhancing pelvic rotation speed but requiring greater stabilization from the gluteus medius and adductors. The coordination of this movement matters for efficient transfer of power… gracefully moving to control the baseball.

3. Cocking Phase

   - Drive Leg Position: The drive leg is extended and externally rotated, with the pelvis fully open toward the target.

   - Muscle Function:

     - Gluteus Maximus and Obturator Externus maintain external rotation to keep the pelvis open, maximizing torque for the upper body.

     - Adductors  and TFL begin to engage to prepare for internal rotation during the acceleration phase.

     - A drive leg that remains too flexed or insufficiently rotated can limit pelvic rotation, reducing power transfer and increasing stress on the upper body.

4. Acceleration and Follow-Through:

   - Drive Leg Position: The drive leg begins to flex slightly and internally rotate as the pelvis rotates forward (closes) to transfer energy to the trunk and arm.

   - Muscle Function:

     - Iliopsoas and TFL drive internal rotation of the hip to close the pelvis, aiding in energy transfer.

     - Adductors stabilize the pelvis during rapid rotation, preventing excessive lateral movement.

     - Gluteus Medius continues to stabilize the pelvis to maintain balance as the pitcher moves into the follow-through.

     - A drive leg that is overly extended or lacks internal rotation can hinder the smooth transition of pelvic rotation, reducing throwing velocity and increasing injury risk (e.g., to the shoulder or elbow).

Optimal drive leg positioning

Sufficiently extended and externally rotated during push off with controlled internal rotation during follow through maximizes the efficiency of pelvis rotator muscles. This allows for powerful pelvic rotation and effective energy transfer through the kinetic chain.

Exercises that target these muscles specifically… do these so that your nervous system learns how to activate and command these movements when on the field.

Foundational (Sets and reps depend on the athletes training history and needs: simply put, train until it burns to get adaptation) 2-3 times a week, allow for 24-48 hours recovery, after 4-6 weeks take week to deload, then introduce more sport specific movements as strength and coordination improve.

For building strength keep loads between 60-75% of 1 rep max, for lighter loads and power based movements aim for ~25-45% 1 rep max. Adjust based on in season or off season training (no need to crush reps in season, focus on form, activation and strength maintaining).

-Single Leg Squats

-lunges with rotation (forward and reverse)

-glute bridges

-hip mobility drills (maximizing space with tension, eccentric movements and isometrics)

Variations and combinations

-single-leg Romanian deadlift

-Bulgarian split squat

-step ups with knee drive

-med ball slams! (Slam to plant side if throwing down, throw to wall directly in front or on throwing side depending on type of throw; scoop, throw, shot put)

These are the foundation exercises that help train those muscles. A part of that training is learning to activate these muscles with proper timing and rhythm. Blending different exercises that have these movements in them can help a player learn to control these muscle groups properly.

Skill acquisition is the blending of these movements with timing variations and the addition of the throw. An example for a baseball player would be having them field a ground ball to the backhand side and throw it to first base. Adding a runner creates a timing variable where the player has to field the ball, change direction, controlling for momentum going in the opposite direction of the target (which includes the movements of a single leg squat and lunge with rotation in addition to needing the hip mobility to move through these positions) to execute the throw with enough force and accuracy in the time constraint to beat the runner to the base. This is just one example of how a part of the game can be used to strengthen and sharpen the skill of throwing. This benefits pitchers directly and is part of the reason short stops can transition to pitching easily. All of those repetitions of throwing from different parts of the field with a timing variable is challenging the physical and mental aspects for the foundations of the pitching delivery… especially the drive leg.

Hope you enjoyed reading this blog post. Would love to hear what your favorite training aids are for pitchers as a coach or yourself on developing the drive leg. Share in the comments or send me a message!