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It's too quiet here. So to generate a little controversy I am posting my Thesis on The Crow Hop vs The Leap.
A Crow Hop is the push-off by the pivot foot anywhere other than from the plate. Despite its unusual name, hopping is not involved. However, IMO, it is its name that causes people to mistakenly assume that when a modern pitchers pivot foot is off the ground and then lands prior to the ball being released, they are guilty of a Crow Hop.
I think that some history can help clear up this misunderstanding. From 10 to 60 years ago the Leap was legal in Mens ASA play. The pitcher would push hard with his pivot foot from the plate and become airborne, expecting the stride foot to land first, and then the ball would be released. If the pivot foot landed first the pitcher had created a new push-off point, and thus was guilty of an illegal pitch. A good pitcher would have both feet level during the leap and the stride foot would land fractionally ahead of the pivot foot. But if a pitcher got his weight back, or had the stride foot too high in the air, he would land on the pivot foot; the knee would buckle and re-straighten and there would be a funny little hop just before the stride foot landed and the pitch was released. Yes, it looked like a bird hop thus the name.
The Leap was never legal for Women, and became illegal for Men a few years ago. Today if both feet are airborne the pitcher is guilty of a Leap and it doesnt matter what happens when the feet land! The illegal pitch has already been called and you cant call two IPs. Thus no CH!
Today the CH is retained to prevent a pitcher from picking up her pivot foot and replanting it on the plate or in front of the plate PRIOR to starting the pitch. This rule prevents a pitcher from pushing with the stride foot and landing the pivot foot well in front of the plate and THEN starting the pitch. Or, like a baseball pitcher, picking up the pivot foot and setting it down in front of the plate and then pitching.
I realize this concept of a CH seems radical, but I offer the following instruction to umpires on how to recognize a CH. It is from ASA POE#39 F.2 and NFHS POE #1 a: To help the umpire determine whether or not the pitcher has replaced their pivot foot, the umpire should look at the location of the pivot foot WHEN the hands separate to start the pitch. If the pivot foot is off and in front of the pitching plate BEFORE the hands separate to start the pitch, this would be a crow hop and an illegal pitch should be called.
Two very distinct illegal pitches - that occur at two very distinct times. The Crow Hop occurs prior to starting the pitch when the pivot foot picks up and replants. During the pitch if the pivot foot leaves the ground we have a Leap.
A CH requires very little umpire judgment; it is easy to call. (Easy, but very rare. I could go through 50 pitchers without seeing a CH.) A Leap however leaves a lot of latitude to umpire judgment. Just because the pivot foot breaks contact with the ground is not in itself illegal, and the rulebooks allow for uneven ground judgments. As noted by others, no umpire is going to lay on the ground and sight the foot height off the ground. It is strictly an umpires personal judgment as to what is legal or illegal. And, because that is going to vary between umpires, it is always going to be a source of frustration for pitchers and coaches. Just like the strike zone, players and coaches have to be able to adjust.
WMB
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