[greymule]

I guess the crow hop is now like traveling in professional basketball.

Thanks for noting, Dakota, that ASA does specifically cite the level plane of the ground. The Fed interpreter's advice didn't come out of nowhere.

I admit that the contradiction between the crow hop rule and actual practice has troubled me for years. When I started in FP, it seemed that all the good pitchers were in violation. However, nobody was calling anything unless the pitcher actually hopped in the air or committed a flagrant violation such that, as POE #39 says, "the pivot foot is off and in front of the pitching plate before the hands separate." Anybody could see that one.

I did some experimenting on a mound this morning and may have learned something. I think the motion the rule book "wants" is one in which the hands separate, the arm goes into the windmill, and just after the arm drops behind the pitcher and gets parallel to the ground, the motion of the body drags the foot forward from the rubber. The release is occurring in front of the rubber, but there really isn't a full replant.

What so many pitchers get away with is this: They separate the hands, go into the windmill, and as the ball reaches or passes the top, they yank the pivot foot forward and replant more substantially to deliver. The marks the pivot foot makes on the ground are almost identical, and the length of the "drag" is the same. But with the latter delivery, the actual anchor point is closer to home plate.

The subtle difference is difficult to spot. There are also motions that are sort of "in between." If coaches aren't saying anything, it's no surprise that umpires aren't calling it.

Perhaps umpires draw the line at the airborne hop because a pitcher can hop much farther than she can drag. Plus, everybody in the park can see it.

This summer I was planning to take some action shots of some of the good tournaments. If I can get my son to do the necessary computer work, I'll post any revealing pictures.

Note: I just saw WMB's comments and they are excellent, especially concerning the buckled knee. And I think we can all see how complicated this issue is.

[Edited by greymule on May 17th, 2003 at 11:16 AM]