Pickoff to 2nd - Balk?

[cshs81]

Originally Posted by ncump7

I am having trouble visualizing what he is doing. How can he spin just before his foot hits the ground? Does his non pivot foot step toward the plate? If he throws to second base, he must step toward second. This sounds like a balk to me.

Picture the class move of raising the non-pivot leg straight up then spinning to second to throw. He did the first part (raising the leg straight up) but instead of spinning as you typically see, he first brought his leg straight back down. Just prior to the foot hitting the ground, he paused , spun, and then threw.

Does the bringing of the leg back down obligate him to go home?