Illegal Pitch? What is Your Opinion? (Video)

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by KJUmp

...Question..what do the hands separating have to do with determining if the pitcher crow hopped?

What either got this discussion started, or added fuel to it, was an explanation from NFHS.

From the NFHS 2009 Rule Book, Points of Emphasis, Pitching:

B. Crow Hop. A “crow hop” is defined as a re-plant of the pivot foot prior to releasing the ball. This can be done by sliding the foot in front of the pitching plate, lifting the pivot foot and stepping forward, and/or jumping forward with the pivot foot off the pitching plate prior to starting the pitch. To help determine whether the pitcher has replanted her 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 shall be called by the base umpire.

[DaveASA/FED]

Originally Posted by KJUmp

Question..what do the hands separating have to do with determining if the pitcher crow hopped?

Depends on who you talk to but from what I have been trained a crow hop is starting the pitch from somewhere other than the pitching plate, pushing off creating a second impeitus(SP?) (starting point) the pitch starts when the hands are seperated, so hand position has EVERYTHING to do with if it's a crow hop or not. Again there are some on this board that have VERY strong feelings the other way, some look at those videos and see things differently and wouldn't rule illegal. This is difficult since someone is right and someone is wrong, and it would be great to get some official interpretations on close videos like these to help clear some of this up.

I look at some of these videos and it looks like the hip is closing to me, not that they are illegal. If I remember correctly once the front foot lands the drag foot can come up off the ground again, right? So if the front foot is planted and then they push off the back foot as they are releasing the ball how is that gaining an illegal advantage? What makes that illegal? 1) Both feet aren't in the air at the same time, so no leap. 2) Pitch was started when hands were seperated on pitching plate, so no crow hop. 3) Front foot is where it originally landed when she took her stride off the pitching plate so how is she gaining an advantage that is in conflict with the rules?

[WestMichiganBlue]

Originally Posted by KJUmp

Question..what do the hands separating have to do with determining if the pitcher crow hopped?

ASA - RS #40

NFHS - POE (last in 2009 rulebook)


WMB

[jkumpire]

But isn't that a garden variety crow hop?