3 Exercises To Explosive Leg Drive

LEG DRIVE #1

3 options- to learn to push under force.

Leg Drive. Sled Push. Weight Push

Learning how to push with force is imperative when trying to get your pitcher to quickly get out of her load position. Kids really do not know what full power is until you load their legs and then push with weight. Start with the treadmill and do not turn it on. Your legs become the motor and push the belt with your legs as you lean against the handles. This positions them in a forward direction and then correctly allows them to drive their knees up and through the belt creating forward movement. This really helps them understand the foot activation through the mound, and teaches them how to push under load. Another good drill if you do not have a treadmill is to run with a parachute or a bungie cord attached to a weight. Be creative. Anything that puts a load on their leg and forces them to drive through the ground is productive.

HIP THRUST #2

Hip Thrust

Learning to engage your glutes and strengthening them will help in 2 movements during your pitch. The load and push, and the land pull up. Both of these movements include a glute thrust and glute squeeze. Teaching your athlete how to engage their booty muscle will help her to explode off the mound and through the finish of her pitch.

SQUATS #3

Loaded Squat. Squat Jump

We have seen the forward push and the hip thrust. Now lets look at building the strength of the push. Strength in the legs stabilizes, increases coordination, and builds power. You can do this several ways. One like I have here with a weight belt. I like this because it takes the weight off the shoulders and back. Another way to do this is with a band. Shut the band in the bottom of the door and attach to a weight belt. You can also combine this with squat jumps (squat to the floor and jump up as high as you can and land in a squat, and repeat).