The H-O-U-S-E Drill – How It Works
April 16, 2010
What you’ll need:
Three pieces of 4 x 4 lumber: one long piece for the middle and two to serve as feet. There’s no ideal length for these pieces. I’ve used a 5-ft length in the middle with 18-in feet; I’ve also use a 2½ foot length for the middle. Either way, the beam should be about seven inches off the ground. This will be positioned behind the pitcher to help give him a feel for the “up, down, and out” range of motion while staying tall on the back leg, and to teach and reinforce balance.
The drill begins from a position similar to the stretch position, with both the glove hand and the throwing hand extended in line with its respective leg. This position is also called the balance position as the pitcher is required to get his balance with just the back foot on the beam and the front suspended in air. If no beam is used, the ball of the front foot should be touching the ground lightly so that the weight is on the back leg. This position obviously requires a slight bend at the knee of the front leg. The back leg is rigid and strong. The back foot is atop the beam and parallel with its length, just the way the back foot would be positioned against the pitching plate.
(Note: A good way for a pitcher to get the feel for the “pitch tall and fall” concept is for him stand on the beam, rigid like a tree and balanced upon the back foot, then dead fall into the coach’s hands so that the coach is supporting the pitcher’s weight at a slight angle forward from ninety degrees. The pitcher then executes the slide step to the ground to catch his own fall.
Now to the H-O-U-S-E portion of the drill.
H
The front leg is raised in a straight line to bring the knee up to and slightly rotated toward the belt buckle. The lower leg is relaxed and in a straight line to the ground. The arms and the legs work in concert, the glove hand and the throwing hand in line with the heart and a few inches from the upper torso (far enough that if they were brought straight down, the wrist of the glove hand would contact the raised front leg near mid-thigh). The back leg is straight and strong as is the back side of the upper torso. The eyes are on the target. Explain that the glove and throwing hand are to act as a counterweight to help create balance.
The emphasis at this point is a center of balance that can be maintained indefinitely helps center the body’s resources.
O
With the lower leg relaxed, the front leg descends in a straight line toward the ground with toes pointed slightly down and poised just above the ground before initiating the slide step. The glove arm and the throwing arm work in concert with the front and back leg, respectively. As the front leg descends, the hands break down and follow the legs. The throwing hand is positioned above the ball, and both hand and arm are fully extended in line with the back leg. The pitcher is reminded to break his hands over the pitching plate. The front leg’s “straight down” position can be compared to the upright stroke of a capital L.
The front leg acts as the pace car for the rest of the moving parts. By moving straight down a constant is provided. The height of the mound does not change as the game progresses, so the influence of gravity is minimized. Pitchers who start toward the plate with an up-out-down sequence are fighting gravity. The weight of the front leg becomes a variable that deviates as the pitcher tires and begins to compensate with, causing subconscious adjustments in arm range. Note that the arm starts coming forward as soon as the front foot touches the ground, regardless of its point of extension.
The straight-to-the-ground descent of the front leg allows the arm to be dropped full length to the pitcher’s side, providing the maximum distance to build arm speed toward the point of release. The glove hand and the throwing hand should break at a point just above or at the belt buckle.
U
The front leg performs the slide step full toward the target. This movement can be associated with the lower stroke of the capital L. (Of course, the young pitcher will probably note that the L is backwards.) The ball of the front foot contacts the ground with the front side more closed than open, meaning that the toes are pointed not directly toward the target, but at a 45-degree angle. At contact with the ground, the heel of the front foot should be in line with the heel of the back foot. This slide step provides the time (over distance) needed for the throwing arm to climb to the fully extended load position with the hand above the ball. At this point, the throwing hand is at its furthest from the body. The glove hand is extended toward the target with the thumb toward the ground and the web of the glove pointed either at the target or at the lead knee.
Key point: The back leg remains “tall” as the front leg slides toward the target. Encourage the pitcher to minimize the tendency to bend the back knee as the slide step is executed. Such a ” “drop and drive” style is less efficient and affects the pitcher’s ability to stay on top of the ball (pitch down hill) and repeat his mechanics. The length and pace of the slide step allows the throwing arm to obtain maximum extension from the body before starting forward. At this extension point, the hand is above the ball so that the palm is either to the ground or facing the center fielder.
S
This step incorporates a “rewind,” or a repeating of the front foot landing that reinitiates motion and arm load. As the pitcher allows his front leg to drop straight down and he performs the slide step to contact, the front foot is allowed to land and the motion temporarily halted to assure the proper placement of the ball of the foot and the angle. To reinitiate a load and throw the ball, the pitcher pushes off of contact (a matter of mere inches) to reload his weight to the throwing leg and regain momentum in the motion. The front foot is than permitted to land a second time and the pitch is released, hence the “rewind.” Note: The glove arm is used to pull down and in toward the heart to assist the up-and-over range of motion of the throwing arm.
The key element here is to push off the ball of the foot so that the weight is transferred to the back foot and the front knee is bent slightly. The front foot thus contacts the ground at a natural rate of descent. This movement is designed to replicate the rocking motion associated with the power position.
E
This final part of the drill actually begins with the front foot contacting the ground the second time (as described in “S”). As the ball of the front foot contacts the ground it rotates the front side (the hips and the squaring of the shoulders) open toward the target to maximize the torque generated by the hip rotation. The throwing arm and hand travel through “big circle” so that the hand goes from on top of the ball at fullest extension to directly behind the ball at the cocked position and through to the release. The ball is released out in front of the pitcher’s eyes and chest.
Follow through: The throwing arm continues long through the release point as the pitcher gets up over the front leg, which is rigid in a straight line from the foot through the knee and to the hip, and the upper torso is extended out and over the leg and toward the target at a position almost parallel to the ground. This position is often referred to as a flat back. The release is extended in a loose arc through the opposite knee. The eyes and the head remain still and fixed on the target.
Pitchers of all ages and levels can benefit from this drill. It is easily grasped and promotes the feel for the primary concepts relative to the pitching mechanics. Once a natural rhythm is developed using the beam, the concepts are easily transferred to the mound, where the exact same steps can be practiced and reinforced.
This is a guest post authored by Kevin O’Connell. Kevin has coached baseball both at the scholastic level and the collegiate level, and has been involved as an instructor in clinics, baseball schools, and providing individual lessons. Currently a public high school administrator, Kevin has been involved in public education for more than 24 years. Kevin also has extensive experience in the collegiate recruiting process, including enrollment, scholarships, the Clearing House.
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