Front Foot Strike in Pitching: How to Properly Identify Foot Plant for Velocity and Video Analysis

Inside the app, five timestamps define your delivery:

1. Leg Lift

2. Before Leg Drive

3. Front Foot Strike

4. Maximum External Rotation

5. Ball Release

This article focuses specifically on Front Foot Strike (FFS) — how to correctly set it and what is biomechanically happening at that moment.

What Front Foot Strike Is (For App Purposes)

For all pitchers — efficient or inefficient — Front Foot Strike is:

The first frame where the front foot plants and begins stopping forward momentum.

That is the timestamp you select.

It does not require elite mechanics.
It does not require perfect separation.

It simply requires:

• Foot fully planted

• Downward motion stopped

• Forward movement beginning to decelerate

This is the universal event that exists in every delivery.

Why Front Foot Strike Is So Important

Front Foot Strike is the moment where:

Stride power converts into hip and shoulder separation.

Everything built during the stride must be transferred here.

If nothing was built before it, nothing can be converted.

If it is not stabilized properly, power leaks.

If it is mistimed in the app, data becomes misleading.

The Most Common Coaching Mistake

Over-coaching Front Foot Strike without first developing stride power.

If a pitcher:

• Lacks triple extension

• Has a short or slow stride

• Does not generate forward momentum

Then adjusting foot placement only produces:

Accuracy without velocity.

Front Foot Strike does not create power.

It converts power.

How Stride Power Converts to Torque at Front Foot Strike

This is the mechanical chain:

1. Triple Extension (3X) Occurs Before FFS

The drive leg achieves:

• Ankle extension

• Knee extension

• Hip extension

This explosive movement builds stride power and begins opening the hips toward the target.

2. The Front Foot Lands and Stabilizes

When the lead foot plants:

• Linear momentum must stop

• The front leg must stabilize

• Ground reaction forces redirect energy upward

If the front leg continues drifting or collapsing, power is not efficiently converted.

3. Hips Open, Shoulders Stay Closed

As stabilization occurs:

• The hips rotate

• The shoulders remain aligned longer

• Hip-to-shoulder separation increases

Research from the National Pitching Association and the American Sports Medicine Institute has shown that greater hip-to-shoulder separation correlates with higher throwing velocity.

Front Foot Strike is where that separation is created.

4. Core Torque Multiplies Force

The separation stretches the core musculature.

That stored elastic energy then launches:

• The trunk

• The arm

• The ball

This is why FFS is the most complex moment in the delivery.

It is not passive.

It is a force redirection event.

What Most Pitchers Look Like at Front Foot Strike

Because most athletes have not yet mastered stride power, you may see:

• Incomplete triple extension

• Front knee continuing forward

• Early trunk rotation

• Limited separation

That is normal.

Your job in the app is still simple:

Select the first frame where the foot plants and momentum stops.

The data will reveal the inefficiency.

What Efficient Front Foot Strike Looks Like

In elite pitchers, you typically observe:

• Drive leg finishing triple extension before landing

• Front foot landing under center of gravity

• Immediate front-leg stabilization

• Hips opening aggressively

• Shoulders remaining closed briefly

• Clear separation forming

The front foot does not always land directly on a straight line toward the target.

It must land under the body’s center of gravity to:

• Establish balance

• Promote stabilization

• Allow full hip rotation

Landing too far across or too far open can reduce both power conversion and precision.

How to Correctly Set Front Foot Strike in the App

Step 1: Use Side View

Side angle allows you to see:

• Heel contact

• Ankle stabilization

• Knee behavior

• Trunk position

Step 2: Scrub Frame-by-Frame

Select the first frame where:

• Foot is fully planted

• Downward motion stops

• Forward drift begins slowing

Do not select after trunk rotation is already aggressive.

Do not select while the foot is still descending.

Key Clarification

Front Foot Strike is the moment momentum stops.

It is not:

• Maximum hip rotation

• Maximum separation

• Maximum trunk speed

• Ball release

Those come after.

Quick Validation Checklist

Before confirming FFS:

✔ Is the drive leg finished extending?
✔ Is the front foot fully planted?
✔ Has forward momentum stopped?
✔ Is the front leg stabilizing?

If yes, your timestamp is correct.

Whether your mechanics are efficient or inefficient, that frame is consistent.

Final Perspective

Front Foot Strike is the hinge point of the delivery.

Before it:
You build power.

At it:
You convert power.

After it:
You launch torque.

Inside the app, pelvis speeds, trunk speeds, and separation timing are all measured relative to this moment.

Set it precisely.

Then let the data show you whether you are converting stride power efficiently — or leaking it.