This is to say the least “my baby.” I have been working on this product for over two years now. The idea came about to me after a pitching lesson, where I was told to move my heel that is against the mound, left and right. When the left heel is against the mound, as it is for lefties, is moved left, your toes will not be against the mound. They will be a few centimeter’s from the mound. This will leave your heel the only part of your foot connected to the mound. When the heel is moved to the right, your toes will be pushing off of the rubber. Your heel will then be a few centimeter’s away from the mound this time. If you are a right handed pitcher reading this, you have to reverse the concept. When you move your right heel left, the toes will be pushing off with your heel a few centimeters away. When your heel moves to the right, your toes are a few centimeters off the mound with your heel pushing off. Connor Brooks, former pitching farm hand for the Boston Red Sox, told me it would help in locating my pitches to the left and right side of home plate.
The problem I came across is how much it was messing with my motion. I felt all twisted, confused and could not grasp the concept. It is hard to teach this old dog new tricks that’s for sure. I needed something to train my body into placing my foot at a particular angle for the each side of home plate. Using two keys, pieces of paper, duct tape, and sterilization packages, my father is a dentist and I was working for him at the time, I MaGyver’d my answer. When I placed my foot on top of a key, it was easier to recognize where my foot needed to be placed.
A few Christmas’ ago my parents gave myself and my two siblings a gift that would change my life. They gave us all a flash video camera that could also take photographs as well as store some music. When I received the gift I thought it was a great gift and something that I would definitely use all the time.
Playing around with the camera in my back yard, my dog was actually walking around in the background of a video; I realized how I could use my new gift. I had found my passion. It is one thing to coach and explain sports to a child or young adult. It was another thing entirely for me to explain sports via a video. My parent’s gift had grown into something they could not have ever foreseen.