Stride Down
The stride down is the motion of lowering the center of gravity after the leg lift.
It marks the beginning of both the stride and the arm takeback.
Start the Stride Down from the Hips
Lowering your center of gravity may sound simple, but there are several important points to consider.
First, do not drop your weight straight down—move it toward home plate (Figure 1).
Dropping straight down wastes the potential energy generated during the leg lift.
As the center of gravity moves forward, the way your weight is distributed on your pivot foot also changes.
During the leg lift, your weight is evenly balanced across the entire foot.
As the stride down begins and your center of gravity moves forward, the weight shifts more toward the arch of the foot.
If you focus too much on “staying upright,” your knee may remain too stiff, preventing proper forward movement.
You may feel like you are moving forward, but in reality, you are only bending your knee and sticking your hips out in place.
Balance from side to side is also important.
As with the leg lift, avoid shifting too much toward the toes or the heel.
For example, if your upper body leans too far forward, your weight may shift toward your toes. If you lean back too much, it may shift toward your heel (Figures 2 and 3).
This imbalance can cause your body to drift and lead to inefficient mechanics.
Your knee should move naturally—do not keep it too rigid, but also avoid letting it collapse too far inward.
The key is to keep everything natural and controlled.
Overall, the feeling of the stride down should be like letting your hips fall forward toward home plate, using the potential energy generated during the leg lift.