Speed in leg drive

There are several elements of speed that a pitcher can choose to focus on to improve their speed. First, the push off, or the speed off the mound. The faster the pitcher drives off the mound, generally the longer the stride. They go hand and hand. I tell my beginners to try to stride out at least their height. Another goal can be to step out heel to toe 6 times and make a mark in the dirt and make sure they are going beyond that mark. We know that studies show that stride length and speed go hand and hand. The average pitcher that throws 68 mph, strides out 7 feet 4 inches. That knowledge can be a motivator for the pitcher to push off faster. There are many different drills the pitcher can perform to help develop speed of the mound such as the flamingo (one legged push off) drill, resistance bands, 2 step drill, sprinters stance drill, etc.  
However, ultimately the push off the mound comes from the powerhouse muscle groups of the quads and anterior tibialis. The anterior tibialis acts in the dorsiflexion and inversion of the foot, so it is important for the pitcher to rock back lifting the toe (negative increases the positive) then quickly roll over the toe with the heel dragging toward the ceiling (less stress on knees and ankles). The Quads are very active in the push off during the "sprinters stance" phase of the push off. A true "sprinters stance" push off would mean the knee goes past the toe, at this point the pitcher's weight is fully loaded in the muscles on the front of the leg. When the stride leg touches down, the back of the leg muscles become most active (driving knee to knee). It is best to work these muscles for fast twitch by working them with a high load in a short amount of time. Having a good balance of slow twitch (endurance) muscle can also prove helpful for long tournaments. Besides, the championship game is never the first game of the day, it could be the 3rd or possibly 5th. Amy Johnston