Alright, let me tell you about the time I got obsessed with trying out Bronson Arroyo’s wild leg kick. Saw him pitch, maybe it was an old highlight reel, I don’t remember exactly. But that leg kick, man, it just stuck with me. Looked so unique, almost distracting.
Getting Started
So, naturally, I thought, “How hard can that be?” Famous last words, right? Went out to the backyard, grabbed an old baseball I had lying around. My first few attempts were just… sad. Really sad. I basically just yanked my knee up as high as I could, trying to mimic that extreme height he got.
Let me tell you, balance went right out the window. I was wobbling all over the place. Nearly took a tumble more than once. It wasn’t smooth at all, just jerky and awkward. Felt nothing like how Arroyo looked doing it.
Breaking it Down (Sort Of)
I figured just winging it wasn’t working. So, I actually pulled up some videos. Watched him pitch in slow motion a few times. Tried to see what was really going on.
- That leg goes WAY up, like, knee almost hitting his shoulder.
- There’s this weird little pause, or hesitation, at the top sometimes.
- Then everything comes forward towards the plate.
Okay, seemed simple enough watching it. Doing it was another story. I started practicing just the leg lift part. Trying to get it high without falling over. Focused on keeping my plant leg steady. It took a lot of tries just to feel remotely stable.
The Grind
Spent a fair bit of time just repeating the motion. Leg up, hold (or try to), bring it down. Over and over. Didn’t even worry about throwing the ball much at first, just wanted to get the leg kick part feeling less like I was auditioning for a slapstick comedy.
Slowly, very slowly, it started to feel a tiny bit more controlled. I could get my leg pretty high, not Arroyo-high maybe, but higher than a normal pitching motion for sure. The timing was still tricky, coordinating the high kick with the arm motion felt really unnatural compared to a simpler windup.
Consistency was a big issue too. One try might feel okay, the next I’d be off balance again. It really made me appreciate the athleticism involved. Arroyo did this crazy motion and threw strikes consistently for years. Wild.
Where I Landed
Did I master the Bronson Arroyo leg kick? Absolutely not. Not even close. It’s way harder than it looks on TV. Maintaining that balance, the timing, the flexibility required… it’s a lot.
But it was a fun experiment. Gave me something to tinker with. I don’t use a crazy high leg kick when I toss a ball around now, but going through the process of trying to copy it definitely gave me a much bigger appreciation for how skilled pitchers are, and how unique Arroyo’s style really was. It’s one thing to see it, another thing entirely to try and do it yourself.
