Issue #1, May  2005
Horseshoe’s center of gravity & how to pitch more ringers

    A shoe is designed so that when you draw a straight line down the middle of the shoe from the center of the closed end to the center of the open end, both halves of the shoe weigh the same.  There is additional weight in the heel calks of the shoe to make up for the lack of metal in the open end so that there is a place somewhere in the middle of one blade such that if you draw a line to the same place in the middle of the other blade, there is the same amount of weight of metal on the part of the shoe with the closed end as there is of metal making up the open end of the shoe.  (Note:  extremely heavy calks, as with some shoes designed for flip throwers, would move the center of gravity lower towards the open end of the shoe).  Where these two lines cross is the center of gravity of the shoe.  All other lines drawn through this center point will evenly divide the balance of the weight of the shoe on either side of the lines. (Horseshoes with less weight in the heel calks than other horseshoes either have less weight in the closed end of the shoe or the center of gravity of the shoe is higher up towards the closed end of the shoe).  These lined divisions separating the balance of the weight of the shoe on either side can be determined by finding the balancing point of the horseshoe by setting the shoe up on the edge of a three sided ruler or on the edge of a yardstick.  Where the shoe balances, lines can be chalked on the shoe and painted in some color scheme, for easy reference while pitching.

It is important to know where the center of the shoe is, because it is the center of the shoe that all good horseshoe pitchers throw straight at the stake at the opposite end that gives them such a high percentage of ringers.  They greet the stake, lining up the center of gravity of the shoe with the stake when they aim (note:  When aiming, the center of gravity of the shoe will generally be to the right of a right handed pitcher or to the left of a left handed pitcher, if the shoe is being held at the same position at which the pitcher plans to release the shoe at the end of the forward swing).  The pitcher will swing straight back with the center of the shoe during their back swing and they come straight forward in their forward swing with the center of the shoe constantly dead on an imaginary line between the center of the shoe and the stake (remember we are discussing the good pitchers here!).  At all times, a good pitcher is consciously or sub-consciously aware of the path that the center of the shoe is taking in the back swing and during the forward swing, but most critically during the forward swing.

STRAIGHT BACK SWING AND FORWARD SWING
    Some good pitchers have been known to keep their shoe pretty much in the same position during their whole forward swing (in other words very close to the position it will be in at the release point) without any turn rotation motion being applied and then in the last inch or so before release “snap” their wrist to put a turn influence on the shoe.  The challenge of this method is that there is little margin for error and the pitcher may not “snap” the wrist enough or “snap” it too much.  (This method also has a tendency to wear out a pitcher’s wrist, causing them to give up horseshoe pitching and take up chess).  It is much more natural to start a smooth gradual turn of the shoe around the center of gravity at the beginning of the forward swing or at least at the bottom of the swing by the leg (or just after the shoe has cleared the leg).  Some would argue that starting it at the bottom by the leg is still not enough time and distance for a turn rotation around the center of the shoe to be consistent pitch after pitch and would advise beginning it at the beginning of the forward swing.  It also depends on whether a pitcher is more comfortable beginning the gradual turn rotation at the beginning of the forward swing, rather than trying to execute it at the point that the shoe clears the leg.  This is why some 1-1/4 clockwise pitchers have the shoe cocked points slightly to the right if they are right handed, or to the left if they are left handed, at the peak of their back swing, so the shoe is pretty vertical when it passes the leg and then a 1/8 or ¼ turn rotation motion is applied around the center of gravity of the shoe from the leg up to the point of release of the shoe.

HOW MUCH TURN ROTATION TO PUT ON A SHOE
    How much rotation turn to start on the shoe while it is still in the hand (which happens to be the only time a pitcher can really affect the flight of the shoe, no matter how much he waves his hands after the release of the shoe) is the big question and it depends on a few other factors in the pitcher’s delivery.  The turn the pitcher is throwing in flight is one very important factor (3/4, 1-1/4, 1-3/4 or flip?).  The higher the pitcher throws the shoe the less turn motion needed because it will travel just a little farther (two sides of the hypotenuse while knowing the height of the release from the ground, plus the peak high point of the shoe, using calculus could determine the actual distance traveled).  Even the length of the step is a factor (with a longer step usually used by a low throwing pitcher and a shorter step usually used for a higher throwing pitcher), plus the length of the step also determines the length of the swing being used to influence the turn of the shoe around the center of gravity of the shoe.  Remember any turn influence applied to the shoe is turning at so many degrees of the shoe (sixteenths, eighths or quarters per so many feet.  Illustrative example:  A 1-1/4 shoe thrown 36 feet from a starting point (maybe 1 foot past the foul line plus 3 feet step) of three feet or so off the ground may still travel 40 feet with a given arch.  There are 5 quarter turns in a pure 1-1/4 turn thrown shoe.  A pure 1-1/4 turn clockwise thrown shoe by a pitcher will have the points of the shoe pointing away from the center of the shoe (to the left for a right handed pitcher and to the right for a left handed pitcher).  For the shoe to turn exactly 5 quarters over a distance of 40 feet requires that the pitcher put a turn rotation motion of ¼ turn per 8 feet (40 divided by 5 equals 8).

HOW MUCH TURN FOR HOW LONG
    Since the pitcher is not going to be swinging the shoe a total of 8 feet during the forward swing and applying a gradual quarter turn rotation motion on the shoe for 8 feet before release, then lets say for the sake of illustration (we are getting the general picture here, not splitting hairs or splitting inches) let’s say the pitcher normally stands at the stake and takes about a 3 feet step before delivery.  If the shoe turn rotation around the center of gravity of the shoe is started about the point of the pitcher’s leg, then the shoe will travel approximately 4 feet, with his 3 feet step and say an additional foot reach beyond the extended foot (again rounding off to make the illustration of what is taking place with the turn of the shoe).  While influencing the turn of the shoe while in the pitcher’s hand a distance of 4 feet, then the pitcher would want to put about 1/8 turn rotation motion around the center of gravity of the shoe from the lowest point beside the leg to the very point of release.  (Note:  For the pitcher who wants the shoe to be level at the release point, this is why the expression “slightly cock the shoe” is used.  A shoe in vertical position beside the leg and level upon release would be taking a full quarter turn in this approximate 4 feet of influence.  A shoe in vertical beside the leg, would only need about a 1/8 turn around the center during the upward swing to the release point.  Therefore the vertical shoe at the side of the leg would need to be released in a slightly cocked position approximately 45 degrees.  Just remember, for a 1/8 turn for 4 feet, either slightly cocked from the leg to level upon release or vertical from the leg to slightly cocked upon released.

WHAT AMOUNT OF INFLUENCE STAYS WITH THE SHOE INTO FLIGHT?
    This turn motion must be gradual, because it is actually the force on the shoe at the instant it is released that is carried into flight with the shoe.  If the hand turn rotation motion put on the shoe is jerky, then only the influence in the last smooth continuous split second before it is released will be on the shoe at release.  When a pitcher is nervous, say when trying to pitch two ringers for a won game or just nervous for some other reason, everything a pitcher does tends to be jerky.  A smooth gradual turn of the shoe for all the forward swing or part of the forward swing (say from the leg up) is only helping to guide and establish the exact rate of turn on the shoe at the very moment of release, which is the only moment of influence which really influences the shoe!  To prove this point, try a nice smooth rotation turn motion on the shoe around the center of gravity of the shoe for the whole forward swing and then about the last foot, hesitate just a split second (jerky motion) and you have interrupted all the preparation you had on the shoe for that last point of release.  Now only the motion you put on after the jerky interruption will be on the shoe and the rate of turn for that last foot will be what is on the shoe.  The pitcher will almost have to get lucky to pick up that same rate of turn after a jerky split second hesitation.  The shoe cannot remember or will not retain all that rotation the pitcher was trying to put on before the pitcher made the jerky hesitation.  Now if after the slight jerky hesitation, the pitcher's arm swing did not lose the rate of turn on the shoe, then the effect will not hurt the shoe, because as stated above, "the exact rate of turn on the shoe at the very moment of release, is the only moment of influence which really influences the shoe!"