Infield play is very reactionary. We react to the ball hit and need to quickly identify what direction we need to break on the ball and the depth in which we need to move. In previous posts I’ve discussed the importance of a prep step in that reaction to the ball. You can read more … More Flow Step: Next Level Prep Step
“Get outside of the ball.” It’s a teaching cue that is used in just about every level of baseball. On face value it’s not a hard concept to understand, but it’s so much more than what it seems. Let’s breakdown the what, why and how of getting outside of the ball. What does get outside … More The What? Why? How? of Getting Outside the Ball
The 2 step and 4 step patterns are the two most common footwork sequences used during the Gather Phase of the Fielding Process. The Gather Phase is the transition between securing the ball in the glove and the arm action of the throw. These two footwork patterns are how we generate/maintain momentum and direction to … More 2 Step vs. 4 Step Foot Patterns
If you’ve followed this blog you might know that I like to break the fielding process down into smaller phases for instructional and evaluating purposes. Each phase works in conjunction with the others, but one could be argued as the most influential in turning groundballs into outs. That phase is the approach phase. The approach … More Exploring Groundball Approach
Recently I was watching an MLB game and I was blown away at the lack of attention to detail displayed by the 1B while “holding” a runner at first. The pitcher was clearly doing his part to control the running game. He mixed up his hold times and showed a couple different moves over to … More The Art of Holding Runners on 1B
All images below are depicting 2B double play pivots with feeds from the direction of 3B. Footwork will be the same with feeds from SS but the orientation of the bag will be slightly different as is in the picture. We’ve gone around the diamond with the feeds (3B, SS, 2B, LH 1B, RH 1B) … More Second Base Double Play Pivots
Last week’s post discussing deflecting vs catching & exchanging the ball was a precursor to this week’s post about SS double play pivots and next week post on 2B double play pivots. You can read last week’s post here. As we dive into the specific footwork for each position’s pivots it’s important to remember a … More An Inside Look at SS Double Play Pivots
Walk past a baseball practice session and you’ll undoubtedly hear coaches tell their infielder’s to not tap their glove between them fielding the ball and the throw. They’ll say it’s a wasted motion and it’s not needed. In reality, when done at the correct time, it’s not wasted motion and it can be needed. These … More Stop Coaching This Out of, or Into, Your Infielders
First base play instruction is often over looked in practice. Many think that the position is for the player with a big bat that might not have the ability to play another position. Now this may be the case for some, but in those cases I’d be willing to bet that the infield play of … More 3 Checkpoints to Keep 1B Bag Footwork Simple
Effective infield play is all about rhythm and momentum. Watching infielders with elite rhythm and momentum is like watching poetry in motion. They’re smooth and they flow through the groundball into the throw, and it’s flat out pretty to watch when it’s done properly. Often, when an infielder lacks flow, the main reason is a … More One “Step” for More Rhythm & Flow Thru the Groundball
Defend the Diamond 