infielders ready position?
2016/7/15 17:11:04
Question
QUESTION: Hi
I have played many years of mens fast pitch and baseball, but what i don't understand is i see the local high school girls coaches teaching the infielders to hold the glove with the opposite hand, glove on the catching hand and in a both arms horizontal position, hold the end of the glove with the other hand, instead of bent at the waist and knees and glove near the ground as pitcher readies to pitch,, thus a lot of balls are getting under the infielders gloves. Why do they teach that?
ANSWER: They ask to put the free hand side by side with the glove hand to be ready to cover ball upon fielding a ground ball. I'm not so sure about the free hand holding or even touching the glove. I personally don't teach that. I just make sure that the free is beside glove with knees bent and staying low to the ground as much as possible.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: So you are saying keep the glove and free hand low to the ground in front of you knees and waist bent, when pitcher is ready to release?
Answer
Yes, as not to have the extra movement of putting the glove down when ball is hit towards the fielder. Not in a stiff and uncomfortable position, just down in front of fielder in a low position with knees bent. They are kids so sometimes when they keep their gloves high by the time they lower the glove to field the ball, they sometimes tend to miss the ball all the more. Since the glove is down they just let the ball enter the glove and let the free hand cover the ball. If it's a slow grounder, they run forward staying low but of course they have to move their arms in a running motion then lowering the glove and free hand to field the ball.
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