Ten most important things for an infielder to do

[Work=wins]

1.Gathering on pitchers timing 2.Staggered feet glove side on a gradual descent approach to the ball progress to diving.
3. fielding balls off-center of glove side when possible.
4.Fielding and gathering with 2 hands to the midline whenever possible.
5.Quick transfer
6.lining up the front shoulder to the target.
7.straddling bases and tagging down.
8.dart throws on the run
9.knowing where and when to go beforehand
10.communication

 

[STRIKE3]

This was a trick question. Sluggers set you all up and the obvious answer is to support your pitcher no matter how bad she is sucking that game! That times 10 is the top 10 things an infielder should do.

Example: Hey girl (says the SS) I know you have 15 hits and 5 home runs on you, and it is only the bottom of the 3rd, but you GOT THIS!

S3 (pitchers Dad)

 

[Gags]

Sluggers - thank you - this is a great thread topic - I suggest a “10 things” OF thread for next week!

In the meantime - my attempt at 10 things to know/have:

1. Throw on the run.
2a. Know HOW to toss the ball underhand.
2b. Know WHEN to toss the ball underhand.
3. Already mentioned - long hops and short hops - choose one and commit to it. It’s the in-between hop that will make you look semi-pro. (Trotsky does a great job of explaining it).
[Rabbit Hole #1: ARE there enough balls hit with a trajectory that will produce a short or long hop to dedicate much practice to it? Seems important based on baseball experience and videos I’ve seen, but I’m still @10U - more mis-hits than hot smashes or high chopperss.]
4. Approach angle.
5. Approach footwork (Right-Left-Field-Right-Left-Throw / Right to Left, Left to Target). My own variation in regards to pace is fast (get there), slow (glove down), shuffle (realign feet), and throw.
6. Solid, repeatable throwing mechanics.
7. Glove work (work through the ball / funnel /reach / elbow hinge / midline exchange)
8. Pre-pitch motion (split step / hop / creep)
Ack! I knew I’d run out of slots once I started!
9. Situational awareness / anticipation - broad, I know:
9a. Know where to throw
9b. Know when NOT to throw, b/c sometimes the best play is making no play.
9c. Know where to go (the 3 “B”s - ball, base, backup).
[Rabbit Hole #2: One of my proudest ‘coaches-kid’ moment - play at the plate, and after the usual cluster of ball and runner arriving at the same time, our under-sized C ends up beneath the over-sized runner, with the ball slowly rolling to the backstop. It was like a slow-motion coaching nightmare - the runner is acting like she just belly-splashed off the top rope, the batter is still rounding the bases, the pitcher is still standing in the circle (I guess the ball magically appearing in her glove from 35’ away was a play they’d been practicing?), and no video game super move was available to allow our catcher to flip the runner off her and get the ball. Just as an inside-the-infield-HR was looking more and more likely, in rushes my daughter from 1B to scoop up the ball and keep the runner at 3B.]
10. Internal clock. Yeah - probably similar to 9, but I feel it’s important enough to get its own line. You have to have one. Not every play is “field, step, and throw” - you have to know before you transfer the ball what type of runner you have - you can’t expect to pick your head up, gauge the runners speed, and then adjust your throw accordingly. That clock has to be ticking the moment the ball hits the bat.

Looking forward to everyone’s thoughts on this topic.


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[Gags]

This was a trick question. Sluggers set you all up [...]

Wish I figured that out 30 mins ago when I started typing the above post.

Well done, sluggers, posting it in a fielding thread! It would have been much more conspicuous if you had tried doing that in “Practical Hitting”.



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[Westwind]

What a rascal!

 

[_MIA_]

[Rabbit Hole #1: ARE there enough balls hit with a trajectory that will produce a short or long hop to dedicate much practice to it? Seems important based on baseball experience and videos I’ve seen, but I’m still @10U - more mis-hits than hot smashes or high chopperss.]

I would say yes. Any GB that is bouncing can produce a short hop, long hop or (gulp) an in-between hop. It is the IF job to make sure they are using
their feet correctly in order to get the former two and minimize getting the latter. I do a drill with my DD where I toss the ball in the air (no higher than her chest), from about 15 ft away, and she has go and get the short hop. I do it for balls she is playing in front of her and I do it for backhand balls where she is trying to get her body going towards first as she is doing it (sort of like a charging backhand but playing the short hop). Of course that isn't how most "GB" will look but the point is to get her to learn how to have active feet. In some cases, like hot shots right at you, getting a "good hop" vs a "bad hop", is a matter of a half step (forward or backward).

Sometimes when am I watching my DD either in a game or when I am hitting her GB, I can see ahead of time that she isn't going to get a good hop by the way she is moving and I literally close my eyes. My wife has seen me do this and asks what the heck I am doing and I tell her it is a PTSD type thing..it is sort of amazing I am still married

 

[Gags]

I like the concept of active feet - that’s an easy “feel” to convey during a practice.


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[Chaz McNulty]

As mentioned, Long hop - Short hop. So many coaches do not teach this and just yell "charge the ball".
One thing to be aware of in gym practices, is what kind of hop they are receiving the ball on. Everything bounces perfectly, so you have to be aware if the player is picking it up on a 3 foot hop. This needs to be corrected in the gym to the point of explaining to them they are not fielding it properly.
I read a great article a while back about stalking the ball. There are very few occasions when we need to do an all-out charge on the ball. Instead you should be lowering your body and stalking the bouncing ball in a controlled manner to pick it up on the easiest hop.

 

[_MIA_]

As mentioned, Long hop - Short hop. So many coaches do not teach this and just yell "charge the ball".

At the really young ages e.g. when they are just starting (maybe 4-8 YO), just having them charge everything is a decent idea imo. At least it gets their feet moving and not waiting back on the ball. At that age the long step to "choppy" step footwork we are talking about in order to get the best hop is probably not really possible. Older than that, yes working on the proper footwork to get the best hop is a must imo. That said, many centuries ago my father never worked on that specifically with me but I probably also took 50 to 100 GB every day in the summer from the time I was 7 so I figured it on my own I guess.

 

[Jdaddy]

I just have one. Feet are always moving. It’s our job as coaches to teach them how to move.