The Ready Position And Proper Balance
Getting in proper position allows you to move left, right, forward and back, as quickly as possible. This means your feet are a little wider than shoulder width apart, your knees are slightly bent, and your hands are inside your knees. A proper ready position should give you the feeling that you’re ready to explode in any direction. Most infielders prefer to get into this position a little late – right when the ball crosses the front of home plate. This timing and position can add up to a half-step to your fielding range, which makes those holes in the infield that much smaller.
Keep Your Glove As Quiet As Possible
As a ground ball approaches, you might see a lot of young fielders prepare by patting their glove or flipping it down at the last minute. This may look cool, but it’s not sound technique. All that movement makes it difficult to field the ball consistently, especially on balls hit hard. The best way to prepare for a ground ball is by putting your palm out and your fingers down. This maximizes the surface area/opening of the glove. Once the glove is in that position, keep it there. Be relaxed with your hands and use your feet to field the ball out in front of you. Keep it simple. Cut out unnecessary glove movement and add better consistency to your fielding.
Bring Ball To The Middle Of Your Body
Now you’ve got the ball. The next step is to build momentum towards your target, and that starts by bringing your hands to the middle of your body. It doesn’t matter if you’re fore-handing the ball, back-handing the ball, or fielding the ball directly in front of you – funnel it to your belly button. This is the fastest and most efficient way to prepare for the throw.
Making The Throw
Once you have the ball in the middle of your body, instinct is going to take over from there: You’ll get your feet underneath you and make the throw. Remember, you don’t have to throw it as hard as you can every time – only when you need to. If it’s a standard ground ball, it’s usually not necessary. Save your arm as much as you can. And for third baseman in particular, don’t forget to follow your throw across the diamond so your ball carries.
So grab a fungo bat, put it in a friend or family member’s hands, go out in the backyard, and practice, practice, practice! Concentrate on keeping everything the same: glove out in front, funnel to the middle, follow your throw. A good general mindset when fielding is BE AGGRESSIVE. Try and attack everything moving forward. Not only is it more effective, it’s more fun!
