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Infield mechanics

Jack Stallings

The Baseball Coaching Bible

It is obvious that good infield play is essential to team defense. Your team must develop good, consistent infield mechanics. Let’s start with fielding position. The feet should be spread for optimum balance and quickness, and the body should be low, square to the ball, with the knees and waist flexed. The feet and glove should form an equilateral triangle with the glove open squarely to the ball. The glove must be on the ground, because the hands are three times quicker coming up than going down, body balance is better and the hands are softer. The bare hand should be near the glove for quicker and better control of the ball with the throwing hand.

On routine ground balls, infielders should field the ball with the glove out from the body to create softer hands. The angle of the glove should be approximately 45 degrees to the ground. The glove and bare hand should give slightly as the ball arrives to help keep it in the glove. The glove and bare hand continue to move into the throwing motion as the hand completes making its grip on the ball. As the arm goes back into the throwing arc, the weight is shifted onto the left foot, a short jab step is taken with the right foot and the left foot steps forward to throw. The stride leg should step directly at the target and be slightly bent to help pull the arm down on release.

 

If the ball takes a bad hop just as it gets to the infielder, the infielder will be much quicker if the body remains still and only the glove reaches for the ball. One hand can move more quickly than two and certainly more quickly than the body.

 

If the ball takes a bad hop and hits off the infielder’s body or the infielder bobbles it and drops it to the ground, it must be picked up with the bare hand. The infielder will be able to throw more quickly without transferring the ball from the glove to the hand and he will be able to control the ball better in the bare hand. On a bobbled ball the infielder should do the following:

 

  1. Don’t panic! Relax and pick up the ball smoothly. 

  2. Move the feet to get over the ball and reach straight down for it. This will ensure a good grip with the hand on top of the ball.
  3. Bring the ball from the ground to the throwing position without patting the ball in the glove.
  4. Move the feet quickly toward the target. The arm should come straight up as the player crow-hops to get momentum for the throw. Backhanding the ball often affords better balance and body control than trying to get in front of it. It opens the pocket of the glove more fully and makes it easier to field and throw any ball fielded beyond or even with the infielder’s right foot (for a right-handed thrower). The body should be bent, fielding the ball in front of the reaching foot with the elbow up and the forearm held vertical. The glove should then come up toward the throwing position.

A smash at the infielder is a difficult play because the infielder tends to shy away from the ball and tries to field it off to the side. To avoid this, the infielder should do the following:

 

  1. Get in the proper fielding position, with the glove on the ground and in front of the body. 

  2. Do not move the body. Hold your ground and let the ball approach your chest. 
  3. Naturally, no one is going to let a hard smash hit the chest, so at the last moment the glove will move to catch the ball. By remaining still, the infielder will avoid shying away from the ball and can let the body's reflexes move the glove to catch the ball.

     

 
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