hey. i am a sophmore JV shortstop and i am about 6'0" and 15 years old. lately i have been having trouble getting my glove down fast enough to field ground balls. any advice on how i can get the glove down in time? thanks in advance.
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Work on your foot work,
get in front of the ball if possible.
Get glove on the GROUND.
It's easier/faster to come up on the ball, Then it is to go down to the ball.
Try to get to ball on first bounce!
The ball will scoot low on the second bounce most times.
So don't think it's going to take a nice hop to you.
Charge the ball when possible.
Also take ground balls, the more you practice the better you become.
EH
get in front of the ball if possible.
Get glove on the GROUND.
It's easier/faster to come up on the ball, Then it is to go down to the ball.
Try to get to ball on first bounce!
The ball will scoot low on the second bounce most times.
So don't think it's going to take a nice hop to you.
Charge the ball when possible.
Also take ground balls, the more you practice the better you become.
EH
quote:Originally posted by somervilleboy617:
any advice on how i can get the glove down in time? thanks in advance.
Ummm...get it down sooner?
The real answer is...it is more likely a footwork problem. Breakdown sooner.
That's good redbird.How about starting low an working up.
RIU is EXACTLY correct.
Start with the glove in the dirt. It is easier to come up than to go down.
Start with the glove in the dirt. It is easier to come up than to go down.
oh alright thanks for ur help guys. hopefully i come out of this slump.
At SS, when the pitch leaves the pitcher's hand, the glove should be down kissing the clay. The knees bent, the weight on the front half of your feet.
Think aggressive, play aggressive.
Take extra grounders in practice and after practice, build that confidence back up. Then that slump will be a long way back in the rear view mirror.
Think aggressive, play aggressive.
Take extra grounders in practice and after practice, build that confidence back up. Then that slump will be a long way back in the rear view mirror.
quote:Originally posted by Texan:
At SS, when the pitch leaves the pitcher's hand, the glove should be down kissing the clay. The knees bent, the weight on the front half of your feet.
Think aggressive, play aggressive.
Take extra grounders in practice and after practice, build that confidence back up. Then that slump will be a long way back in the rear view mirror.
my coach was a SS in the MLB for 14 years and says that MIF shouldnt start low like you say. You should have a little bend but athletic position. 3rd and 1st should be the ones with the glove touching the ground.
Bowa & Johnson would disagree with your coach. I'll go with them.
I also have never heard of putting glove on ground although I have seen it done,
We were taught to get a balanced position with knees bent and bend at the waisst . Tail down glove hand side foot slightly ahead of other foot and your glove out front. It allows for lateral movement and you can go up or down. If you can't get down from that position you are thinking too much.
The important thing is balanc and keeping the glove out front to receive the ball.
We were taught to get a balanced position with knees bent and bend at the waisst . Tail down glove hand side foot slightly ahead of other foot and your glove out front. It allows for lateral movement and you can go up or down. If you can't get down from that position you are thinking too much.
The important thing is balanc and keeping the glove out front to receive the ball.
quote:Originally posted by BobbleheadDoll:
...and keeping the glove out front to receive the ball.
Great advice everybody.
I also believe you should take a few steps back after each pitch.
Check the field and any base runner's.
Then just before the pitch you come forward in the ready position on the balls of your feet. Able to go in any direction.
That way your not waiting and flat footed.
Be aggressive and charge the ball if possible.
Footwork will help.
I also believe you should take a few steps back after each pitch.
Check the field and any base runner's.
Then just before the pitch you come forward in the ready position on the balls of your feet. Able to go in any direction.
That way your not waiting and flat footed.
Be aggressive and charge the ball if possible.
Footwork will help.
quote:Originally posted by paul5150:quote:Originally posted by Texan:
At SS, when the pitch leaves the pitcher's hand, the glove should be down kissing the clay. The knees bent, the weight on the front half of your feet.
Think aggressive, play aggressive.
Take extra grounders in practice and after practice, build that confidence back up. Then that slump will be a long way back in the rear view mirror.
my coach was a SS in the MLB for 14 years and says that MIF shouldnt start low like you say. You should have a little bend but athletic position. 3rd and 1st should be the ones with the glove touching the ground.
I agree. If you start with the glove on the ground, when the ball is hit the player will raise up to move to the ball and then have to work down again to field it. IMO, it is hard to field a bouncing ball when your eyes are shifting up and down as well.
We teach being in a ready athletic position when the ball is pitched. When it is hit go get it, breakdown and get the glove in front and on the ground, and work around and through the ball to get momentum for the throw.
We teach breaking down like an airplane landing. We glide down to the ball and not stabbing down to the ball.
Starting down doesn't mean at all that your eyes are "shifting up & down".
If you start with the glove on the ground, then you are ready for the screamer that comes straight at you. Whereas if you start up, you have to go down and things get tough in a hurry.
If you have to move signficantly to one side or the other, there will be plenty of time to get the glove down again. And it will be no different than starting with the glove up.
If you start with the glove on the ground, then you are ready for the screamer that comes straight at you. Whereas if you start up, you have to go down and things get tough in a hurry.
If you have to move signficantly to one side or the other, there will be plenty of time to get the glove down again. And it will be no different than starting with the glove up.
Texan have you ever seen a ML SS start with his glove on the ground ?
ML ball players teach BFP. Best fielding position which I scribed in an earlier post.
ML ball players teach BFP. Best fielding position which I scribed in an earlier post.
Texan,
Why should a SS start with his glove on the ground? 85% of the time, he will have to move L or R. Having your glove on the ground makes this hard.
I played SS for a few years and work with many IFs now (HS and college). Most of the time, the correct prescription for the above referenced problem is that they have no idea how their feet field the ball and usually "over run" the GB. Break down earlier.
Why should a SS start with his glove on the ground? 85% of the time, he will have to move L or R. Having your glove on the ground makes this hard.
I played SS for a few years and work with many IFs now (HS and college). Most of the time, the correct prescription for the above referenced problem is that they have no idea how their feet field the ball and usually "over run" the GB. Break down earlier.
Having the tip of the glove fingers near the dirt does not make it hard to move. Makes it very easy to get explosive movement from the legs. It is a cue to be down in a good ready position, rather than being too upright.
What are two of the toughest things for the MIF'er? One is the screaming grounder straight at you. That one hopper so fast there is no time to think, just react. If the glove doesn't start low, there won't be time to get down to it. The other tough one is the one that you have to go a long way to get. If the fielder is down low, he is in a good position to get an explosive push from the legs.
Guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.
What are two of the toughest things for the MIF'er? One is the screaming grounder straight at you. That one hopper so fast there is no time to think, just react. If the glove doesn't start low, there won't be time to get down to it. The other tough one is the one that you have to go a long way to get. If the fielder is down low, he is in a good position to get an explosive push from the legs.
Guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.
quote:Originally posted by Texan:
Having the tip of the glove fingers near the dirt does not make it hard to move. Makes it very easy to get explosive movement from the legs. It is a cue to be down in a good ready position, rather than being too upright.
What are two of the toughest things for the MIF'er? One is the screaming grounder straight at you. That one hopper so fast there is no time to think, just react. If the glove doesn't start low, there won't be time to get down to it. The other tough one is the one that you have to go a long way to get. If the fielder is down low, he is in a good position to get an explosive push from the legs.
Guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.
Show me a MIF who gets ready the way you say. All of the good ones are like a tennis player prior to the serve. Almost every prominent MIF teacher tells you NOT to get low prior to the pitch crossing the hitting zone.
The hardest plays for me were never the screamers hit at me. I knew I had a lot of time to knock it down and throw the guy out.
A lot of the time a fielder having problems will roll his glove down trying to time the hop. Make sure you're NOT doing this! It slows the reaction time. Get to where the ball is coming and make sure your glove goes straight down.
-Always work from the ground - up.
-Charge the ball to take away that extra hop that could be a bad one.
-Next get in position to make the play which means knees bent,butt down,and glove on the ground.
That will take away any problem of not getting your glove down in time.
-Charge the ball to take away that extra hop that could be a bad one.
-Next get in position to make the play which means knees bent,butt down,and glove on the ground.
That will take away any problem of not getting your glove down in time.
My Son works with a former pro middle infielder (10+ years) who played in the world series back in the 70's. His advice and what he teaches is to start low and train your body to be able to move to the ball (quickly and gracefully) from this low position. If the ball is off to the side he wants to see my Son stay low as he manuvers to the ball. He does not want to see him get higher to run to the ball and then try to get his glove down again. Sort of stabbing at the ball. Start low (not necessarilly glove in the dirt, but knees bent, butt lower to the ground, glove out front) and move to the ball low.
It would seem to me there is no "one size fits all" starting position for infielders. Very much like in hitting all batters have modified (and continue to modify) the basic hitting stance to fit their individual needs.
And as with hitting, what matters is that the fielder gets the job done. My suggestion is for fielders to practice practice practice and find out what works. If you can start with your glove off the ground and no balls go between your legs then I would say that works for you. Now you have to look at all the other aspects of fielding and make the necessary adjustments to continue to improve your defensive game. If, on the other hand, balls are sneaking through the wickets then I would say your glove needs to be lower and perhaps on the ground.
Constant practice. Constant improvement.
And as with hitting, what matters is that the fielder gets the job done. My suggestion is for fielders to practice practice practice and find out what works. If you can start with your glove off the ground and no balls go between your legs then I would say that works for you. Now you have to look at all the other aspects of fielding and make the necessary adjustments to continue to improve your defensive game. If, on the other hand, balls are sneaking through the wickets then I would say your glove needs to be lower and perhaps on the ground.
Constant practice. Constant improvement.
Just start low and stay low then it is much easier to get your glove down. If you start with your glove on the ground, you cant move very quickly, so just stay low while you are moving
quote:Originally posted by pky31:
...If you start with your glove on the ground, you cant move very quickly...
That is simply not true. Keep the glove down low, knees bent, tail down.