Outfield technique - tracking fly balls

For the best way is to hit the player 100's, perhaps 1000's of fly balls in practice--if the player is to be an outfielder he will find his way---if he doesn't he is not an outfielder

Thanks a lot, now my head hurts!

Go buy a fungo bat and hit your son fly balls and your head won't hurt---you will be exhilarated !!!

...............what???

I can picture the faces of my players if I tried to explain outfield technique using 1/10th of what they said.

I don't doubt one bit of the validity of what this article said but it also shows the problem with letting scientists near sports. Playing outfield is more complicated than what they perceive it to be. There are many factors that go into making a play as an outfielder and as TR says the best way to do that is hit them 1000 some flyball and groundballs. You can drill all you want and it will help but you won't put it together until you get in the big green field and run around.

I don't have a problem with the glide technique if nobody is on because sometimes it's easier to just time the ball. But the best way to do that is to hustle to the area where the ball will come down and then glide with it. Not to glide to it off the bat.

If there is a runner on base anywhere then you got to hustle, find the spot and work from behind it to create momentum to the target. If you glide here a decent baserunner will take advantage of you and move up a base.

So both methods have times and places they can be used effectively but not sure with all the variables involved you can just let science say "this is the best way".

I should probably take this down, some of our coaches here are going to get hurt reading this!

TR: Three words: Practice makes permanent.

I read it this morning...several times..I agree JMW that hurt.

What I get out of it is that it is better to continually track a ball and adjust your speed and angle continuously as the ball comes in to you, as apposed to the take off at full speed to where you think the ball is going as soon as it comes off the bat.

The reason I thought this was interesting as my son (an OF when not pitching) has had a coach in the past yell at him "your gliding" when tracking down some fly balls. It seems from this article that gliding would be the preferred method.

Like I said I don't have a problem with gliding once you know the spot its going to come down but what about runners on base, what about strong wind and field conditions? All of those make gliding a poor choice to use to catch a fly ball if they can get to a spot.

I tell you one thing if there is a runner on base and one of my OF glides to a ball they could hustle to a spot and work in to hold the runner at the base but don't. They are out and we are going to have a philosophical decision about when to glide and when to hustle.

Agree coach. Article is a little over the top. It did not address routes, circling balls, recognition, breaks, etc. Frankly I see more missed balls because of bad routes or bad jumps than anything.

Amen and agreed. I teach history but I have always enjoyed science but it can be one of the worst things to happen to sports when the smart people try to analyze something. I equate it to that Mythbusters episode where they broke down some baseball "myths" and go so much information wrong and didn't factor other parts of the game into the equation.

Overall I think you teach pre HS kids to hustle to the spot and set up because you can never go wrong with this approach. Plus it should help establish a "hustle" mentality. Above average HS outfielders are where you need to start teaching the glide and one hand catch because their skill set is higher. But still need to practice / preach hustle to spot to show there is a time and place for each one.

quote:

For the best way is to hit the player 100's, perhaps 1000's of fly balls in practice

If you want to improve, I have always felt there is no substitute for "doing the work" (getting practice reps in). However, some players have an "inate" ability to get what we all call "quick jumps." It's not that they are faster, it's just that they seem to recognize earlier than most, where the ball will be! Conversely, I've Coached physically faster players that could shag fly balls "til the cows come home" and never, ever, learn that quick jump.