Slow rollers to short

quote:

Originally posted by Coach Yosten:
So when fielding a ball, do you teach to catch it in the glove then grab from glove? Or is it more of a deflection from glove into throwing hand?

I never teach catch. Unless it is a forehand, backhand, or slow roller play that the player is athletic fielding one-handed, I always teach deflect and get the ball into throwing hand below the knees.

My slow roller approach is this. If the ball is on left side of the fielder I teach them to field off the left foot, right foot back) one handed with the glove and throw off the right. I want them to round this ball a tiny bit.

If the ball is right at them or to their right, I teach them to field with left foot forward, right foot back (same as above), however this time the will use both hands deep in front of right foot. They will "deflect" into throwing hand and throw off the right foot (which is next step). I will also work the barehand and backhand play off this setup as well. On this ball the player attacks the ball straight on with no round.

So, I guess I still teach field with left foot forward, right foot back, however I do not teach always fielding the ball off the left foot or side. I guess that is the main difference in the philosophies I have seen lately and now instruct to my students.

quote:

Originally posted by Coach_May:
Eric is funneling and he looks great. I love his quick transistion from fielding to throwing and his approach is oustanding. I also enjoyed watching his arm actions as well. The kid can play no doubt. Very nice video thanks.

One problem we might be having in this discussion is simply based on terminology. What Eric is going I consider funnelling the baseball to the throwing side. Look how quickly he transistions from fielding to throwing. Look how he plays through the baseball and uses good mo to his advantatge and creates positive mo when he needs to. Very nice FF.

Coach May I always thought funneling was when a fielder fields a ball and funnels the ball back to their belt buckle and then brings it to their hip. When players do that they are not in position to get rid of the ball quickly.

In Eric's video he does a real nice job of fielding out front and getting it out of his glove below his knees. I think the term I've heard to describe his style is hinging. I would agree with Redbird he needs to field a little more left of center but overall he looks really good.

The video offered at the top of the page covers almost every aspect of fielding a ground ball and footwork. It is one of the most informative tapes we have ever watched as far as fine tuning your skills.

quote:

Originally posted by sloroller:
The video offered at the top of the page covers almost every aspect of fielding a ground ball and footwork. It is one of the most informative tapes we have ever watched as far as fine tuning your skills.

I agree. Solid information.

That DVD, plus a couple others I have gotten from some college coaches, and a few conversations I have had with MLB infield instructors have been instrumental in helping me develop the philosophies I now use to instruct my infielders.

Well charge the ball but time it (which takes practice) catching the ball as your left foot lands. The glove and hand are next to each other but your glove has the pinky down and thumb up. Receive the ball in front of your left foot and as you bring your right foot up, stay low and throw (off the right foot) and if you can twist your left hip in order to get more velocity on the throw.

Rule of thumb, use your glove unless you can see the seems of the ball. Then you use your hand.

I like that rule of thumb about using your hand if you can identify the seams of the ball, interesting!