taking bad hops

Yea I would start shifting your weight to the balls of your feet. It'll help you be quicker in reacting to the hit. Also, you can eliminate most bad hops if you get into the ball more rather than sitting back (just think play the ball - dont let it play you).

oh okay, thanks a lot. i play shortstop for my JV team. today i was just playing baseball with my friends, and i had a very bad day defensively. i'll do wat you said and see how it turns out. thanks again.

Make sure you are bending your knees and getting down low so that you can judge the hop better.

This will also help ensure that the glove is out in front of the body (rather than beneath you) so that the eyes can more easily track the ball all the way into the glove.

Start with the glove down, coming up if you need to do so. It is easier to bring the glove up than to get it back down.

Keep your feet moving as you approach the ball. Locking your feet/legs down too soon can also make fielding more difficult.

Keep an aggressive attitude.

Move to the ball. Your reaction time is quicker when you're already moving than when you are completely still. I have my players start creeping in as the pitcher winds up.

RT, you have a PM.

A lot involved in fielding bad hops is natural instinct and ability---

"Baseball requires that you act with instinct. How do you develop instict? Repetition. Repetition. Repetition." Tommy Lasorda

Watch the bounces and move to the ball to try to play the short hop. As mentioned before don't let the ball "play you", move toward the ball so it bounces right in front of you. If you allow it to bounce to far infront of you it "plays you".

How you practice bad hops ???

Each one is different

Take enough grounders, and you will get plenty of bad hops - all kinds.

Some bad hops will never be playable.

Some can be blocked.

Some can be gloved.

Don't have an easy answer for taking actual bad hops, but here is a training aid that we've used and it has helped.
reaction ball

or
reflex ball

somerville - Agreed there will always be some bad hops. You indicate that bad hops are "usually" the case.

Playing surface will certainly have an affect on the number of bad hops you will have. Find a good playing surface to practice on. It is hard to produce a good infielder on poor playing surface.

thank you for all your posts.

Hi.

Check out www.worldwidebaseballprospects.com

There is information about a product called ReactionPro that is designed specifically for practicing fielding badhops. They also have some video showing the product being used.

Bad hops can make a great fielder look bad. sometimes the hops arent seeable from the outside perspective. its really about taking enough where you can react fast enough. like someone said before me, what tommy lasorda said: repetition repetition repetition.

Try moving Thru the ball, meaning your feet are never still, creeping as the pitch is delivered, approach the ball so that its lined up with your glove side hand, from center to left of your body, stay low with the glove to the ground, and read the hops. Will hops give you trouble, of course they will. Your throwing hand should be moving over the top of your glove as you move thru the ball. (think gator) and that throwing hand can keep many bad hops from getting away from you. Then repetition and you can only improve.

Coachric - I, like you, taught "through the ball" and "gator hands" for years. I have seen injured hands (jamed and/or broken finger) as well as players that over run the ball making fielding errors. I watch pros and see the open book (thumbs out) methods of receiving the ball, tried it and believe it to be more natural and less risk of injury.

After watching High Percentage Infield Play and The Double Play & Special Infield Skillsby Mark Johnson I have worked on this with my son and truely believe it is a better way. Another thing I learned from his videos that I believe to be a better way is to briefly stop (on routine rounders) to field the ball instead of moving forward through the ball.

Going through the ball, if interpreted as feet moving forward, can cause a player to over run the ball. On a routine ball, a player positions himself low, positioned to take the ball out front and prepared to take away a bad hop by moving his glove up and out toward the ball (like a pick) then moving through (right foot shuffle toward left during transfer) toward the throwing target.

Im always looking for better ways to teach and for now this really seems to be an improvement from what me son had previously been doing.

I'm always open to new ideas and a student of the game....

I believe it was Texan who initially mentioned it, but I would like to restate it again as I believe this is a significant key to playing the infield. You need to play lower to the ground. Bend those knees, lower than you probably ever thought you could.(you probably need to work on streatching your groin area to allow you to play as low as you should) Move to the ball low to the ground, do not stand up to move to a ball then try to go back down. Stay low throughout. I was watching A-Rod at a game recently and was amazed at how low to the ground he is as the pitch is thrown. His chest was no more than 24" off the ground. It is always easier to come up on a bad hop. If you are lower to the ground you will position yourself to do just that.

It's good to see people talking about defense. It is my belief that with steroids on the way out (I hope) the game will come into balance and the defensive aspect of the game will assume it's place along side pitching and offense.

Now to badhops. Here's a thought to think about. When badhops are discussed in baseball the normal train of thought is to visualize a batted ball bouncing in the infield. If you thnk about it, "any" ball that bounces, be it hit or thrown, can take a badhop. Talk to guys at 1st picking a low throw. They've seen some weird bounces. And middle infilders taking a throw to 2nd from the catcher that bounces first. Strange bounces happen there as well. Same at 3rd and also at home for a play at the plate. It also happens when balls bounce in front of outfielders. So the point is that there are in fact many different circumstances where badhops occur but the same approach, footwork, charging the ball etc won't work for all situations. The key to success is to practice fielding unpredictable bounces as they apply to each specific situation and developing skill sets as they apply to these specific applications.

As stated several times already, no 2 bad hops are the same. Other than taking groundballs on gravel or some other bad surface (I am not suggesting you do this!), practicing 'bad hops' does not make any sense to me. Drills to develop your reflexes and reaction time as well as fielding as many groundballs (with the proper technique) as you possibly can would be the best way to feel comfortable that you can handle any situation when it arises.

If you take enough grounders you begin to vision the hops right off the bat and allows you to anticipate potential bad ones. I also teach my players to inspect the ground around you constantly for potential problem areas (divots, lips where the grass and dirt meet, hard/soft or wet/dry conditions, etc.).

I'm not a fan of "creeping in" as the pitch is delivered. I suppose it's ok if your not moving forward when the ball is in the hitting zone. Moving forward as the ball is hit will limit your ability to move left or right. Too many fielders are off balance at the precise point when balance is crucial to maximize your range.

I'm all for taking as many ground balls as possible but I'm not sure that the technique for fielding a ground ball/badhop applies 100% when picking a short hop throw at 1st or 2nd. Doesn't the base limit your mobility, especially at 1st? Any ideas would help. I'm still learning.

How do you practice defense when the weather turns and you can't get on a field for months on end?

Work with a tennis ball off the wall without a glove.

Roll-it-up, I never had a kid run over the ball. Most good pros never stop moving their feet unless its a hot shot. Also have never seen jammed or broken fingers due to being on top of the ball. Ifers with quick hands can compensate and get their throwing hand over the glove and get the ball out quickly. It should be said again that some bad hops will never be avoided, nor fielded.

ItsNJAG, creeping should never be more than a foot or two and when the feet are moving, player is actually less likely to be off balance than a player who is back on their heels as result of being flat footed. Watch MLBers set up and you will see many, including Jeter and A-rod who move, or shuffle step during wind-up. Some 3rdBmen will stand low, on the balls and leaning forward, but won't move. I guess its preference for more experienced guys, as they will do what works for them. We have always taught to be moving ever so slightly as its easier to change direction when moving than from coming out of a stand still, thats just simple athleticism.

quote:

Originally posted by Coachric:
Roll-it-up, I never had a kid run over the ball. Most good pros never stop moving their feet unless its a hot shot. Also have never seen jammed or broken fingers due to being on top of the ball. Ifers with quick hands can compensate and get their throwing hand over the glove and get the ball out quickly. It should be said again that some bad hops will never be avoided, nor fielded.

Fair enough. I too taught it that way for years.

I also like the feet moving, just not forward toward the batter but toward the throwing target.

Most pros field with the open book (thumbs out) approaching the ball though. I don't see many using the often taught gator hands anymore.

Maybe it's the million dollar hands.

How many ground balls does the average H.S. infielder take during practice on a daily basis?

What drills do you have for short hop throws at the various bags and how many reps does each infielder take during a normal practice?

My Son takes about 100 a day (every other day currently) with his friend. You can't count on High School practice to get you where you want to go. You have to do what others are not willing to do. When he is practicing with his High School team he is taking about 100 or more a day there.

We used to throw to a wall and take the balls as they came off the wall---all different angles and bounces


we did it with a tennis ball or a spaldeen and with no glove---it got you to react and react rapidly

TRhit

How is that drill set up? Facing the wall? And when is the ball fielded? After it hits the wall or does it bounce on the ground first after the wall?

I thought you were working on bad hops?! Take it after it bounces off the ground of course! That way you can work on the "hops"!

snowman

your question doesnt even merit an response

I agree 100% but couldn't help myself!

TRhit

Nice attitude. Hope you're not a coach. Very disappointing.

snowman


Don't worry about me

You need to read the post before you respond

I am sorry you are disappointed---I know my players arent

Question---have you ever thrown a ball against a wall?

Editing is such a wonderful tool.

Does the ball take the weird bounce off the wall or the ground.

Also I don't think anyone has responded to dealing with funny hops resulting from throws to bags. Always looking for new ideas.

Editing ????? What are you inferring sir ?

Snowball---

Have you ever thrown a ball against a wall ?--- answer the question

If you have you should know the answer---if you havent I will try and explain it to you--very slowly

You ever play stoop ball?

I am surprised that your aggressive attitude would be part of a forum where young athletes are coming to learn new and better ways of playing the game. The example being set leaves a lot to be desired.

I ask questions to learn because I know I have much to learn. I do not presume to know everything and take the approach that all questions, whether or not I feel they are phrased appropriately, have merit and can be answered in a civilized manner.

Demanding that someone answer a question is "bootcamp" not baseball.

Welcome, Snowman!

You have just survived a proud HSBBW initiation ritual, getting raked over the coals by the famous curmudgeon, TRHit.

If you want to really get the full monty version of TR's wrath, just tell him your real name is Andy!

quote:

Originally posted by snowman:
Also I don't think anyone has responded to dealing with funny hops resulting from throws to bags. Always looking for new ideas.

Same approach as with grounders, as previously stated in this thread.

The first bagger should have someone making throws to him that are low, wide, high & in the dirt. Simulating the various types of bad throws. Take enough of those throws in the dirt & you will get a variety of funny hops over time. And by taking the wide & high throws, he will learn when to come off the bag & when to keep the toe hooked. All of which will help build instinct.

And he will not get nearly enough reps in HS practice. He will need to get his own reps in, outside of regular practice.