Which Foot Hits Rounding 1st?

Best is touching any base with the inside (left foot) and pushing off.  However, most important is to do what you do, touch the bag without changing your stride No matter which foot touches the base. Also, it is important to see the base in your approach.  For some reason this allows a runner to to touch the base without breaking stride. 

One may argue that if you push off with your right foot you take more of a direct line to the next base by staying tighter within the baselines.  How does using your left foot gain more advantage than using your right foot? You can push off with both. Thank you for your reply by the way.

Griffin40,

 

Great question.  I'm looking forward to the answers.  Instinctively, I would think it would be your right foot touching the bag which would allow the runner to open his hips (better balance) more if he were to round the bases or advance to second.

 

Coach McCreary offers great advice in making sure the runner squares up his  shoulders with the outfielder.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRaYvYyOGos

 

Although this didn't answer your question (directly) I think it is more about balance than anything.  You want to be balanced enough (shoulders and hips squared to the outfielder) to either advance or get back to the bag.   So, I'm still going with the right foot unless I hear something that makes better sense.. 

Disclaimer, non-expert here…touching the base with the left foot allows the right leg to cross over and get a better line to second on the next step.  But I agree with PG that most importantly don't break stride.

Nailed it above.

I had coaches and have witnessed coaches instructing the right or left foot as proper. I was taught left foot. It felt comfortable. I stuck with it. I always taught left foot with the caveat the most important thing is don't break stride. So either foot as long as it's done properly.

Just don't do "The Sparky." My son is an excellent baserunner. But in high school he tripped over first soph year. He was called Sparky for three years as in "stop, drop and roll." He made to second. But got a zero for style points.

Not exactly related but "The Sparky" reminded me of a similar base running mishap.  When 2017 was 13U he was 5'4" and weight 92 lbs needless to say his job was to get on base.  Playing a tournament in Cove Creek VA, there is a 90' diamond that has a short left field I am guessing 270 down the line and then maybe 285 or 90 behind the left fielder that is double high at 16' to allow 13U to play on it.  2017 came up and got a belt high fastball that he hit well to left.  As he had been taught he put his head down and looked to first hitting the bag in stride and rounding to pick up the ball...as he ran back to first the coach waved him on...so he stopped at second thinking the ball had somehow gone under the fence for a ground rule double...the third base coach waved him over and he trotted to third for a conference where the coach was finally able to convince him he could go home.  

 

After that his teammates nicknamed him "Cadillac" for the way he rounded the bases in style...

With Stat Cast, we'll be able to see which foot MLB players use.

 

Lorenzo Cain hit 2nd base with his right foot going first to third in the attached pic.

Trout hit 1rst and 2nd with his right foot on his triple in the AS game.

On Trout's triple, Jeter hit 3rd with his left foot.

Not saying this settles anything yet.  But after a few years of Stat Cast...

This answer is easy...  which ever one gets you to 2nd base faster!!!  I love to break the game down I really do, but for me this has always been a non starter.  Who cares?  Do what's comfortable and gets you there quicker!  Sort of like which leg do you tuck when you slide.  Standard says right so your face is to the outfield, protected from the throw and able to see the ball if it goes by...  but what if you are legging out a double and the throw is coming from RF Not the catcher?   Are you supposed to change?  It was instinct for me to slide with my left tucked.  Couldn't break it.  Just came natural.  Do what's right for you.  1

The thing is contacting the bag with the inside (left foot) if done correctly will always be the absolute fastest path to the next base.  It actually cuts down the distance you run. Think in terms of creating a straight line to the next base because you want that to be the fastest possible path or straight line.  Scoring from 2b you want to get as close as possible to a straight line (shortest distance) between 3b and HP.

 

It is much easier to create that straight line by making contact with your inside foot. Contact with the right foot creates a rounder path to the next base.   Balance and momentum carries you towards the outfield.  However, if your stride at full speed calls for the right foot touching the bag, it is better to do that than change your stride.

I would say that nearly everyone teaches dipping the shoulder towards the next base and touching the base with the inside foot and pushing off towards the next base.  It's just that there are times when your right foot is what is in stride and in that case use it because adjusting your stride will take more time than doing it perfectly will save.

I was taught and have always use the right foot, but will use the left if the stride calls for it.  I find it much easier to turn left pushing off of my right foot than with my left foot.  I have seen plenty of "self trips" or "sniper" shots with player touching the bag with the bag with the left foot and catching their calf or stirrup with the right foot as it is trying to cross over.  Guess it's just a matter of personal preference

It is not that big of a deal, but if done correctly using the bag to change directions and push off of is quicker using the inside foot.  We have actually tested it years ago when we had players that were taught or thought the right foot was the quickest path.

 

Usually when you see a runner rounding 3b way too wide it is caused by one of two things.  He started in a position towards 3b in a straight line or he made contact with 3b with his right foot, or both.

 

It is all about that first stride after touching the base.  Once again every runner will touch the bag with both left and right foot at times. I'm a bit surprised that people have been taught differently.  In theory it makes sense that the shortest path around the bases would be touching with the right foot. Once again the big difference is that first stride to the next base.  It would be similar to a sprinter leaving the blocks 6 inches off line.  That causes adjustments that need to be made.  Those adjustments to the target take time.  Athletes seldom notice these adjustments they just automatically make them based on vision.  Once they correct their technique they end up running faster times.

 

Again nothing wrong with the right foot touching.  But I would make sure players know the proper technique using the left foot, and using the inside of the bag.  It is not just as simple as which foot touches, it involves the entire body. We all agree that at times either left or right will touch the bag.  So no matter what might as well do it the best way when it is the left foot.

I just have one question then, why do football receivers make the "cuts" on their routes with their outside foot?

I really don't know much about technique in football. Is it true they always make their cuts using the outside foot? Maybe it is because there is no base to push off of. Or maybe it is because they are just trying to get open rather than round the bases as quickly as possible. My uneducated guess is the defender would pick up much easier if the inside foot was used because of the total body involved in doing that.  Rounding the bases has very little deception involved, it's simply getting to the next base as quickly as possible.

 

Really a runner is using his outside foot to help change directions one stride before his inside foot touches the bag and pushs off in the most direct line to the next base. The right leg gets turned towards the target.  I don't know anyone that can touch with the right foot and then have their left leg pointed at the target. it creates a bit "rounder" path.  You always want the base you intend to end up at being the shortest and most direct line.  So if a ball is hit that appears to be a sure double, possible triple, that shortest and most important distance would be between 2b and 3b.  In that case you would actually want a rounder path between 1st and 2nd.

 

The simplest way to do this is to learn the proper technique of using the inside foot. Then go test it with a stop watch.  That is what we did a long time ago.  The better you can square that last base the quicker you get to the next base.  If somehow someone can actually do that better using their outside foot, by all means use that foot.

 

Bottom line, it is necessary to be able to use either foot because a drastic breaking of stride is the slowest way.  But for whatever reason your vision allows you to reach the target on stride nearly every time.  Some even reach that point with the same foot most every time.  That is why it is so important to see your target ahead of time, and at the same time see the first baseman's foot.

In terms of football there are two reasons why you make the cut with the outside foot.  First is when it comes to making cuts and where body weight is in order to maintain balance and momentum.  When running the football either on a handoff or after a catch you want your hips / weight over top of your feet because that is power when taking on a hit.  By planting with outside foot then you can keep hips / weight over feet in order to generate power.  Once you go with inside foot then you have a lean going on and easier to go down.

 

Second is for being precise in where you're going on a route or after getting a handoff.  If I'm lined up as a receiver and I"m going to run a quick slant route to the middle I'm going to set up with my inside foot forward.  I'm going to take my back foot and make one step and that is my outside foot.  Once again with weight / hips over my feet I have the appearance of going straight ahead.  But once that outside foot plants it's easier to open my hips due to being over my feet so my next step with my inside foot is now towards the middle of the field going into my slant route.  If I'm doing the opposite with my feet then I now have to take my outside foot and go all the way across and over my body to get into the route.  

 

If I'm running a deep slant then I'll switch my feet so outside is forward and inside is back.  Now I'm going to take two steps which puts my feet back in the position of outside plant and inside getting into the route.

 

IMO I don't think the comparison of football steps and baseball steps are very comparable.  Baseball you are trying to create a straight a line as possible by going 360 degrees which is obviously a circle.  Football you are trying to create straight lines with corners to get back into a straight line.  Think of it like this - a defensive back or linebacker is going to cover you as a receiver so you are going towards them.  They are going to backpedal until you get into your route.  So if you round your route like rounding first that will cause you to drift toward the defensive player which makes their break on the ball in the air quicker.  If you can create angles for straight lines then you keep more separation from the defensive player which makes the window to throw the ball much bigger.

 

Hope all that makes sense.

Great topic, great responses.  I am definitely going to pay extra attention at my sons JV game tonight to see what seems to be the popular method.  Will also experiment with my kid with the stop watch idea...but in his case, slow is slow...not sure if he even runs fast enough to trip himself up...jk...but he could really use every advantage possible, and this may be one.

Yup, agree.  We've tried teaching the correct inside foot (HS V level) and most of the kids get all screwed up and break stride badly.  The more they think about it, the more screwed up they get.  So, we've settled on "see the bag early, hit the inside of the bag". 

 

A mental exercise for ya...  I don't recall if I was ever taught inside foot as a kid but it feels natural to me now.  However, if I run the bases in the reverse direction (home to 3rd to 2nd, etc), I can't, for the life of me, bring myself to use my inside (right) foot going that way.

 

This is the stupid stuff I think of when I can't sleep at 2am.

Here's what I'm getting out of this discussion:

 

1.  It's beyond the runner's control to set up an approach to the bag that will result in a certain foot hitting the bag.

 

2. The runner shouldn't alter his strides to intentionally hit the bag with a certain foot.

 

3. Therefore,  "which foot is better?" is a  purely academic question--it has no practical or instructional value.  

freddy77,

 

I think it is possible with lots of practice to hit the bag with the same foot the majority of the time.  Just can't do it all the time.

 

It is nice to see people talking about base running.  Normally it is the most ignored part of the game.  Yet, nearly every game it can be the difference between winning and losing.

Fellas, thanks for all the replys. I definitely agree that baserunning is a much overlooked discussion in this game. Something as small as this can be the difference between a win or a loss which is why this game is so great. I am continuing my research but what I have taken away from this, as many of you stated, is that it's more important to keep stride. I wasn't sure about the football analogy. I have inquired with a few professional coaches on this topic and will post their responses on here when I get them. Stay tuned.