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Five parts to fielding a ground ball. We do it at High School, we do it College level, we do it with Little League Players you go with whom ever you have but it is important that they understand exactly what they are suppose to do.
Part number one, we ask the run fielders, Brent is going to help me. We ask the run fielders get some movement we call this a Creep Step. For right handed infielders nothing more than taking a small step with this right foot, small step left foot and opening his hand, are you ready?
Creep, right, left open. He is in position right now to run to his left, he can run to his right. He can go backwards, he can go forward at a dead sprint. That needs to stop, that need to stand up, drop down. He is whatever he needs to go, wherever he needs to go he is in position to do it. After he gets these creeps steps.
Part number two, we Charge the Ball. Rarely, in a High School setting or below, they have a situation where you do not charge a ground ball. When you get to college, they hit a little harder or if you happen to be High School third basemen where you are real tied on the play, that is a little bit different or first base for that matter.
But for the most part you are going to charge a ball, okay. We are going to add, we are just going to do building block. We are going to go creep and then we are going to add in a charge, ready. Creep, charge, stop okay, alright back up Brent. On the charge we want to come with the ball under control as quickly as we can, we do not want to overrun the ball because when we get there we have to set up to field the ground ball.
Alright, we are going to add in part three. So we got creeping charge so far. Part three is what we call our Breakdown Position. That is our position when in which we are going to begin to field the ball. Okay ready, creep, charge and then breakdown.
On our breakdown, you will notice that Brent has his feet a little wider than shoulder width, his head is down, and we are going to show the top of the hat. His right hand is one top, his gloves on the ground and it is extended in front of them, okay, stand up and relax. It is important that we extend the glove in front of us, so that we can cradle the ball or caution it as it comes to us and we go right hand on top for this simple reason.
Those you have played the infield recognize this as a problem. When we are playing with little guys 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 years old. The normal reaction to a ground ball coming at you is to do this, we turn the head. Well, the reason we turn the head is because we are afraid we are going to get hit on the face. I think everybody has that fear that at least at some point in their life I know I sure did.
In order to correct that fear or to take care of it, we take the right hand and put it on top this way. If we happen to get a bad hop, we can take the hand and keep that ball away from our face. The second thing that that does is it allows us to trap the ball in the glove. We call that our “Alligator” right here, that is our alligator. If bad hop, hand comes up, good hop, alligator.
Part four, we are going to go from our breakdown to a Fielding Position. Ready, creep, charge, breakdown, he will hold it. Now, I am comfortable with this technique, field. He will bring the ball to his mid section, he will cradle the ball in and he is going to show me the top of his cap. Okay, relax, simple enough.
Now, we are going to go part five which is our Throw, okay and this is exactly how we teach it. Ready, creep, charge, breakdown, field, throw, right to left, left to right, back up.
So the fifth part, we are going to take that right foot and we are going to step inside the left, square our shoulder to our target, shoulder, hit and knee and make a good strong throw. I can do this with 15 kids, one player, ten it does not make any difference, I can do it just like this.
Ready, creep, charge, breakdown, field, throw. Very nice, so let us do it one more time.
Creep, charge, breakdown. Field, throw, okay, good enough Brent.
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