How To Play Baseball: Ground Ball Technique

(Music playing) Groundball Technique: Depending on where you are coaching or where you are playing. The outfield at times can be a little bit rough. So, we want to make sure that our technique is good and that allows us much better chance to field the ball cleanly. If we can do everything in our power to keep that ball infront of us. It is certainly going to help us because if you make a mistake in the outfield, you are looking at atleast to two base mistake which puts somebody in scoring position. In some cases of three base or having forbid even a four base mistakes, so let us make sure that we know exactly what we are suppose to do. Okay, groundball technique. Bryan will help me out. With regard to the groundball there is about four or five different things that we want to think about. First of all is a groundball, base it in to the outfield with no one on base and I want to give my outfield as the option to do one of two things. If it is not hit hard at all and it is not deep, maybe it is a ball that you have to move forward on. We can use an infield technique, just like an infield or would field the ground ball. Go, breakdown. Go, one more. Go, good infield technique. The second type of groundball with no one on base, will involve dropping to a knee. Now, I do this just a little bit different I think in some. Most coaches that have a player drop to the knee or most players will drop to the throwing side knee and I do not like to do that. Bryan, if you would move forward and set up on a glove side drop. Notice that Bryan’s drop to his glove side knee. The nice thing about having the glove side knee to the ground is that any event that he gets a bad hop which is really why you do this technique, he got the ability to move. He can move anywhere he needs to go and he can do it very rapidly. Bryan drop your other knee. If he drops to a throwing side knee and goes down to field the ball and happens to get a poor hop and it shifts to his left, he is obstructed by the wag. It is hard to get around, so we prefer to drop to the glove side knee. Go ahead and switch Bryan. We prefer to drop to the glove side knee, he will pick the ball up, getting self in position to throw and get rid of it. Okay Bryan, put it down if you would and back up. Go, go. That is the second type of groundball with no one on base. When we put people on base for instance, a runner on first and then base it into the outfield whether there is a potential play at third or it can even be a runner on second who is going to try to score. We feel that just a little bit different, it is imperative that we run through the ball on this one, we do not slow down. We have the body in position to get to the ball as rapidly as we possibly can and yet still be able to get our self under control and make a throw. So, on this one Bryan, if you would move to the ball. We got a runner on base. He is going to field the ball outside the left foot that will allow him to continue to run without having to stop and then down. If he fields the ball infront of his body. There is a good chance that left foot is going to kick the ball out in an absolute best, you are going to have to slow down to get it done. As we field the ball outside the left foot, it does not have to do any slowing down and continue to run and if we teach a good throw hop. Then we got a good chance to make a good strong throw without having to do any of the slowing down is necessary when you field in front of your body. Okay Bryan, put it back down if you would. I am going to roll this one to him, watch if he fields the ball of the outside of his left foot. You know often we are low than the thinking that when we work a drills like this, we have to hit the ball. You do not have to hit the ball, he is working his technique and he is perfecting his technique and not being this close I can get a number of repetitions into and very rapidly. Notice how he is getting a good throw hop, he is keeping his head down, he is running throw the ball, he fields the ball and he is coming up throwing in a real hurry. Very nice. The last type of technique that we use without fielders is with the man on base but this situation involves what we call a Do or Die. Man on second base, base it into the outfield, last any other game if this run scores the game is over. Bryan has no margin for air, he has got to run as fast as he possibly can. If he kicks the ball we are going to get beat anyway, but if he does not come and get it hard, we are certainly going to get beat. So, this is do or die, you really got a bust your tail through the ball making sure that you give everything you got to get there as fast as possible. Notice how the ball can back almost under his feet and he still was able to make that play without having to kick the ball out of his glove or miss it all together. Go and get it, very nice. Those are four techniques with regard to fielding a groundball. Again, fielding a ground ball as an infielder would field it. Fielding a groundball with drop to the glove side knee. Fielding a ground ball with a man on base, outside the front foot or left foot if you are a right hander, right foot for a left hander and then, the do or die situation where we do not have any choice. We got to come and get it in a hurry. If you can work on this on a daily basis or every other day. It certainly helps the technique because again, what we are going to do is we are going to develop some memory in our body as to how we want that particular technique completed. (Music playing)