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Okay we ask as they take their lead off to do in a specific way. You got to give the third base coach an opportunity to fly as you sign. Whatever sign system that he likes to go through, we have to have a chance to do that and for him and have him picked off in the process. So we are going to ask Ryan to stay on top of the base in our system. Once I have given my signs and I have put the steal on, then I will clap even if I have not put it on. Whatever I have done, I am going to clap and that will free line up to take his lead. Once he takes a lead, we do it this way so as not to cross our feet. We are going to take a step with our left foot, turn and take a step with our right and then we are going to shuffle. Shuffle, shuffle, and that is a pretty good lead.
A decent lead for a high school player would be about nine feet. A real good lead would be somewhere the vicinity of 12 or more. We want to get at least nine feet. You can do that simply by measuring yourself off, if I were go to about three feet, I know I am three feet off the bag, I know I am six feet off the bag, right here and that kind of what Ryan has done except he knows pretty much where he is going to go all the time.
All right Ryan, come on back. Let us try it again. He starts on the bag, watches the third base coach, I flash the signs, clap my hands, he is free to take his lead, left, right, shuffle, shuffle. Once he has gotten his lead, this is the way we need to have it done. We want him to move to the back edge of the bag so that if he returns to the bag, he is going to be in position, get his hand far away from the first baseman, and make him make a longer tag. We also want him to drop his right foot to half the distance of his left so that when he makes his first movement, his first pivot, he is going to run along the straight line. The shortest distance between two points is the straight line, so we want to run the straight line. If you go parallel with your feet, you got to step out and around, you are going to cause yourself to take at least one extra step.
When Ryan breaks down to get his lead position, we also do not want in to get too low. If he gets too low, first move he has to make is a pop straight up. That is not moving us to second. So we want him in a position when he breaks and goes the second base, he is at the dead sprint right now. We are going to take this left arm and pull hard as he makes the turn and he is going to go right straight to the bag, this way. So as we get our lead, let us make sure that we get a left, right, shuffle, shuffle and in position to make a good break, drop your right foot, see the play, boom! We are ready to go.
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If there is no steal on, if all we have is a pitch that is going to the play, we are going to get what we call secondary lead. Okay Ryan, take your lead. Ryan is in his regular lead position, I have already clapped, left, right, shuffle, shuffle. Now we are going to work on the secondary lead. The secondary lead is getting a little bit extra after the pitcher cross the plate. We want to make sure that he gets at least two good shuffles of the bag. Okay Ryan, are you ready? Ready? Go! Shuffle, shuffle, and survey the situation. After the ball has been hit, he is off the second base, if he it has not been hit, he can retreat back, if it is popped up, we will take whatever the situation gives us or dictates to us and we will go from there.
Let us take a look at it one more time. He is in his regular lead position, right foot is dropped and he is in position to sprint. Okay. The ball crosses home play, he was not contacted and he is in to his secondary lead and again, can react either situation.
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