Even
if you can hit like Barry Bonds, you have to be able to play defense to get any
playing time while playing baseball. I’m going to show you the tips and tricks
that I use to play my best on the defensive end of the game.
I’ll
start with my position, outfield. All outfield positions are practically the
same, except for the fact that the center fielder can call the other positions
off if they can get to the ball. Other than that, the mechanics are the same.
To play in the outfield you have to be able to cover long distances in a short
amount of time. Easier said than done. So you have to be in pretty good
physical condition to start off with. Not only do you have to be in good
condition, you have to understand drop steps and crossovers. When you are in
the outfield and the ball gets hit directly over your head you have to drop
your hip and run towards where you think the ball will land. This may seem
obvious, but little movements like this can be the difference between catching
the ball and missing it. To play outfield you also have to be able to judge
where fly balls are going to land. This is extremely hard. The only way to
really get better at this is have your coach or someone hit fly balls to you.
Get used to the flight patterns, speed, height, things like that. There are
many other details of being an outfielder, but these are explained in my other
blogs so I won’t repeat myself, just be sure to check those out.
Now
we’ll move to infielders. When fielding
ground balls, you want to be sure you aren’t fielding the ball directly between
your legs. If the ball is hit to your left, you want the ball to go in your
glove right in front of your left foot, and vice versa. A lot of infielders
have trouble getting ground balls to stay in their glove after the initial
contact, so I’m going to give you a tip on how to avoid this. As soon the ball
is about to go into your glove you want to flick your glove wrist forward, kind
of like when you see first basemen scoop a throw from another infielder out of
the dirt. The flick forward makes your glove the moving object so the ball
doesn’t just bounce off the webbing of the glove like it would when it’s
stationary.
To
improve your defensive ability as a catcher, you need to work on two things.
Your throwing arm, and your ability to block pitches. When you’re behind the
plate and there is a pitch in the dirt you can’t just throw your glove at it.
You have to get on your knees in front of the ball and try and make it hit your
chest gear and try and smother it so you don’t let it get behind you. This
prevents baserunners from advancing bases. That’s really all catchers need to
keep in mind. Those two things need a lot of work, so that’s what you need to
work on.
As
a pitcher, you really shouldn’t be thinking much about defense. All you have to
do is sometimes cover first base and back up throws from the outfield. You
really shouldn’t waste your time on defense from the pitcher’s stand point.
These
are all of my tips and ideas to keep in mind while practicing your defensive
skills when playing baseball. Thank you for reading, it is very much
appreciated, and be sure to check my other posts for ways to improve your
overall baseball game.
-Brandon
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