I heard these infield fielding terms the other day and must admit didn't know exactly what they were. Has anyone heard these terms or know what they mean in relation to infield fielding mechanics?

Rake
Dip and Drive
Clamp Step
Skip

CC,

Never heard of them either and I was an IF and work with IF's regularly.

I thought rake was for someone who could hit......

Not sure about the other ones either.

Can't say I've ever heard of any of those and I took was a shortstop.

Working through a ball on a back-hand, some guys will teach a player to "rake" through the ball.

NCball: That is interesting...each region has their own baseball "lingo." What part of the country uses that phrase?

quote:

Originally posted by ncball:
Working through a ball on a back-hand, some guys will teach a player to "rake" through the ball.

If I am reading you correctly - the fielder is in backhand position and has his elbow bent and then catches the ball by straightening his arm is the "rake" - that is what I call the hinge move. The arm is acting like a door opening and the elbow is the hinge where it moves.

It is amazing how the same thing can have different names in various parts of the country.

Rake often heard around here on the backhand, but also a catcher over a bunt can rake the ball with both hands. Never heard much of the other terms.

Our old coach used these terms all the time. Ill do my best to explain them:

Rake - kind of like a backhand, except you are more square to the batter. You position yourself to catch the ball over your right foot, with your glove in a backhand position by "raking" the ball across to your left side. This gets momentum towards first.

Dip n drive - a backhand play where you field the ball with your right foot in front, catch it deep, and shift your weight and throw without shuffling towards the base.

Clamp step - kind of hard to explain in words but its a backhand play where you backhand the ball (off left foot) and your next movement is kind of a spin where you square yourself to throw. (on tv SS's do this all the time on balls in the hole).

Skip - a backhand play where you skip your right foot for rhythm and field it off your left foot.