Wondering how you guys teach middle infielders and third basemen to receive throws from the catcher with runners stealing?
Do you teach taking the throw at the front corner, or straddling the bag?
We have taught the front corner, but have encountered two problems; 1) reaching to the throw instead of letting it travel, and 2)missing runners who "back door" slide head first.

I'm an old 1st baseman and I always felt that straddling the bag on pickoffs (front right corner and back left corner -facing home plate) forced the runner into the back right corner of the bag. Let the ball get deep and they slide right into your tag. The ball travels faster than your arm can if you reach too much. The same principle applies to all the bases.

My son was taught by a former college infielder to go for the inside of the bag. The fielder has to be taught to let the ball get to the spot rather than reaching for it and reaching back for the tag. The coach's feeling on straddling is it's too easy to get tangled up and not be capable of getting to the wide throw.

quote:

Originally posted by Ozone:
I'm an old 1st baseman and I always felt that straddling the bag on pickoffs (front right corner and back left corner -facing home plate) forced the runner into the back right corner of the bag. Let the ball get deep and they slide right into your tag. The ball travels faster than your arm can if you reach too much. The same principle applies to all the bases.

The runner is supposed to go for the backside of the bag. You could be called for obstruction/blocking the base without the ball. If I thought you were trying to obstruct me I might come back hard standing up. Guess where my knee goes when I lose my balance. You're also giving me access to the front of the bag. I may come in standing up and turn. The ball goes off my back down the line. I'm now on third. Yeah, yeah I know. You're going to retaliate with a hard slap tag. But that's more obvious to the umpires.

When you straddle the bag corner to corner there is no obstruction. The runner has a free slide to the bag. the only thing out front is your glove.

While that may be true you are still limiting the area of where you can catch a ball. When the runner comes back to the bag (sliding or standing) and the ball runs toward the OF you are now trying to get clear of the runner in order to just catch the ball so they won't move up.

As for the original question if you straddle the bag then your glove is on the left hand side of the bag. You now have to reach really far to get a tag to the right corner.

Set up where your glove is about at the midpoint of the bag so you have equal distance to each corner. Position the glove about knee high - do not have it on the ground - and ready to snap tag. It's easier to catch and tag when you start high and move down. If you go from ground up then you got to stop your arm and go back down to make a tag. A sweep tag isn't good anymore because you waste time in tagging with an arc rather than a quick down and up tag.

Also, I use a phrase to help kids understand about tagging. I tell them to tag the bag - that way the runner comes into the tag.

I teach our middle infielders to set up in front of the base and not straddle. If we have a catcher that can put the ball on the bag 90% of the time, we might straddle, but usually is not the case.

The reason for being in front is like others have stated, I don't want my infielders having to worry about moving to catch a ball and avoid the incoming runner. If they are in front, they are allowed to more easily move to catch a bad throw without being directly in line with the runner.

Now the key to this positioning (in front of the bag) is to let the ball travel. If we are in front, the runner more than likely will slide to the back of the base. So, we must let the ball travel so that we catch the ball to the left of our left knee. In this position, we can then simply put the tag down and get it out quickly.

If we reach to catch the ball in our mid section or right, we will have to swipe back and that is too slow (ball will travel quicker than glove making tag will).

I have my IF's straddle the bag and fight to get the front half. Why?

1) I still reach in front of the runner. If the throw is off line, simply shuffle your feet and fight harder to catch it in front of the runner.

2) On the tag, they simple need to tag their back foot.

3) I have found MOST IF's catch the ball out in front of their body (as they are taught) and, by standing in front of the back, the tag is slow and a swipe tag.

We always taught inf to straddle unless he was also the only relay to the plate with runners at 1B and 3B (Double Steal).

The main reason for straddling is to have a foot at the outside of the bag for reference purposes. Once you're at the bag and into receiving mode, your back foot becomes your reference point. This allows the MIF to know where he is and to make adjustments (move the feet). Having the back foot making contact with the back corner of the base will at times allow the tag to still be made on a bad throw because you always know exactly where you're at.

All that said... I've seen it done both ways by the very best. I've just always been a want every little advantage type. And I see some advantages in straddling vs. being in front of the bag in most cases. Things like reaching for a wide throw to the left side of the infield when there could still be a tag made. Or getting a tag down on the high throw. No matter what... allowing the ball to travel is most important. It's impossible to move the glove quicker than the ball is moving.

We also would have our infielders step on top of the bag before jumping for a real high throw. Using the additional height of the bag to spring board a little higher.

PG,

I agree with your reasons. I, too, was taught to use the bag for extra height before jumping.

I also teach straddle because 1) I remember guys getting in the back door on me when I was playing.

2)If they start in the straddle and then move in a little (which is a natural reaction for many) they are still in a relatively good position. If they start in front of the bag and then scoot in; the back door is so wide open an elephant could get in.

Prefer front of bag usually. See way too infielders getting too far towards the back of the bag when straddling and then reaching to make the tag on throws that easily beat the runner. That and some kids just get tangled up with the bag itself as it seems once they have established the straddle position, they aren't going to give it for anything. I just believe that being on the front side of the bag gives the MIF the range and flexibility to handle a wider variety of throws, good and bad.

Few MIF's are decent at taking the short hop throws because they stand too tall and are reaching down too much, instead of dropping their butt down and getting their eyes level with the incoming throw. It's really an easy skill to learn but so rarely practiced; once learned a MIF is lot more confident standing his ground and not moving forward. Rarely have seen a MIF straddling the bag handle a short hop and get the tag down except on very slooowwww or bad runners.

Either method works fine if the MIF learns to let the ball come to him versus reaching. That, and getting the tag down and out quickly instead of tagging the runners thigh;really irks a catcher when that happens.