Fielding - 1st baseman not Stretching out on close plays at 1st Base

[TheSoftballZone]

What type of training technical are current Softball Coaches using to help teach players how to reach/stretch out on close plays at 1st base.

 

[WWolff]

What type of training technical are current Softball Coaches using to help teach players how to reach/stretch out on close plays at 1st base.

In my opinion one of the positions most teams spend the least amount of time developing but, besides the pitcher and catcher who spends more time handling the ball. NO ONE!
Be interesting to see coaches responses to this question.

 

[TheSoftballZone]

I've always like a tall and slim player, playing 1st base. It's seem to me that the slimmer girls had a much wider range and of course the taller players always had more reach. But I've seen allot of players at 1st base now that are lacking the ability to stretch. I'm sure someone has a few tips or drills to help the 1st baseman to stretch out and gain the edge when she facing a speedy base runner trying to beat out the throw to 1st base.

 

[Bink44]

Ricky, most times girls are taught at a young age to catch with 2 hands. Our corners and outfield are taught to catch with 1 hand from an early age.The only exception is if your camped under a Pop/ Fly ball or your our MIF on force plays and turning DP'S. We would have our first baseman practice Team infield with her throwing hand behind her back. Over time they learned how to naturally contort their body and angle their gloves in dozens of different ways. This positioning with the throwing hand behind the back makes it difficult at first but eventually when they mastered this they would just keep their throwing hand at their side, which in turn benifited the next step in the process(balance/quick pivot feet) of proper footwork on your relay throw to 2B, 3B or home.

 

[longball00]

Lee, that is a good idea with the hand behind the back. The biggest thing I see overlooked with first base, is the lack of proper footwork taught. I see way too many players stretch out before they even see the ball released to them which results in errant throws that they could have made a play on. Teach them to straddle the bag, and use their footwork to get into the best position for the best reach. One of the other problems I see, is the way they set up to receive a throw down from the catcher on a pick off attempt. As Warren said, very few teams work their first basemen. My DD plays 1B when not on the mound, and WE work on it on our own by her request. (Thank God!)

 

[crystlemc]

My husband used to make his 1B hold a ball in their throwing hand during practice. That way, when they caught the throw, they couldn't use that other hand. He also made sure to emphasize the proper way to step toward the throw. Everything needs to be toward the throw, with the exception of the toe on the bag. Also, need to make sure to teach them when to give up the bag to go for the ball to prevent and extra base situation.

 

[softballmom2000]

DD was thrown into the 1B position last year for JV HS team. There was no instruction except she was told to stretch for the ball. DH and I worked with DD on our own time to teach her the position doing exactly what longball said above about straddling the bag. Now that DD is attending college camps, she always comes back and says, they teach the same way you and Dad showed me, as if we would have steered her wrong LOL! I do wish there was more attention paid to the position with not only the proper footwork and stretching but also with digging out that low throw and on throw downs from the catcher. DD is lucky that both her parents played and we will work with her whenever she asks, some may not have that same support.

 

[tjsmize3]

During practice we have 1B doing 2 things repetitively: 1) picking up the throw, stepping out to the throw with the glove hand/glove side foot, landing glove side foot at the time of the catch (or very close to it). 2) Pop off bag toward 3B to pick up lead runner. We like 1B to practice staying as balanced and athletic on every play as much as possible to prevent pulling the back foot off the bag, or delays in getting the ball to the next base. Catching the ball with 2 hands (as Blink44 points out) is going to hinder both processes.

 

[wannaplaysb]

So the flip side...how many coaches are teaching their fielders to throw low to first on a close play to allow their first basemen to stretch?

 

[coachtomv]

So the flip side...how many coaches are teaching their fielders to throw low to first on a close play to allow their first basemen to stretch?

That's a good one that we teach, along with stressing one hand(and not just for first basemen) to extend your range. My kid plays alot of 3rd/SS and has been taught to keep it low where possible and to the bag, high/wide throws are not good, give your 1st baseman a chance to make a play, stretch, or block an errant throw.

Another good thing a first baseman can do to help themselves is be ready to present a good target with the glove as soon as reasonable and a lane for the throw to take(catcher to first around a runner for example).

I find that when all positions are ready with a good target, their teammates make fewer throwing errors with smoother decisions.

 

[daboss]

First base, one of the top 4 positions defensively on the field yet neglected by coaches on many teams. First base shouldn't be stereotyped as the position for the tall lanky girl on the team or the larger girl that makes a big target. It should assigned to the girl skilled at catching the ball regardless how it is delivered her way. Having a team of all star fielders is worthless if your first base person can't catch.

One of the many obstacles you may need to overcome as mentioned by Bink44 is the girls being instructed to "Always use 2 hands" to catch the ball. I've warned coaches for years to be very careful how you instruct a girl how to do something because most are going to do exactly what you tell them without exception. Example; a runner on first is instructed by her coach to not get picked off. She will respond by not taking a lead. Can't pick her off if she never leaves the bag but look what happens to your chances to advance her. Catching with 2 hands instruction needs to be handled with kitten gloves, pun intended, and include the one-handed stretch to get everything and anything hit their way. After all, we want an attempt at everything don't we?

The idea that a stretch is needed to play first base is overrated. Let me explain why. During practices I would make a game out of it by making girls stretch for balls, even diving for balls. They would get rewarded for stopping everything or anything they could. Again, good first base players can and will stop anything to save the advancing of runners during the game. Again, careful instruction here. I want my first base person to come off the bag for those balls they won't be able to get any other way. This is just as important as a stretch. My goal is to help them see they can field one-handed and more importantly know we want an effort at all costs. The stretch comes natural when they make an attempt.

What we really want is balance.A good first base person needs to be on the balls of her feet first and mobile to react to each situation. If a ball is coming to her from a teammate, she needs quick feet to establish her presence at the bag to receive the throw. Once there, she is going to react to the throw wherever it is headed. She cannot do this if you put her in a position to stretch herself to the ball. Once she stretches, she's committed with little chance to recover. She needs her balance to react so realistically she should be establishing herself as a fielder first and target second.

The other thing to consider is the velocity of the throw. My fielders can throw a ball much faster/harder than my first base person can stretch outwards. I instruct my first base fielder to allow the ball to come to her. Once she gets the hang of being a fielder first it is much easier to teach her to reach or step towards the ball when recieving it. This isn't any different than when they learned how to catch back in their day when first learning. Think about it. We taught them to step towards their target when they throw and step towards the ball when receiving. Much more natural and fits instruction they learned.

 

[Shane]

Reps, reps, reps!! During infield practice I am the coach assigned to our first base girls working with them on the proper footwork, making sure to stress not striding/stepping until you see the throw. I completely agree with comments earlier about the early stretch limiting the catching range. One of my biggest teaching points, mind you we are at the 10U level right now, is looking to the secondary play. In other words, once we get the out at first, convincing the firstbase girl to push across the middle of the infield in preparation of making a play at 3rd base on the lead runner. Often I see the firstbase girl nearly celebrate the catch while the lead runner continues to work towards the next base. Get the out and look to the next level!!

 

[Hilliarddad3]

So the flip side...how many coaches are teaching their fielders to throw low to first on a close play to allow their first basemen to stretch?

Huh??? Throw the ball to the glove and let her step to the throw, to teach them to throw low is non productive and just leads to bad habits....you're not on Astro turf getting the speed bounce.....throw the Dang ball to the target!! The talented first baseman will get the glove on the tough ones but that comes with time and experience.

 

[wannaplaysb]

Huh??? Throw the ball to the glove and let her step to the throw, to teach them to throw low is non productive and just leads to bad habits....you're not on Astro turf getting the speed bounce.....throw the Dang ball to the target!! The talented first baseman will get the glove on the tough ones but that comes with time and experience.

You're right. On our team low is where we tag girls sliding and diving back into bases that are on the ground. never teach a girl to throw to a low target on the dirt.

 

[MD 20/20]

I was a 1st baseman with average at best talent, so footwork/glovework around the bag was something that I could improve on without any help from anyone. Somethings I got from others and a few I "created". Footwork is the difference between a good and a great 1st baseman. I have worked with mine quite a bit. I also teach my players to straddle the bag in a somewhat "crouched" position. To shrink the target to throw to, you immediately shrink the "miss" area. I always say, "any player has the ability to pick a throw out of the dirt, but we cannot expect our teammate to grow to 7' to get your overthrow". After the crouch, I like a "catcher-like", remove & replace type of footwork to get on the correct corner of the bag and stride out to the throw. Coming up the line to catch a bad throw and sweep a tag to the runner is another skill that is not practiced. I will disagree on the "taller-slimmer" 1st baseman. 1, I want an athlete. My daughter plays there and has a great, soft glove, especially when it comes to picks and scoops. She is not what I would describe as slimmer, but I would take her over any 1st baseman we've ever played against.

 

[poden-smoden]

For crying out loud please do not teach them to go into a stretch before they see where the dang ball is going first! DD has been on two teams with a 1st basemen went into the splits..... as the ball was still being transferred by the infielder. I would say 20 plus errors by all infielders that went off the glove top or over head and to the fence but could have been caught standing at shoulder level.

 

[Hilliarddad3]

Wanna, I was speaking without runners on sorry.....

 

[wannaplaysb]

Wanna, I was speaking without runners on sorry.....

As was I. When no chance to catch a runner on the turn at second or on third the throw to a true first baseman should be low. On a normal step to the ball with glove arm fully extended the glove will drop about six inches. With a true stride out it will be closer to twelve. On a full on split you are looking to catch a girl running in about 3 seconds in a full split with heel on the base about two feet off the ground. This gives us about 3 feet of extension at 2 feet off the ground to win a game of inches. No runners on. Throw the ball low. Chance at a doubling off throw glove side at the target. First out for sure. Second is bonus or keeps the runner honest. And yes. A first baseman that doesn't hesitate is priceless.

 

[Hilliarddad3]

Nah still would disagree as you'd be hard pressed quick throwing catching other runners off other bags from a low fielding position or splits.... But the site is about creating discussion.....

 

[WalkOffHR]

The absolutely BEST drill I ever used for simulating game throws and teaching 1b read throws is hitting line drives to them from the SS/3B position. Both my son and daughter were/are 1B so I have used this drill a lot over the years. Basically coach takes ball over to left side of infield. 1B stands at normal depth. When 1b breaks to the bag coach TRIES to hit a line drive (not a blast, but at roughly the speed a player would throw) accurately to the 1b. Have you ever tried to hit a line drive accurately to a player from across the diamond? You end up with a WIDE variety of "throws" that teaches the player to read the ball and never assume an accurate throw. They begin to think a lot less like a receiver and more like a fielder, which is good. The best part is you can get a ton of reps in a brief workout and the ones that are really bad (way up the line/way over the head) are still useful in teaching the player to react quickly and go get the errant throw.

This is stuff that we learned as kids by playing hours and hours of ball in backyards and watching games on TV. Those days are gone, but this drill certainly helps give 1b experience in dealing with a wide range of throws and understanding how to read the ball and develops quick footwork.

For those that think 1B is a good place to "hide" a weak defensive player or that drills for 1B aren't important, pay attention this summer to the number of games that a 1B doesn't make a saving scoop or a catch/tag out up the line and the error goes to the position player that threw it. You'll notice a lot of times that the pitcher/defense gets rattled. The team on offense gets energized. Things unravel right after that play. A lot of times that runner scores. Having a GREAT defensive 1B that saves teammates from errors is a huge benefit.