Five fundamental steps to a good game at first base

First base in baseball is harder to play than most people think. Good first basemen save their teams countless runs throughout the season. They do this using the proper footwork and balance. Not all infielders’ throws are successful. Low shots, wide shots, high shots, and all the middle guys are what first basemen have to deal with. So, here are the top five steps in footwork that makes a fundamentally solid first baseman.

1. Get to base quickly

First baseman must read the ball from the bat, and when it hits the ground, he must run to first base as fast as possible. Naturally, you must look away from the ball, but seasoned first sackers know where base is almost instinctively. They use peripheral vision and repetition to know exactly where base is and how many strides it takes to get there, but all first basemen look away from the ground. Of course, when they get to base, they find the ball and focus on the next step.

2. Set up correctly on the base

Stand by the base in fair territory and watch the infielder fielding the ground ball. With his chest toward the infielder, first baseman gives the fielding infielder the best possible goal. With four infield positions in addition to first base (pitcher is now an infield player too!), There are four general directional angles that first baseman can use. Don’t put any feet on the base, yet. You must be in an athletic position and ready to catch any potential bad pitches.

3. Read the infielder’s throw

This cannot be overstated. From his athletic and ready position, first baseman now reads the inning throw. Is it tall, wide or short? How much speed does it have? Which infielder threw the ball? This last question is important because each player has a unique flight for their throws. Some infielders throw at high speed all the time. Some have a natural sink for their throws. The experienced first baseman read the shot first, before moving his feet.

It is very important that first baseman does not reach for the ball until the pitch is in flight and he has read it correctly. When I started playing first base in professional baseball, I was doing it the wrong way all the time. And many times the direction of my stretch was not the direction of the incoming pitch, and it cost my team precious runs.

4. Use footwork to catch the pitch and touch the base.

When a good pitch is in flight, first baseman now moves his feet to catch while touching the base. Either foot can be used to touch the base; however, most young players always use the same foot every time. This is fine, but the more experienced first baseman learns to use either foot to touch the base, depending on the direction of the pitch.

For example, if the pitch is off base to right field, he will put his left foot on the base while moving with his right foot to reach the ball. Conversely, when the pitch is inside base (toward home plate), your right foot is on base and your left foot is striding. By switching feet this way, you extend your potential reach by a good margin. And, for pitches directly to first base, either foot can be used to touch base.

It is very important that first baseman does not put his foot in the middle of the base. Players can be injured if this happens. We’ve all seen the junior league first baseman put his foot in the middle of the base and the base runner trips or steps on him, injuring the running back, first baseman, or both.

First baseman should always touch the inside of the base, not the top of the base. Inner means the edge of the base facing the infield. The bases are approximately three to four inches tall and have a crowned top. The sides of the base are high enough so that the foot of the first base will fit next to or on the top edge of the base. Also when the shots are wide, either outside or inside, the corners of the base extend your reach and should be used.

5. Adapt to bad pitches

The third step in our series here describes reading the release. If first baseman determines that the pitch is completely out of line, he must use his footwork to get off the base. Only repetition and experience can tell the player when to do this. In these cases, don’t worry about touching the base, just take the capture. This prevents the batter-runner from advancing to second base, or from other base runners advancing or scoring.

Low shots are another matter. If the low throw jumps far enough from first base, he should stay straight on the throw and not try to reach for it. The idea is to provide time and distance to read the jump and hopefully catch the ball. A good first baseman knows when to stretch for low pitches and when to fall back and catch them on a long jump.

In between, the hops are hard. These are low shots that will provide neither a long nor a short jump. But with the biggest glove on the field, some first baseman is lucky and the ball bounces off his glove. My rule of thumb on these pitches is to relax your glove hand and do my best. But, and this is important, if there are base runners who will score when the ball passes through first base, the first bagger should face the low thrower and block it. The batter-runner will probably be safe, but he has prevented a run from scoring and given our team a fighting chance.