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Former Major League second-base player Mark Lemke on how to field a ball.
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Mark Lemke played Major League Baseball for 10 years, fielding for the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. He played in four World Series and seven playoffs. He was named Most Valuable Player for the Braves in the 1991 World Series. Here the former second-base player offers some qualified advice on how to field a ball.
Fundamentals of Fielding- For basic fielding, get to a comfortable stance with knees slightly bent and feet about shoulder-width apart. This will offer a solid base and the proper balance to your stance. Avoid bending down too low. Being down too low impedes the motion you'll need (up and to the right or left) to get in front of a ball. Avoid standing perfectly still, but keep some slight body movement happening -- much as a tennis player keeps moving as they anticipate returning a serve.
- Here are the basic things to remember for the ready position:
- Bend your knees.
- Achieve good balance.
- Keep moving back and forth. Stay ready to move to meet the ball (figure A).
- Keep your glove down, and hands at your sides.
- When a ball is hit toward you, you'll almost surely have to move either left or right. For fielding (figure B), you will want to be down low -- with glove open, all the way down on the ground. Here are the basic things to remember when fielding a ball:
- Keep your glove open.
- Stay low -- all the way down on the ground.
- Keep your head down, your glove down, and your rear down.
- Don't come up too quickly.
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