How-To-Play-First
Requires The Moves Of A Ballet Dancer
No! How-To-Play-First Is Not
A Dance Lesson
How-To-Play-First requires special skills and is not the place nor team position for the klutch stumble bum to place his claim. It is a baseball playing position where we use such terms as "slick fielder", "smooth as silk" and "nifty glove man."
The play as that first baseman you must take how-to-play-first to heart the baseball coaching and some deliberate and special baseball training.
"This Big Tall Feller playing Over Here At The First Sack Sure Knows How to Cradle Me In That Big Ole First Basemans Mitt And Takes Special Care That I Do Not Go Crashing Into The First Base Line Stands."
Every baseball player coming out on the diamond will not have the fluid smooth footwork and attention to detail required to play as a winning teammate and especialy how-to-play-first.
Some of the action needed to play superb at that first sack will be part of the coaches effort to impart the finesse and nuances of developing the athletic ability and this will require baseball coaching. Stay focused and with deligent baseball training the finer points of first base play will make you the key cog of a winning team.
Playing first base requires the nimble moves and quick feet which would be the envy of all the ladies in the chorus line at Radio City Music Hall.
One of the first things someone must learn about how-to-play-first is the ability to make quick as a flash of lightening body movement decisions (action without thought) natural reflexes and mental quickness to decide with which foot to tag the base.
Sounds simple enough but hey good buddy things are happening fast and time out to think is not an option. The hitter slaps a hard grounder to the third baseman the ball reaches third base quicker than a scared cat can leap.
The craft of how-to-play-first and knowing his job on how to play first is to move quickly to the first base sack ready to take the rifle shot throw from third. The first baseman is near his first base bag watching intently the 90 mph rocket throw from third.
First things first he is not standing on the bag at first base he is near so as to tag the bag as he receives the throw. Receiveing the throw and tagging the base is where this ballet dancing and ballerina movement scenario take front and center.
Is the throw from third coming straight into the letters on his chest not likely. The throw will be over to the first basemans left so he shifts his body to the left to reach and catch the throw.
Moving to the left means his left foot moves considerable further away from the first base and this first base bag never moves. Now without even giving it a thought which foot has to tag the bag as he receives the throw?
You are right he will tag the bag with his right foot. Now that you have been walked through this once it seems easy. Look out here comes the throw the next time to his right side and maybe the next one is high over his head and the next one is low into the dirt.
How-to-play-first-base as a basebal first baseman now becomes a masterful player dancing to the tune of how to take the throws and tag the bag and if it were to be put on video all these throws and moves of the first baseman would look like a well choreographed dance of the Ballet Nutcracker or the Swan Dance of the Ballerina.
Lets go back and review this Baseball First Baseman job and How-To-Play-First Playing first is no easy matter it requires quick sure movement and instant decision thinking.
Do not just read but take the time to visualize and understand what is going on over there at first base and you can be a slick fielding baseball first baseman quicker than a cat can lick his whiskers.
The entire team depends upon this fellow playing first to never bobble but be as steady as a steel worker up on the 16th floor of a building under construction.
Did we mention to play first dance movement is great but being an acrobat like the circus performer also helps. Here is the catch say the throw is well wide and high to the home plate side of the bag.
The first baseman needs to leap into the air grab the throw have the presence of mind and body control to gently slap the runner on his behind. This is all done with the gloved ball as the runner races past in his headlong dash to first base.
How long did it take from the time the ball slapped into the first basemans mitt and the tag on the rump of the runner?
Quicker than it takes for a bumble bee to leave its stinger that is how quick you must be when you know How-To-Play-First.
If you do not think it is an acrobatic move to leap into the air catch a missile like baseball and make the tag then you just have never tried it.
When awaiting the pitch from your pitcher, play a little deeper than the base if it's a right-handed hitter and a few steps further back for a left-handed hitter.
Coaching and practice will teach you not to stray too far from the base, though, since you'll need to be able to get there quickly. If you're left-handed, play a bit closer to the foul line since anything hit down the line will be a "backhand" play for you.
Conversely, if you're right-handed, you can play "off the line" a bit more since balls hit down the line will be easier for you to field since your glove hand will be a body reach closer to reaching the smash hit down the line.
First baseman should be tall.This enables them to stretch fartherfor wide or late throws and still keep a foot on the base. Left-handers usually have an edge, because they can throw more easily to other bases.
There is a distinct advantage in how to play first by having a taller slick fielding first baseman. the advantage is fairly apparent on bang bang plays where the runners foot hitting the bag is trying to beat the infielders throw for the out.
The difference of this xx number of inches by the stretch and reach of a taller first baseman, many times during the course of a seasons play, is the difference in the call of out or safe at first base.
Generally speaking a taller player usually and normally has a little more heft on this frame and has come into the game of baseball being recognized for power hitting.
The game of baseball reserves the right to utilize certain positions, within the norm, for stacking the roster with some power hitters. The first base slot (you make take me to task on this) generally is one position the team hopes is filled with a power slugging smooth as silk fielding big man.
Now you mix this ballet/ballerina acrobatic act into a big numbered uniform and you have what the town recognizes to be the King of The Diamond.
Right Hand or Southpaw Throwing First Baseman
The controversy how-to-play-first as a baseball first baseman has already begun with this big man power hitter ballerina stunt now we mix in the right handed or left handed throwing criteria.
All things skill wise being equal it matters not. What does matter is the left handed baseball throwing first baseman has the advantage for play making throws are being more natural.
The natural or normal throwing action and ones ability makes it a cake walk in learning how-to-play-first for those heads up and "want to" students of the game.
When you have a player with a good dose of this "want to" plus smooth but quick body control chunking the baseball with his left hand and you stretch him a tad then you have a winning first sacker.
It is much easier for the left handed first baseman to field a sharp hit grounder using his body motion making a perfect peg to second base to start a double play. The right handed baseball first baseman on the same identical play must shift his body and use arm only during his peg to second.
It is a degree of ease and smoothness of play which separates the right hand left hand controversy perception for a baseball first baseman.
"Dang me" they are going to "Hang me" from the tallest oak tree if these perception things of How-To-Play-First are some where sometime not proven to be the real truth of the matter.
Batter Up----Let's Play Ball....
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