Ready Position..what better place to start.

Infielders need to be ready on every pitch to react as quickly as possible.  A proper ready position is key in getting a good jump on a batted ball. As the pitcher begins his delivery the infielder should be moving or walking slightly towards the batter and never standing still. When the pitch is thrown the fielder’s last steps should be left than right then “ready position.” Player should begin in a balanced athletic position, weight should be in the balls of the feet. Arms and hands should be relaxed ready to react to the ball.

I spent a lot of time this winter telling my infielder, who was trying to learn basketball, that he needs to play defense like he is in his infield ready position. He needs to get low and stay low. Coming off of a winter season where many of your players have been playing basketball you may want to ask them to demonstrate how they stand while playing defense in basketball as a good starting point.

Ready position is not comfortable. You should not able to stay in it for a long time. You should move to it from a rest position as the pitchers goes into his windup. The image below illustrates a right, left, ready position shuffle that an infielder should go through on every pitch. Some coaches will add an audible glove punch to reinforce the behavior.