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© Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Ohtani homers again; Syndergaard pitches Angels past Rangers
By LARY BUMP ARLINGTON, Texas©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
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asiafriend
You have obviously never played baseball, or certainly not in a competitive setting. If all you did was stand around doing nothing, then your coaching, if you had any, was horrendous. Your observations, or rather opinion, is way off base (pardon the pun).
As with any success in life, one reacts before things happen. This is better known as anticipation, a key to success in life, sports, business, etc..
In baseball, every good player anticipates what they would do if the ball is hit to them, or wherever it is hit. For example, a line drive to right center field has both the center fielder and the right fielder running after it. The left fielder will come in and back up any throw to second or third base. The infielders will line up in proper positions, such as for cut off throws and backing up a base. Even the pitcher will anticipate where he should be in the event of a throwing error. Even when no one is on base and the catcher throws the ball back to the pitcher after a pitch, the shortstop and/or second baseman will instinctively move toward the area behind the pitcher, even if only a little, in case of an overthrow. In this way, they are well conditioned to back up a return throw to the pitcher when opposing players are on base.
I know this because I have done it, from Junior Development League (age 7) to American Legion Baseball (late teen years). I also coached women softball teams and taught them these playing basics, taking over in mid-season and turning a losing team record into a winning team record. It is all about knowing the basics, and perfecting them.
Here’s a quote from Bruce Lee that can easily be applied to learning and perfecting the basics in baseball:
“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”