The ball and the situation will always dictate the play. The goal is to prepare athletes for all variations so they can anticipate plays in games. Their knowledge and anticipation skills are cumulative over their careers. A.B. Athletic Development’s Infield Programs provide players with instruction that prepares them to perform for game situations. Here are some important components of the Infield Programs:
- Footwork – Infielders are taught “The Dance” at A.B. Athletic Development. This is footwork that was taught to Austin and Bobby when they were 13 and was never instructed to them elsewhere – but all great infielders have it! The footwork should be smooth, fluid and efficient while preparing the player to make a strong and accurate throw. Baseball players are simply not taught good footwork and need to learn how to move their feet to excel at higher levels.
- Anticipation – Being able to read hitters, read pitches and anticipate where the ball is hit is a very important skill for infielders. Anticipation helps infielders get to balls quicker and to better understand game situations before they even happen.
- Video Analysis – Video is used with hitters and pitchers, but rarely with infielders. When players see themselves, they quickly see what they are doing and can make faster adjustments.
- Being Athletic, Having Good “Actions” – While our instruction can get very technical, we want our infielders to be very athletic on the field. Good infielders are said to have good “actions.” This means they move well, field the ball in the right place, have rounded patterns to the ball and generally look very smooth.