Thread: Stealing home
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Old Fri Aug 01, 2003, 08:26pm
Warren Willson Warren Willson is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 561
Re: Ready...set.....

Quote:
Originally posted by chris s

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Warren, your last statement here has me thinking....(dangerous, I know..lol) I was taught to stay in "ready" till f1 commences his motion, ie; I am up with hands on front of hips, F1 sarts motion and I go to my set and stop(at 5'8", this is quite quick). Now I have seen guys that get "set" while F1 is still looking R1 back or even taking signs, from the sacks I see some guys sinking...sinking...etc. By getting set too early. I realize it may different for you tall guys.....whats up?????
Chris, there are two different schools of thought on that issue:
  1. If you get set too EARLY then you'll tire quickly and your game will suffer

  2. If you get set too LATE then your eyes don't have time to adjust before the pitch is on its way
I subscribe to the latter school of thought. Game fitness and the double wide stance should take care of the former.

I certainly wouldn't get set until the pitcher is almost ready to pitch - ie. taking signs is way too early, IMO.

OTOH, I sure wouldn't wait until after the pitcher has commenced his motion to pitch either. Simultaneously should be ok most of the time for the windup, but maybe not for the set.

Don't ask me for the data, 'cause I don't have it, but my understanding is that a study was done that found if the umpire wasn't down, set and steady before the pitcher released the ball, then his eyes didn't have time to focus on the point of release and tracking the pitch suffered as the result.

My point was that you wouldn't get set BEFORE the batter was ready, regardless of what the pitcher was doing at the time.

Cheers
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Warren Willson
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