I need a little help here from those individuals with FED knowledge.

Is a head first slide illegal? And if so . . . when was this rule implemented?

The only place that the head first slide is illegal is in Little League. In real baseball, sliding head first is allowed.

By the way, illegal is a sick bird!

<i> Originally posted by Gold_Spark </i>

<b> I need a little help here from those individuals with FED knowledge.

Is a head first slide illegal? And if so . . . when was this rule implemented? </b>

FED rule 2-32-1

A legal slide can be either feet first or <b> head first </b>

FED rule 8-4-2c

Jumping, hurdling, and leaping are all legal attempts to avoid a fielder as long as <b> Fielder is lying on the ground </b>

Diving over a fielder (whether on the ground or not) is ILLEGAL.

The only place I know of that does not allow head first slides is in LL Majors on Down (12 yrs. old and under)

LL rule 7.08(a-4) Any runner is out when the runner slides head first <b> while advancing </b> Notice the term <i> while advancing </i> If the runner is retreating they may slide head first going back to the base.

Pete Booth

As you've been told, it is not a FED rule.

But it might help you to know the reason Little League banned head-first slides. It began with a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics that warned of anecdotal evidence for serious cervical spinal injury when a player about 10 years old or younger attempted a head-first slide. Because of the slower reaction times than older children, and because of less coordination, they felt children of that age group were at serious enough risk to warrant the ban. The injury can be compared to spearing in football, where the top of the head meets the fielder pushing the head and neck downward.

Since kids who play FED ball are generally much older than 10-years-old, such a ban in FED wasn't necessary.

Thanks fellas . . .
 

I appreciate the replies. I don't have a copy of the 2002 NFHS rule/case book so I wasn't for sure if they changed this rule or not.

The reason I ask is because I am currently calling in a 15-16 yr old tournament that has implemented a no head first slide rule. The strange thing about this rule is that throughout the season . . . the teams within the league were allowed sliding head first.

But then again . . . you've got that (two different leagues, home team rules stand) situation that makes things tricky.

Anyway . . . thanks for the reply.