blocking the plate question

[bkbjones]

Originally Posted by sumfan

great forum
i am a asa coach and before that a youth league coach.
i have a question for you.
what is the proper way according to the asa rules ( i have been reading the rule book but have not found it)
for a player to positon herself to recieve the throw at a base
we have told our girls to staddle the base and leave the center open
at some asa tournys this was fine but at some it was not
the girls were told they had to be behind the plate or to the side.
i am just looking for the best way to instruct our girls

as i stated before a great forum i have been reading the posts and have learned alot of useful information

thank you for your time
sumfan

Coach,
There's no "proper" way to do it.

There are some handy tools out there, however. Have you taken the ACE courses this year? I know it talks about it in some of the ACE material, but I also know some JO commissioners aren't quite as adamant about coaches getting their ACE certification as others.

The rules supplement, in the back part of your edition of the rule book talks about obstruction. As rwest pointed out, the obstruction rule (changed 3-4 years ago) pretty much requires your girls to catch the ball, then block and tag.

Straddling the base, even if you think this gives the runner "some of the base," may be obstruction one time, not obstruction another time. Remember: the runner establishes the base path. Remember, too, obstruction is a judgement call by the umpire. One ump's obstruction might not be obstruction in someone else's eye.

Look up that ACE material, check out the rules supplement concerning obstruction, and visit with coaches you respect about how your players should position themselves.

Good luck to you and your team.