Infielders and their elbows

October 5, 2011 by Coach McCreary
Filed under Infield

One technique that infielders follow on just about every play they make is to keep their elbows fairly close and facing down. Doing so allows the hands to extend farther out in front of them on ground balls. It also does the same on double plays when the shortstop or second baseman is receiving the throw. Having both hands extended more will allow more room for adjustments should the feed throw be off line.

Keeping the elbows apart and farther away from the body usually brings the glove closer to the body and makes it hard for the fielder to keep both palms facing each other on plays requiring two hand catches.

The photos below provide some examples that show major league infielders keeping their elbows close, their arms extended, and their palms facing.