Baseball Coaching Digest - 12 Baseball Coaching Tips For Coaching Your Third Baseman

By Nick Dixon

The third baseman must be a fierce competitor that shows no fear or intimidation. The third baseman must have a solid arm, quick reaction speed, great feet, and be mentally tough. This article gives 12 tips for playing third base like a major league baseball player. Those tips are:
1. Start with the glove on the ground. It is much easier to work up than the work downward with the glove.
2. Make sure to get your glove out and on the ground as you take your steps before the pitch. Taking tinny steps toward the plate gets the body moving and makes your reaction quicker to a hit ball. The body reacts quicker if it is in motion than from a still position.
3. Nothing gets by you. A good third baseman knocks everything down and keeps everything in front of his body. You have time to retrieve the ball and complete the throw with most batter/ base runners.
4. Always be ready and willing to field balls hit in the 5-6 hole. It is easier for the third baseball to cut a ball a ball and make the throwing working toward the bag, than a short stop having to make a back hand play.
5. Adjust you position to the bag according to the hitter. If you have scouting information that a player is likely to bunt, play shallow and in front of the bag.
6. With a left-handed batter batting you should play even with the bag and cheat a little to your left unless a scouting report suggest that you play differently.
7. With a right-handed batter batting you should play deeper and closer to the line unless a scouting report suggest that you play him differently.
8. Dive and knock down all balls that are hit to your right that you can reach. Never assume a ball is foul. Play everything as if it is a fair ball. Knocking the ball down that is fair nearly always holds a base runner to a single rather than allowing the runner to advance to second base.
9. Use an overhand throwing motion whenever possible to make your throw flatter and more accurate. Make your throws to first base chest high to make them easier for the first base man to handle.
10. Throw to second base that are double play feeds should be slightly toward the first base side and chest high to help facilitate a good turn and throw to first by the middle infielder to complete the double play.
11. You have jurisdiction over the pitcher and the catcher on pop fly balls. If the short stop or left fielder calls a ball, you must "bail out" to clear the catch zone for them.
12. When executing the cut off and relay. Sneak a peak to get a good initial alignment with home plate. Listen for the catcher "fine tune" your alignment. Make sure to circle the ball in flight to allow you to field it with your shoulder turned and aligned for a relay throw to home plate. If you throw to the plate, make sure that the throw is a "tag high" shot in the perfect spot to make the catch and tag easier for the catcher. If the catcher calls for a "cut 2", make sure that your shoulders are properly turned before making the throw to second base. A throw away at 2nd could allow the runner to advance to third.

I hope that you found this article to be informative and interesting. I appreciate you taking the time to read it. Good luck to your team in the coming season. Have a great day, Nick.

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Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.
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