Baseball Drills - The Art Of Not Sliding Into First Base

By Nate Barnett

The topic of whether to slide into first base or not always resurfaces every year it seems. Does it slow a runner down? Should coaches teach it in their baseball drills? Is there some sort of advantage?

Usually the discussion surrounding the topic is regarding the speed in which the runner passes over first base. That is not the topic of this article. Sliding into first base greatly reduces a runner's ability to move to second base should there be an errant throw from an infielder.

Good baseball instruction will focus on the preparation and positionment of the base runner to head towards second base when there is an overthrow at first base. As a runner passes over first base at full running speed he will then begin to break down his stride quickly, but naturally. This is a fairly simply movement and is recognized by the widening of the steps until the hitter is in an athletic stance position slightly inside the baseline. As this breakdown of the stride occurs, the hitter glances to the right to see if the throw has been tossed down the first base line. If so, the runner breaks for second base in a straight path.

The problem I have with sliding into first base is simply that all momentum is stopped at the end of the slide. Usually, a hitter who chooses to slide into first base has seen something that indicates a bad throw may happen. If the first baseman comes off of the base, he will then have to tag the runner. Sliding makes it more difficult for this to happen. However, if a runner's momentum is stopped and there is a bad throw, momentum must be created once again in order for the runner to get to second base successfully.

All things equal then, sliding into first base is highly unproductive from the stand point of advancing bases. There is also a good chance that a runner choosing to sprint through the base will be safe if the throw pulls the first baseman off the bag early.

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