I keep hearing announcers say dont dive to first base it slows you down. Has anyone ever seen a real study to show this to be true? If the reality is you shouldnt dive then why do we dive to catch a baseball in the outfield? you are trying to get to a certain point as fast as possible and diving gets it done when no dive you cant catch the ball. I think the bigger issue is do you slow down to start the dive, some guys do
diving to first base
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donniesyracuse
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Sprinters don't dive to the finish line
OttoinGrotto
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Would be really exciting if they did.
diving gets you to the furthest point the fastest. you can dive for a ball 4-5 off the ground too.
sprinters dont dive because its the chest that counts to cross the line and usually they would have be able to dive once because sliding on a track is not a good thing.
if getting into a diving position is bad then it would slow you down trying to catch a ball too and noone every says "why did he dive", its always "why didnt he dive".
announcers have confused lunging for a base as the same as diving for a base. but i have never seen a study to show what the difference is. if you think about the body you can dive and reach 2-3 ft farther than you can step, you may gain back in the dive anything you lose in the prep for the dive, you also lose something in trying to time the touch of the base, you dont lose anything in a dive for the base.
and this study actually shows it is faster to dive.
http://espn.go.com/high-school/baseball/video/clip?id=6571277
they prove its faster if the dive is done at the right time. they use the wrong information to disprove their own theory.. dive later and dont hit the ground. exactly what you do if you are diving for a baseball, you dont dive and try to slide you try to catch it before you hit the ground, same for the base you try to hit it while still it mid air and depending on where your last step is it can make a big difference in the opposite direction, you have to touch the base so you may have to chop the last step, totally different than a race.
http://espn.go.com/high-school/baseball/video/clip?id=6571277
they prove its faster if the dive is done at the right time. they use the wrong information to disprove their own theory.. dive later and dont hit the ground. exactly what you do if you are diving for a baseball, you dont dive and try to slide you try to catch it before you hit the ground, same for the base you try to hit it while still it mid air and depending on where your last step is it can make a big difference in the opposite direction, you have to touch the base so you may have to chop the last step, totally different than a race.
SWC75
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Your feet pressing against the ground is what propels you forward. The moment you leave your feet you will begin to slow down. When the batter hits the ball, the ball begins slowing down as soon as it leaves the bat. Same thing with a base-runner who leaves his feet. Baserunners down't slide to get there first. They slide to avoid tags.
ImperialOrange
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By diving to touch the base with your hand you A) extend the distance required to touch the base and B) lose forward propulsion. It makes sense at second or third base where you cant over run the base but at first it makes no sense.
Diving to make a catch has an inherent reward of getting an out if the ball is caught in the air. You don't see fielders diving to cut off gap shots that have already hit the ground.
Diving to make a catch has an inherent reward of getting an out if the ball is caught in the air. You don't see fielders diving to cut off gap shots that have already hit the ground.
kuethstheman
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I think there's a difference between a slide and a dive. If you're a body length away from a base with your foot planted, you could already be touching the base with your hand if you were fully extended. If you're not extended, you have to take at least another step. The act of extending may slow you down a little bit but it doesn't counteract the extension.
Sliding is a different matter. Once you're airborne, you start to slow down. Once you hit the ground, you really slow down. The only reasons to slide are to avoid a tag (especially at 1st base) or to avoid overrunning, as ImperialOrange mentioned.
Sliding is a different matter. Once you're airborne, you start to slow down. Once you hit the ground, you really slow down. The only reasons to slide are to avoid a tag (especially at 1st base) or to avoid overrunning, as ImperialOrange mentioned.
