How to Slide in Baseball
Learning how to slide in baseball is essential if you want to play the game. Sliding is a technique that allows you to drop to the ground to touch the bag with your feet or hands. You need to be able to know how to slide in order to do it properly. Take these steps into account to learn how to slide.
- Be aware of when to start the slide. Depending on your speed and whether you execute a shorter or longer slide, you will need to know when to start the motion. Also, in a game, you may need to know where to slide, as you may have to hook around a defender or go at an angle.
- Drop your body to the ground with your feet in front of you, with one foot ahead. When you drop down to slide make sure one foot is ahead to make contact with the base; the other is normally tucked away beside the thigh area. Simply drop down and extend your lead foot towards the bag. Your momentum will carry you into the bag.
- Hold contact with the bag until you can get up. If you are being tagged, you must not release contact with the bag or you can be called out. In some situations you will be able to get up rather quickly. This is actually worth practicing, as you can "pop up" immediately by leveraging your body weight on your front foot, as you may need to advance a base after sliding.
- There are variations. You can also slide head first into the bag, which tends to be a little bit more dangerous. Also, it is never a good idea to slide into first base, for safety and baseball-related (it's quicker to run through the bag) reasons.