Most right-handed players find it more comfortable to keep their right leg straight during a slide, while many lefties like to stretch out their left leg. Choose whichever feels the best for you!
When you start practicing your slides, you’ll also see that throwing your hands up will help you keep your balance.
To use a piece of cardboard without it sliding around, have 2 people hold down the front 2 corners. They can stand one foot on the corners and step back with the other foot so you don’t run into them. If you don’t mind spending a bit more money, you can also buy a sliding mat online or at a sports or baseball retailer. If you’re on grass that’s soft without many weeds or plants, you can also simply slide straight onto the grass without a covering. You might get grass burns or stains on your clothes, though, so use cardboard if you have it.
If you’re on a mat, cardboard, or grass, you can also set down a glove as your base. Don’t use a glove if you’re sliding on a slip’n’slide, though, because it will soak the leather.
If you can’t measure the distance exactly, take 3-5 big steps away from the base and put the marker there.
If you have trouble remembering to keep your hands up, have a friend, parent, or coach toss you a ball as you go into your slide. Trying to catch the ball as you’re sliding will force you to keep your hands in the air.
Try not to jump up and into the slide, even though it might feel more natural. The higher you push off into your slide, the harder you’ll hit the ground and the more painful it’ll be! Think of this big step as a forward push off of your back foot, instead of a jump into the air. Don’t fold your knee straight back underneath your body. This will place a dangerous amount of strain on the joint.
Your slide will happen very quickly, so don’t try and think about everything all at once. Focus on one thing at a time: run, throw your hands up, bend your leg, lower down to your butt, aim for the base. It may seem like a lot to remember now, but with lots of practice it’ll feel like second nature to you.
Practice with a coach to stay safe. A coach can also give you tips and tell you what you need to improve on.
Give yourself some extra room on the first run, then adjust the start of your slide if you need to.
Your momentum will be transferred into the slide, carrying you to the plate swiftly and without wasted movement.
More advanced players might be able to take a look over their shoulder to locate the ball and determine whether they need to slide or not. This can be hard to do and will slow you down, though, so it’s best to look at and listen to your coach until you get more comfortable on the basepaths. You can also decide to slide based on the game situation. For example, if you’re on first and a grounder is hit in the infield, you’ll want to slide going into second to try to break up the double play. You can also slide if you’re running fast and don’t want to overrun the bag on accident, or need to avoid contact with another player.
Try not to lean your whole body away from the tag. You’ll probably scrape yourself up and you might even lean too far and roll away from the bag, making it easy for the player to tag you out.
This slide is great to use if you see that the player already has the ball and is ready to tag you out. Instead of sliding straight into them, using a hook slide gives you a greater chance of avoiding the tag and being safe.
Don’t use your hands to push yourself up. You should be able to pop up using the strength of your legs and your momentum alone. Use this slide if you’ve already committed to a slide but you can see that you’ll definitely be safe–if the ball is overthrown, for example. By popping up quickly, you might be able to take an extra base.
Only use this slide if your coach teaches it and advises you to use it. The headfirst slide isn’t allowed in Little League for players under 13, unless you’re going back to a base, on a pick-off play or a caught fly ball, for example. From age 13 and up, you can slide headfirst while advancing to a base, as long as your coach allows it. [11] X Research source It’s also helpful to know the headfirst slide for defensive plays. The technique is basically the same if you’re diving for a ball in the field.
