In-Between Hop (Slow-Pitch)
Also known as: in-between hop, awkward hop
The in-between hop is the awkward mid-bounce moment when a ground ball is neither low enough to pick off the dirt nor high enough to receive comfortably. This means the hardest timing to field cleanly.
A ground ball climbs and falls in a fairly predictable arc, and skilled fielders move their feet. As a result, the ball meets the glove either at the top of that arc or immediately after it leaves the ground. Trouble comes at the midpoint of the rise, where the ball's height is changing too fast to track with a fixed glove position.
The fix is footwork, not hands. Rather than reaching for the ball wherever it happens to be, the fielder takes a small adjusting step. This means forward to meet it early, or a brief hold to let it climb. This means. As a result, the glove arrives at a predictable point in the arc. The step is tiny and it happens in the last two strides. This is exactly why it goes untrained. This means it looks like nothing on video and decides the play.
Keep your glove low as you close on the ball. Starting low and rising to meet it is a controllable move. Dropping a glove that started at waist height is never fast enough for the bounce that surprises you.
Drill deliberately bad reps. This means have a coach roll balls off an uneven surface. As a result, your feet learn micro-adjustments under real unpredictability rather than only clean, rehearsed bounces.
Example
Seeing the ball about to reach the awkward point of its climb, the shortstop takes one quick shuffle forward to meet it early rather than letting it rise into the dead zone.
Why it matters
Fielders who adjust their approach convert a far higher percentage of routine grounders. SwingVantage can review footwork timing on ground-ball reps to flag fielders who are reliably caught mid-arc.
How it shows up on video
Track the fielder's last two strides against the ball's arc. A fielder who solves the timing shows a small adjusting step. This means forward or a brief hold. This means tied to the bounce. One who does not shows a static approach and a last-second glove scramble.
Common mistakes
- Standing flat-footed and hoping the ball arrives at a convenient height rather than adjusting footwork to create one
- Reaching with the glove alone when the ball is at an awkward height, instead of taking a small step to change the timing
- Backing away, which almost always makes the timing worse rather than better
In SwingVantage Motion Lab
SwingVantage can analyse footwork timing relative to ball arc from uploaded infield practice video, showing whether adjusting steps are being used at all.
Frequently asked questions
Does the larger softball bounce differently than a baseball?
It does. A 12-inch ball is bigger and less lively off the ground, so it tends to come up slower and sit higher. That makes the awkward zone wider rather than narrower — more of the arc falls between a clean pick and a comfortable catch.
Why do slow-pitch fielders see so many of these?
The high pitch arc produces steep, chopping contact, and many recreational complexes use fully skinned infields whose surface varies between innings. Both push more ground balls into an irregular second bounce.
Related terms
- Short Hop PickupA short hop pickup is fielding a ball the instant after it strikes the dirt, taking it low and out in front with soft hands rather than waiting for it to rise to a more comfortable height.
- Bad HopA bad hop is a ground ball bounce that deflects unpredictably off a seam, rock, or divot in the infield, changing direction or height at the last instant before it reaches the fielder.
- Ready Position (Slow-Pitch Fielding)Ready position is the balanced, athletic stance a fielder takes just before the pitch. This means knees bent, weight on the balls of the feet, glove down and out in front. This means that allows an immediate first-step reaction in any direction.
- Glove-Side BackhandA glove-side backhand is fielding a ground ball hit to the fielder's glove-hand side by reaching across the body with the glove turned outward, rather than shuffling the feet to field it squarely.
Related guides & benchmarks
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See a sample Slow-Pitch Softball report first