Ready Position (Slow-Pitch Fielding)
Also known as: fielding ready position, athletic stance
Ready position is the balanced, athletic stance a fielder takes just before the pitch. It allows an immediate first step in any direction.
A fielder standing upright with straight legs and hands on knees needs an extra beat before reacting to a batted ball. That beat goes to lowering into a fielding posture. In slow pitch, contact off a descending arc often comes quickly. That extra beat can be the difference between a play and a base hit. Correct ready position sets the base wide and bends the knees so the thighs are roughly parallel to a forward lean. It keeps the glove low and open, facing the plate. It also puts the weight forward on the balls of the feet rather than back on the heels.
Timing matters as much as posture. Fielders should settle into ready position as the pitcher begins the release, not casually stroll into it after the ball is already in flight. A fielder who is still walking into position at contact has given away the single biggest advantage ready position provides. That advantage is the ability to react right away.
A simple check: if you can comfortably touch the ground in front of your feet without bending your knees further, your stance is too tall — bend the knees until your glove is naturally low and out in front.
Example
As the pitcher begins her delivery, the third baseman settles into a wide, bent-knee stance with her glove down and open, ready to break in any direction the instant the ball is struck.
Why it matters
A proper ready position removes the wasted first step of straightening up before reacting, directly improving range on every batted ball. Motion Lab reads your stance and knee bend from pose. But it does not see the pitcher. As a result, pause your video at the release to check your timing.
How it shows up on video
Check the fielder's posture at the moment of the pitcher's release: knees should be bent, weight forward, and the glove already down rather than resting on a raised knee or the fielder still standing upright. A fielder who reaches full ready position only after the ball has been hit has lost the advantage entirely.
Common mistakes
- Standing upright with hands on knees rather than in a true athletic, weight-forward stance
- Settling into ready position too late — after the ball is already in flight rather than as the pitcher releases
- Keeping weight back on the heels, which slows the first step in either direction
- Relaxing out of ready position between pitches and needing extra time to reset before the next one
In SwingVantage Motion Lab
Motion Lab reads your stance and knee bend from pose, but it does not see the pitcher. Pause your video at the release to check your ready position.
Related terms
- Bad HopA bad hop is a ground ball that bounces unpredictably off a seam, rock, or divot in the infield. It changes direction or height at the last instant.
- In-Between Hop (Slow-Pitch)The in-between hop is the awkward mid-bounce point of a grounder. Too high to scoop and too low to catch comfortably, it is the hardest hop to field cleanly.
- Glove-Side BackhandA glove-side backhand fields a grounder on the glove-hand side with a reach across the body. The glove turns outward; the feet do not shuffle to square up.
- Slow Roller ChargeA slow roller charge is an infielder's hard sprint at a weak grounder, often bare-handing it on the run. It is the one chance to throw out the batter-runner.
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