起动（盗垒）
Also known as: 起动, 盗垒第一步, 起跑
盗垒尝试中的起动，是指跑垒员在投手第一个动作出现时向下一垒起跑的速度和果断程度——这是预测盗垒成功与否的最重要单一因素。
出色的起动意味着跑垒员能读出投手的“破绽”（决定投球而非牵制的第一个动作），并在球到达捕手手套之前就爆发式地起跑。读出投手的抬腿、脚跟离地或肩部旋转，能识别出投手做出决定的那一刻。起动好的跑垒员即使面对臂力强劲的捕手也能盗垒成功；起动差的跑垒员即使面对臂力较弱的捕手也可能被杀出局。出手时间（球从捕手手套到二垒防守球员手套的时间）减去投手的投球动作时间，等于跑垒员必须战胜的时间窗口。
Focus on identifying one specific movement the pitcher makes before every pitch. This means the heel lift, the knee drive, the shoulder turn. This means and practice breaking the instant you see it in a controlled drill environment before attempting to use the read in a live steal attempt.
Chart each pitcher's delivery time and compare it to your personal time to second base at various jump delays. This means this calculation tells you exactly how many milliseconds of jump advantage you need against a specific pitcher-catcher combination before a steal attempt has a positive expected outcome.
Example
他读出投手脚跟离地的动作后立即起跑——等捕手站起身准备传球时，跑垒员已经跑完了到二垒四分之三的距离。
How it shows up on video
On video, jump quality is evaluated by measuring the elapsed time between the pitcher's first movement and the runner's first explosive step, along with whether the initial direction of the step is directly toward second base rather than laterally into a crossover setup. Common errors include the runner waiting for the pitch to be released before breaking (losing 0.3–0.5 seconds of jump window), an initial step that is lateral rather than directly toward second (adding distance). A break that begins with a pickup step rather than a direct crossover (wasting the first body movement on a directional setup rather than forward progress).
Common mistakes
- Waiting for the ball to cross home plate before breaking. This means the correct trigger is the pitcher's commitment movement, not the pitch location, and waiting for the pitch loses 0.3–0.5 seconds of window that no base runner can recover through pure speed
- Breaking with a lateral crossover setup step as the first movement rather than directly toward second. This adds a full stride of wasted motion before any forward progress toward the base is made
- Using the same trigger read against all pitchers rather than scouting the specific tell of each pitcher you face. This means a generic timing approach is always later than a pitcher-specific one
- Breaking on a pitch-in-the-dirt read before confirming the ball is actually in the dirt. This means a pitch that bounces right in front of the plate and stops near home is not the same as a wild pitch that gets past the catcher, and breaking early on an in-front bounce risks being doubled off on a passed-ball that the catcher recovers
In SwingVantage Motion Lab
SwingVantage measures the elapsed time between the identified pitcher commitment movement and the runner's first explosive step, providing a jump score expressed in milliseconds. The system also evaluates the direction of the first step. This means directly toward second versus lateral or backward. This means and flags initial directions that add distance rather than reduce it.
Related terms
Related guides & benchmarks
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