Sliding at First?

Actually, studies show that a runner can get to first faster standing up. Also, there is less risk of injury. Further, in a bang-bang play, he can overrun the base a tad and get away with it, where that isn't as likely at other bases except home. Another reason for sliding is defenders blocking the bag, which isn't allowed at first.

Jim Albright

- studies show that a runner can get to first faster standing up

What? How can a runner get to first faster standing up? He can just run as though he is going to overrun, it but slide 4 metres in front of it. It can probably reduce the time by like 0.5 seconds to get to the bag and he may be able to get a infield hit.

My slowpitch softball team (we've been playing together for 34 years) is having the same debate. I did some simple assumptions and some free body diagrams. I come up that head first into first is probably, and I say probably (those assumptions), 0.3 seconds slower. It's close enough that the experiment should be done to verify. We're working on it.

[Admin: Can anyone tie this into Japanese baseball?]

From my experience, Japanese players have their MLB counterparts beat in this department. I've noticed very few NPB players who slide into first. But in MLB, a lot of players would do it fairly often, most notably Roberto Alomar and Kenny Lofton. Lofton once injured his shoulder doing this, but did not seem to be dissuaded.

My first thought was, you don't watch many Japanese games. Timmerman-san, who has watched quite a bit of Japanese baseball, said that MLB slides into first much more often. So I take back that thought.

However, I watch a lot of Yokohama games, and I see quite a few players sliding head first into first. Kinjyoh does very often, which may explain a large number of infield base hits for him. I know that there were at least two, perhaps three, first base dives in the game against the Giants on Tuesday.

My point is, it's not that unusual in Japan. At least, not for BayStars' games.

When you are diving, you are actually slowing down to reach first base, so diving is actually "proven" to be slower to first. Also, when you are diving head first, you tag the bag with your hands first, which are by your side to start with and you have to take them down to ground level. When you are running through the bag, you are running at your top speed all the way through and tagging the bag with your feet. You cannot possibly deny the physics here.

So, I don't understand why all those high school guys and some of the Pro Yakyu players risk injury and dive like that.

In the States, you will often see base coaches holding stop watches. This is especially true at the university level. The watch doesn't lie. Running through the bag is always faster than diving. The only thing diving will do for you is get you injured. Unfortunately, another way to get hurt running to first is stretching that final step. Players often mess up their hamstrings when they hit the bag.

I think pro player in Japan and the States dive for the bag about the same amount of times. The disturbing trend in Japan is in high school ball. When I have watched the tournaments at Koshien, there is not an inning that goes by without one those players diving for first.

Seriously, this is your question. The fact that one can run past first base by tagging the bag with ones feet is by far faster than sliding into first. When you slide you lose momentum - the dirt - sliding. Hmmm. You slide into 2nd, 3rd - because you want to stop that momentum, therefore one does not run past the bag, and in result, get tagged out for a foolish play.

The fact that these high school players are sliding into first is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Did these guys read about it in the Daily Seattle news report that Ichiro attempted this. Or perhaps it passed Kaz Matsui's mind in attempt to be the most hated Met in New York city. Or that Hideki Matsui was overheard saying he would attempt to to slide into first (on stomach) in order to rid his jock ich?

OK, so none of these things ever happened or ever said, but in attempt to be funny - it is about the same as these people even thinking that sliding into first is a faster method of achieving a hit.

Great idea for some serious research!

You should give us some material evidence. I found the following research interesting:

• Head First vs. Feet First Sliding - HighBeam Reasearch
• A Baseball Art is Sliding Away - International Herald Tribune

I still believe that head-sliding is faster than running or feet-sliding. You can see that in many catching ball games in Japan television. They always go head-sliding to reach the ball.

[From Admin: There have been several who have posted material evidence, but failed to meet the condition of relating it to Japanese (or Asian) baseball. There have been too many topics that have degenerated into discussions you can find on MLB.com. It shouldn't be that difficult to relate something to Japanese baseball, or even culture.]