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- [Nico] Do a couple more like that.
Sorry, little firm.
What's up, guys? I'm Nico Hoerner.
We're going to go through some fundamentals to get me ready to play the game.
You see what happens on the field.
And this is a little behind the scenes.
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Just like guys on the offensive side: work off the tee, work off flips,
take care of the simple side of the game.
We can do the same thing on the defensive side.
For me, that starts at my knees, isolating with one hand and getting comfortable there.
- [Announcer] Fantastic play by Nico Hoerner!
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- For me, the pocket of that glove is pretty much going to be right there.
And I'm taking that and just replacing the line of the ball with it over and over.
No matter if it's a forehand, a backhand, on the run, on my knees,
it's all the same in the end.
The first thing that I'm going to do is a ball right at me on a short hop.
I'm going to do it with one hand, so it's going to look like this,
short hops right at you, and you're going to press right through it.
Notice that like the movements aren't big, crazy movements like that.
Just like when you hit and you replace the path of the ball with your bat,
it's a similar idea with your pocket.
You're going right back to where it came from, creating that room for error,
trying to catch the ball in the same part of the glove over and over, getting pockets.
So the same idea that we did, right at me, you can turn and work on the backhand side.
As an athlete, your body is going to follow your head a lot.
I think the backhand's a place, especially where I kind of exaggerate.
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Catching in the pocket, flipping it right back to them.
Forehand side, I put my leg up just for comfort.
For me, it feels a little bit like the play right there where you're moving to your left.
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- From our knees, we can go to a wide base.
We talked about we're replacing the line of the ball with your pocket already from your knees.
Doing that now, but with a little bit of give in my legs, which allows me to move a little more
and just getting strong in this position.
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I think there's definitely something too, also just being used to being in this position
in kind of an isolated hold a bit in this area.
But just the more as an infielder, you're comfortable in a wide base
and feeling powerful in this position, I think the better.
So there's definitely like a nice conditioning aspect to that too.
Backhand, right here, similar idea, but I am using my lower body to create the best
possible hop I can, getting that short hop.
The more that we can create a short hop, the more pockets we're going to get,
the better it sets up our throw, better carry you're going to get on your throw,
more consistency, and that's what we're looking for.
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- The more that you can create that line with your lower half getting that energy going down the line
of the ball and then towards first base, sets up your throws, sets up the pick,
and everything moving the right way.
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- Hoerner...
He is [inaudible] and he throws to first double play!
- You can do a lot from this space.
One thing that you can isolate from here is transfers for double play feeds,
whether it's a feed to second base or from shortstop.
And it's just really finding that same place in your pocket, getting a consistent transfer,
and then hitting the person in the chest with some life.
So it's going to look like this.
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One important thing in this is you're getting your glove out of the way
and really creating energy that way.
You're not moving both right there with the second baseman doesn't quite know what's happening,
and you're showing the ball and giving a firm feed with the stiff wrists.
I think the more that you can get the transfer and get that glove out of the way and use it to create power
on that flip, that makes a big difference.
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- That's stiff.
I like to put my left leg up because I don't have super mobile hips.
Some guys are able to just work in this space like it's nothing.
That's not me.
Working from right here is similar to a ball right at you, get a good hop, feet like that.
So we're pretty much just isolating that from the ground.
It's going to be the same flip.
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- From this position is a nice feeling if your throw is actually having life up.
As a second baseman, there's nothing worse than a low arm slot that throws
a two-seamer at you and it's on you like this, and then you're turning it and you feel gross.
The best is when a guy is throwing and they're still able to get a nice four-seam with life going up
that you can transfer easily.
And the more that you can do that as a shortstop or second baseman,
just double plays become a lot more fun.
And double plays is one of the best parts of baseball, so.
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- Hard hit ground ball.
Oh! Diving backhand stop!
Hoerner throws to first the [inaudible].
What a play by Hoerner!
- We've worked on our hands so much, we know how to catch the ball.
Now it's all about our lower half.
The pancake glove is a flat glove.
It doesn't really close.
And it's valuable because you're not going to catch it if you're on a bad hop.
You either want to hop that's the short hop right into the glove, landing right before the glove,
or a long hop where it's in the air for a long time.
But working the pancake is the time to really focus on detail.
So right here, we're working on gaining ground, choosing the good hop,
funnel into the middle of our body, and making an accurate throw to first base.
Usually, how I start ground balls every day.
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- So right there, that's a nice example of a short hop.
The second it hits my pancake, it's being deflected into my hand
and I'm up and ready to throw.
Transfer that feeling to your real glove and the game becomes a lot easier.
Nice long hop right there.
Sets up a throw.
One thing I often feel, you can see a little bit right there,
ball kind of getting towards the outside of my body.
The more that you get the ball on your right side, your arm's going to be working behind you
on your transfer.
Start to get in tail, cut, sink.
The more we can keep that transfer inside of our body, cleaner our throws.
Simpler game.
You see guys doing crazy drills, get around cones and create that momentum
to first base.
For me, it's just getting on the outside of the baseball so that you can read the hop as well as create
energy towards first base, catching the ball in the center of your body
and making an accurate throw.
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- So we've all seen diving plays, amazing picks, great reads on pop-ups behind us,
and that all starts before the ball is even thrown called the pre-pitch.
I think one common misconception is a down and ready position where you're wide and you're stuck and you're
in the ground before the ball is even entering the hitting zone.
Like, If I were to defend someone in basketball from right here, I got no chance.
I'm getting crossed up.
The more that we can be in a position that works best for your body, feel it out.
But for me, it looks something like this, where I'm moving with the pitcher as he's going
through his windup.
And I'm reacting to the swing.
You might actually be in the air a little bit while the ball is entering the hitting zone.
For me, that means I can...I can actually land, going one direction or the other based on the swing
that I'm seeing, the pitch that's coming, a lot of factors.
I try to keep it on the simpler side.
I feel like that's something that makes it repeatable, where I'm athletic while the ball is entering
the hitting zone, and I can explode in any direction.
Something you can work on in BP really easily, whether the ball is being hit or not.
Just getting those reads.
Boom! Fly ball to right field, but you're moving with it.
You know, ball straight over your head.
You're moving regardless of where it is and just kind of getting your hips going.
Doesn't matter what kind of athlete you are, you can always gain an extra step
from taking care of the start.
And when you have a group of guys all moving together on time with the balls, entering the hitting zone,
it's a really fun thing to do.
- And this ball has bounced to the hole.
Backhanded by Hoerner.
Jump throw to first, and he got in him!
Sensational play by Nico Hoerner!
- For me, this stuff never gets boring.
Whatever you consider yourself as a defender, there's always room for progress
and something I really enjoy.
So I'm glad we could share that.
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