Why Your Footwork Sucks
Shortstops, do you ever hope the ball doesn’t come your way?
Whether it’s because you don’t want to mess up, don’t feel ready, or you’re stuck with weak knees and arms heavy, that moment of doubt can spiral. Soon to follow is that hesitation loop of, embarrassment, fear → doubt → worry. And of course… the E word: errors.
What if we could flip that foundation on its head? In just 4 weeks, with sharp, intentional footwork, you’ll move with purpose, learn to recognize mistakes, reduce them, and know exactly how to replicate success.
Its about that time play makers, the season starts… now
The Lies
I know all about bad footwork.I remember looking down after games, seeing cuts on my shins and holes in my socks. One time, I didn’t even have to wait for the post-game adrenaline dump to feel the pain —I face-planted right there on the field.
I still remember getting up, grabbing the ball out of my glove, and making the throw to first. When I walked back to my spot, I looked down and saw my shoelaces torn to shreds.
That’s when it hit me—all those holes in my socks and cuts in my laces had one cause: bad footwork.
Think about it—the only way my cleats could get near my laces was when I crossed my feet, a recipe for disaster. And it wasn’t just the crossing feet; it was everything leading up to it:
Mindless quick feet drills: Someone told me agility ladders would sharpen my footwork. They didn’t.
Brain and body delay: I wanted to move, but my body wouldn’t listen because I was overthinking every step.
Rushing: Losing time to hesitation forced me to rush every play, creating even more mistakes.
I could go on and on about the problems, but here’s the bottom line: I knew if I didn’t fix my footwork, my career was over. I’d end up in the outfield or, worse… riding the bench.
So I did what any desperate player would do—I went on a film study rampage. That’s when I saw something that made me furious:
Professional shortstops almost never used two hands.
They didn’t rely on “quick feet.”
They moved back on ground balls.
They didn’t “body up” like I was taught.
Everything I was told, everything I trusted about fielding… was a lie. And I was furious because I had trusted these people with something I treated like my life.
Now, this may seem intense, but I went through hell figuring this out. Growing up in Dyckman and going to school in Harlem, there was never a shortage of opinions. I heard it all—the advice, the taunts, and the nicknames that cut deep. “Stone hands.” “E-4.”
Figuring this out wasn’t just about proving them wrong. It wasn’t even about me. It was about something bigger—something inside me that wouldn’t let me quit.
Every day I got up, I felt that pull, that something telling me, “Not today. You’re not done yet.”
I didn’t know what it was at the time. All I knew was that I had a reason to wake up tomorrow. A reason to push through the noise, the doubt, and the embarrassment. A reason to keep going, even when the world seemed set on telling me to stop.
Fast forward to today—recently saved by the grace of God—I can now look back and finally understand what that “thing inside of me” was. It wasn’t just grit or determination. It was the Spirit of the Living God, guiding me even when I didn’t realize it.
I could’ve quit. I could’ve taken the hood route like so many do. In my carnal mind, it felt like an option, maybe even the easiest one. But deep down, something stronger wouldn’t let me. That something was a calling—to bring the Gospel to the game of baseball.
I remember those days when nothing made sense. When the pain, the struggle, and the grind felt pointless. But now I see—just as John 13:7 says: “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
And that’s why I’m here now—not just to share what I’ve learned about the game of baseball, but to share the Gospel with those who feel sick, depressed, worried, fearful, anxious, heavy-ladened, worldly, human.
If my testimony can lead you to the Truth while teaching you a thing or two about fielding, then every cut, every failure, every nickname was worth it.
Now, let’s bring it back to where it all begins: footwork.
Goals: The New Way
The new way isn’t revolutionary—it’s about solving the real problems you face.
I’m not about reinventing the wheel. Rather, It’s about learning what makes the wheels of the professionals spin.
Think about it: most team coaches don’t have time to teach the details. Instead, they rely on quick, cliché phrases that any hardworking, trusting player will take to heart. Things like:
“Catch the ball.”
“Use two hands.”
“Set your feet.”
“Body up.”
These phrases might sound helpful, but they’re surface-level at best. They lack the context you need to truly grow.
I grew up watching a lot of UFC, and one thing I loved was watching how coaches calmed their fighters down between rounds. They only had a minute, so every second counted. But here’s the thing: those coaches spent hours in camp with their fighters. All the teaching had already been done. In the middle of a fight, they didn’t teach—they reinforced.
One quick word like “Jacare” could mean:
Fake a jab.
Throw a cross to the chest.
Expect the hook.
Duck under.
Take the legs and go for the takedown.
That single word carried context—months of training and preparation boiled down into an actionable cue.
It’s the same with a basketball coach calling “Diane” to trigger face-to-face, man-to-man pressure defense. One word that unravels hours of practice and strategy.
But here’s the difference:
A good audible reinforces preparation and gives you clarity.
A bad cliché, without context, builds bad habits and confusion.
The goal is context.
When you understand the context, you:
Systemize your footwork to create better bounces.
Learn how to create space when better bounces aren’t possible.
Focus on making the play—not just catching the ball.
Cut your throwing distance down for faster outs.
Play the ball, instead of letting the ball play you.
Set yourself apart as a defender who knows how to think and react like a pro.
That’s what we’re here to learn today. Context gives you a chance. It allows you to connect the dots yourself.
The audibles from your coach won’t stop, and they shouldn’t. But after this, you’ll have the context to make sense of the quick clichés—so you’re not just taking balls off your chest because “coach said to.”
If you need help implementing this and want to shortcut the process, I can help. I offer a 4-week program designed specifically for shortstops to reduce errors and build a baller. Its free for the first 10. We start January 9th —book a call, let’s get you there.
The Broad and Narrow Way
The Process: Part 1 - The Hit It Harder Framework
The way most of us approach fielding practice today? I like to call it The "Hit It Harder Framework."
It usually goes like this:
Start with a dynamic warmup to get loose.
Move on to hand drills, often disconnected from real footwork.
Then straight into fungos—hard-hit grounders to “rep it out.”
At this point, either:
It feels too easy, or
Players get bored.
So, what’s the solution? They call for fungos to be hit “harder” or more lateral, hoping for a chance to dive and make ego-fulfilling plays. It might feel productive, even fun, but it’s a trap.
The problem with this approach? I’ll let Dansby Swanson explain:
{ Insert Dansby Quote Here with HD Photo of Dansby + black background + effect and reading it over}
This method leads to the fast heart rate and game speeding up epidemic. If you train fast, you’ll play fast—and not in a good way. The goal isn’t to move faster during your four seconds on the field. It’s to make those four seconds feel slower, giving you more time to react and make the right play.
That’s the wide way. Wide is the gate and broad is the way to mediocrity and fitting in as a fielder.
But narrow is the gate of the set-apart saints.
The Narrow Way
The Narrow Way is built on a simple, easy-to-remember acronym. One you may already know: PFP.
No, not Pitchers Fielding Practice. In this case, PFP stands for:
Prep Step: Start moving before the ball enters the hitting zone, so you’re always ready.
First Step: Line the ball up to the left side of your body, creating room to recover if needed.
Patterns: Master crossover, stagger, and sharp angles to move efficiently toward the ball and your throw.
The routine is simple.
Before you start fungoes, start with your hands.Before you start with your hands, start with your footwork.
A couple of minutes invested in footwork upfront will save you much more time (and errors) in the game.
Prep Step
This one is simple. It’s about setting yourself up to react effectively before the ball even enters play
3 Keys to a Great Prep Step:
{ Insert "Ready at hitting zone" Lindor Quote Here with HD Photo of Lindor + black background + effect and reading it over}
Be Ready by the Time the Ball Enters the Hitting Zone
Define “Ready”:
For a third baseman, this might mean staying low with your glove already near the ground.
For a middle infielder, it’s a mindset—“Yes, I want the ball, and it’s coming… now!”
Inertia Matters
What goes in motion stays in motion. Start moving and trust your body to react to what it sees.
My formula:
Hands by the hips (holsters).
Lunge forward slightly.
A small hop to set my feet, avoiding getting “stuck in the mud.”
Not Think
{ Insert "Not Think" Arenado Quote Here with HD Photo of Arenado + black background + effect and reading it over}
At this point, the work is done. Youve worked on 1 of 2 things (hopefully both)
1 play hundreds of times
multiple plays hunderds of times
Trust the work
First Step
The first step is crucial—it sets the tone for your entire play.
Common First Step Mistakes:
Wasted Steps: Extra steps before you start moving.
Wrong Direction Steps: Taking a bad route to the ball.
No Step: Freezing because you’re not prepared or overthinking.
Crush Those Mistakes with Purposeful First Steps:
Every first step should:
Move you closer to the ball while managing distance.
Align, or better yet, bring you closer to the target you’re throwing to.
Set you up in an advantageous position—lining the ball to the left side of your body.
Why Left Side Positioning Matters:
A bad hop to your left gives you a chance to recover.
A bad hop to your right often means the ball ends up in the outfield, with no chance to make the play.
Positioning on the left builds leverage and increases your probability of cleanly fielding the ball.
Patterns
Patterns are your go-to movements—practiced until they become subconscious muscle memory. Once mastered, they provide freedom and flexibility to make plays without overthinking.
Why Patterns Are Essential:
Combat Overthinking:
Fielding should operate on an internal clock. At high levels, you have about 4 seconds to field and throw out a runner.
Without patterns, your brain wastes precious seconds debating options like:
“Should I attack the ball?”
“Should I wait?”
Patterns simplify these decisions, letting you move immediately.
Keep You in Motion:
Fielding isn’t about sprinting from 0 to 100—it’s about fluidity.
Patterns ensure you’re always moving at the right speed, never stuck at 0.
Adapt to Variables:
Field conditions, ball speed, and spin are unpredictable. Patterns help you adjust without hesitation.
My Favorite Patterns:
Right Chop Chop: Two quick steps to adjust your angle while staying low.
The Stagger Step: A controlled step that positions you for smooth transitions into a throw.
Right Slide: A sliding step that keeps you in motion when the ball is slightly out of reach.
Drill It: Practice these 30 times during warmups. Master them, and you’ll move like a Dominican bachatero—from the ankles down.
This is a light shining on the importance of footwork.
Youll have easier throws (which leads to better arm care and less injuries)
You'll make the routine plays and the hard plays look routine
Youll have more range
and a keen understanding of leverage.
Next week’s video is all about leverage. Good positions = more leverage.
Footwork isn’t part of every play, but a solid fielding position is. We’re going to optimize it and make sure you’re getting to those spots—fast and often.
If you want my help implementing this and saving yourself the years of pain I went through, let’s get on a call to see how I can help.
I currently offer a 4-week program for shortstops looking to reduce errors, develop elite playmaking abilities, and set themselves apart from the competition.
If that sounds like you, I’m offering 10 FREE spots in the program right now. These spots will go quickly, so act fast while you can!