How to Slide Safely: Feet-First and Head-First
A coaching guide to sliding in baseball: when to slide, how the bent-leg, hook and head-first slides work, how to teach them in stages, and the safety habits that keep young players from avoidable injuries.
A slide does two jobs. It gets a runner to a base in a way that makes him hard to tag, and it lets him stop on the base instead of running past it. Done well, it takes a fraction of a second off a play and avoids contact with a fielder. Done badly, it jams a thumb, tears a shoe off a base or sends a runner into a fielder at the wrong angle. Sliding is a skill, and like any skill it is easier to learn slowly, in a safe place, before it is needed in a game.
This guide is general coaching information for players, parents and volunteer coaches. It is not medical advice. Rules differ by league and age group, and so does the equipment a league requires, so always check your league's rulebook. A doctor, athletic trainer or qualified coach can answer questions about a specific child, and governing bodies such as Little League International publish safety guidance for their programs. What follows describes common technique and the reasoning behind it.
Why slide at all
Runners slide for three reasons. The first is to avoid a tag. A fielder waiting with the ball can only tag part of the runner, and a slide shrinks the target and changes where it is. The second is to stop on the base. At second base and third base, a runner who runs through the bag at full speed can overrun it, and a fielder can tag him off. Sliding lets him arrive at speed and still stay on. The third is safety. A runner who slides under control is less likely to collide with a fielder who is covering the base.
Do not slide when there is no play. If the ball is not coming, a slide wastes time and risks injury. Do not slide into first base on a routine ground ball; running through first is faster and safer, and the batter-runner is allowed to overrun it. Coaches can teach the difference between these cases in practice by calling out game situations and asking players what they would do.
Many leagues require a runner to slide or avoid contact when there is a play on him at a base. At the major league level, a runner is expected to make a genuine attempt to reach and stay on the base when sliding, and rules limit contact with fielders on double-play plays. Youth leagues have their own versions of these rules, often stricter and written for safety. Learn the rules your league uses and teach them as part of the lesson.
The basic feet-first slide: the bent-leg slide
The bent-leg slide, sometimes called the figure-four slide, is the standard way to teach sliding because it is the most forgiving. It works like this.
- Start early. Begin the slide before you think you need to. A late start means a runner is still upright when he reaches the fielder or the base, and that is where injuries happen. Players often start too late. Coaches usually teach a starting point a few body-lengths before the bag and adjust for the child's size and speed.
- Pick a side. One leg goes out in front and the other is bent underneath it. Most players choose the side that feels natural, and it helps to practice both.
- Tuck the bent leg. The back leg folds under the front leg so that the shape looks like the number 4. The foot of the bent leg ends up under the knee or calf of the extended leg.
- Lead with the extended leg, toe up. The leading foot points up and forward. The toe should not dig into the dirt, since a spike or toe that catches can twist an ankle.
- Slide on the side of the leg and hip. The runner lands on the outside of the bent leg and the buttocks and slides along the ground on that surface, not on the knee or tailbone.
- Keep the hands up. The arms stay up and relaxed, away from the ground, so that the hands and thumbs are not jammed into the dirt. Many injuries to fingers and wrists occur when a runner puts a hand down to catch himself.
- Chin tucked, eyes on the base. Tuck the chin so that the head stays off the ground, and keep your eyes on the base or the fielder.
The main idea is a smooth glide along the ground, ending with the extended foot touching the base. The runner should not hit the base at the end with a stiff leg, which is why the toe is up and the leg is slightly bent.
The hook slide
The hook slide is a variation of the bent-leg slide that changes which part of the body touches the base. Instead of sliding straight at the bag, the runner slides to one side of it and hooks the near corner with the foot, or the whole side of the leg. The aim is to make the target smaller: the fielder has to tag a foot that is moving away from his glove.
Teach the hook slide only after the bent-leg slide is comfortable, because it needs control. The runner picks the side away from the fielder's tag, slides to that side of the bag, and hooks the corner of the base with the foot on the side away from the tag. A hook slide at the wrong angle can leave the runner short of the bag or slide past it, so it is a skill to practice slowly.
The pop-up slide
The pop-up slide is a bent-leg slide in which the runner uses his momentum to come up on his feet when he reaches the base. It is useful when there is a chance to take another base on a misplayed ball. The runner keeps the bent leg underneath him so that, as the extended foot hits the base, the bent leg is already under his body. He uses it to push up.
It is an advanced skill. It is easy to bring the body up too early or too late, and it is not a good first lesson for beginners. Practice it only after the basic slide is automatic.
Head-first sliding
In a head-first slide, the runner dives toward the base with arms extended and hands reaching for the bag. Many professionals use it, and some players find it natural. Its advantages, as its users describe them, are that the hands can reach the base around a tag and that it can be easier to get up and continue to the next base. A claim sometimes made, that it is faster than a feet-first slide, is not well established; the difference, if there is one, is small.
The risks are also real. The hands, fingers, wrists and shoulders are exposed, and the head and face are at the same height as the fielder's glove, knee and shin guards. A fielder who is blocking a base or making a play may be in the way. For that reason, many coaches teach feet-first first, and many youth leagues have rules about head-first slides. Some limit them to certain bases or certain age groups, and some prohibit them. Check your own league's rulebook, and if a player will use a head-first slide, a coach should teach it deliberately.
If a coach does teach the head-first slide, the points commonly stressed are these:
- Dive low and flat, rather than at the ground from a height.
- Keep the head up and the chin clear of the dirt, with the eyes on the base.
- Extend the hands, with fingers loosely open, toward the base, not curled under.
- Reach for the side of the base away from the tag.
- Wear a helmet where the league requires it, and wear protective gear that the league recommends, such as sliding gloves.
A player who slides head-first should be comfortable with the technique first, which means practicing on soft ground.
Teaching sliding in stages
Practice is where sliding is learned. Teach it in a controlled setting before game speed, and move up only when each stage is comfortable. The following progression is common in youth coaching.
| Stage | What the player does | What it teaches |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Seated | Sit on the ground and practice the figure-four leg position | How the legs fold; where the toe points |
| 2. Kneeling | From a kneeling position, fall to the side into the slide shape | Weight shift and landing on the side of the leg |
| 3. Walking | Walk a few steps and slide on grass, without a base | The glide, with low speed |
| 4. Jogging | Jog and slide to a base on grass | When to begin, and how to arrive at the base |
| 5. Full speed | Run at game speed and slide into a base | Timing, with a coach watching |
| 6. Game situations | Add a fielder with a glove or a tag drill | Reading the play; staying under control |
Practice on grass that is soft and level rather than hard or rocky infield dirt, and check the area for stones, holes and sprinkler heads. Many coaches use a plastic tarp or a slide mat with water to reduce friction for young players. If you use a wet surface, make sure it is flat and clear of anything hard, and supervise it. A base that can pop free from its anchor, often called a breakaway base, can reduce the stress on a sliding foot, and some leagues use them; follow your league's equipment rules.
Players should wear the right clothing. Long pants or sliding shorts reduce scrapes, and many players wear padding under their uniform. Cleats should fit, and any rule about metal spikes in your league should be followed. Wear a batting helmet while running the bases if your league requires it.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Sliding too late. The runner starts the slide when he is almost at the base. Fix it with practice at jogging speed, and a cue such as starting earlier than feels necessary.
- Putting a hand down. The runner reaches out to catch himself. Fix it by having him hold his arms up, perhaps across the chest, for the first practice slides.
- Diving onto the knee. A knee slide is rougher and riskier. Fix it by emphasizing the bent-leg shape and the side landing.
- Stiff leg into the bag. A locked leg takes the full force at the ankle. Fix it with a bent knee and toe up.
- Sliding into first base. Teach running through the bag in a separate lesson.
- Sliding when told to stay up. Base coaches use signals, usually a hand motion, for slide and stay up. Teach players to look to the coach as they approach.
- Sliding on a hard surface in practice. Choose soft ground and lighter speeds.
The coach's role
The base coach decides, in the moment, whether the runner should slide, and the runner who reads the coach correctly saves time. Many teams use simple signals: arms down with palms toward the ground for slide, and arms up for stay on your feet. Whatever signals you use, practice them so that they are automatic.
Beyond signals, a coach should do the following: teach the fundamentals before game situations, never push a player to slide before he is ready, and allow a player who is afraid of sliding to move at his own speed. A child who is anxious about sliding often slides worse. A calm demonstration, a short drill on soft grass and praise for effort usually do more than urging.
If a player is hurt in a slide, the coach should stop play, call for help according to the league's safety plan, and let a qualified person decide what to do. Any pain, swelling or inability to move a joint is a reason to see a doctor, and neither the coach nor this article can make that call.
A short history of the slide
Sliding is old. Accounts credit Eddie Cuthbert, who played in the 1860s, with being among the first to slide into a base, though the origin is hard to verify. Over time, the slide became a part of the game, and by the early 1900s a runner's spikes and the way he slid were part of the public image of players like Ty Cobb, who stole 896 bases in the historical record. Rickey Henderson, whose head-first style was a signature, holds the career stolen base record in that database with 1,406. The two are a reminder that both techniques have long been used at the top of the sport, and that neither is automatically right for a child.
Common questions
At what age should kids learn to slide? Most coaches introduce sliding once players are running the bases in games, using soft ground and low speeds. Follow your league's guidance on age and rules.
Is head-first or feet-first safer? Feet-first slides protect the hands and head, and that is why most youth coaches teach them first. Head-first slides are allowed in some leagues and not others.
Should kids wear sliding shorts? They can help reduce scrapes, and many players like them. Check what your league requires.
What if my child is afraid to slide? Go back to the earliest stage, seated and kneeling drills, and move forward slowly on soft grass. Do not force it.
Can a player slide into first base? It is generally slower and unnecessary. Teach players to run through first.
Where to go next
Sliding fits into a broader set of baserunning skills, described in Baserunning Fundamentals for Young Players. Coaches planning a session can use Running a Youth Baseball Practice: A Plan That Works, and those working with beginners will find Coaching T-Ball and Coach-Pitch helpful. Parents can read A Parent's Guide to Youth Baseball, and the site's youth baseball pages and youth topic page collect more.