Maybe the main reason for fielding balls left, right or in the centre of your body is just an individual motor preference!

We all know them, infielders, who try to field everything in the centre of their body and others who will do whatever they can to create angles and field the ball at their backhand and forehand as soon as possible.

We all know the infielders who are great defenders on balls hit right at them and have trouble with balls to their right or left …….

We all know those infielders who are great defenders on balls hit on the right and left side of them and have trouble with balls hit right at them.

Why is this? Are they just lucky or unlucky at times?

As we know from previous posts, the way a player perceives impacts directly the way they coordinate themselves and their motor expression regarding their actions.

To perceive efficiently, a Horizontal player needs to create an angle with the body’s orientation and the ball trajectory during the perception phase. That’s why we NEVER have to encourage those types of players to get behind the ball!

Vertical players, need to move their body toward the ball origin during the perception phase in order to perceive efficiently. Vertical players have to get behind the ball as much as they can!

Knowing, if your player has a Vertical or Horizontal organization is without a doubt the most essential knowledge a coach should have, before even talking or instructing fielding them.

Being Vertical or Horizontal is the most steady motor preference in the movement organization of a human. All this has to do with how you as an individual align yourself with the gravity vector, with your vision, your inner ear and how this all is linked with your cerebellum and the way you integrate this with the gravity vector!