Diving into first

[radness]

This is me making up stuff.

Head 1st there has to be a much greater chance of injury. Maybe it is faster but normally why risk the chance of injury under normal circumstances. Grass probably reduces the risk to some extent but probly not enough that under normal circumstances it makes sense to go head first.

Curious what they do in their leaque play.

imagine every player on that team would give up their finger for Gold!

 

[efastball]

If you could figure out how to get your hands down at this point, sliding is much faster. But soon after the running dude takes the next step, he is very slightly faster (10 milliseconds). (The sliding guy is decelerating in the air after the jump, and the runner continues to accelerate). The slider decelerates even more dramatically the instant he hits the ground.

 

[radness]

View attachment 23302

If you could figure out how to get your hands down at this point, sliding is faster. But as soon as the running dude takes the next step, he is faster.

Great image!

 

[jdint]

Here is the video FanGraphs links to if anyone is interested.

 

[efastball]

So, maybe this will work at first and home only, since you would probably slide past 2B and 3B. But only for kids that can keep their legs in the air. Of course, your hand must land very near the base/plate.

Here is the slower slider with his leg dragging.

 

[fanboi22]

While playing slow pitch softball, i had done this a few times and had always felt it was faster. Always a bang bang play into 1st. Would only dive headfirst at other bases to try and get around the tag not for speed.

 

[canyonjoe]

My though is that if you really practiced it and had the right technique it might be faster but is it worth the risk of injury? I will also it makes a much tougher call for the umpire.

 

[Strike2]

I wouldn't call it settled science, and I don't think the Japanese team would do anything without putting a lot of thought into it.

This isn't global warming or trying to figure out whether coffee is good or bad for you. This involves some very well understood principles of physics taught to STEM-minded HS and first-year college students everywhere.

In anything other than a perfect vacuum, a softball decelerates as soon as it loses contact with the bat or a thrower's hand. Similarly, a runner achieves their best speed using maximum effort and their best running form. Anything less than that, and they decelerate from that best speed. Even a sprinter pushing their chest forward at the finish line is decelerating a bit, so lets not try to debate about what happens when the balls of their feet are no longer in contact with the ground. Newton's 2nd Law applies here; while airborne, you're decelerating just like a softball does after being hit or thrown. When in contact with the ground on a slide, you're very rapidly decelerating.

 

[radness]

If people are compairing how injury occurs.

While do NOT see many dive running to 1st.
Definetly see players running threw 1st get injured tweeking ankles and knee's on 1st base.
Just sayin'
An off-stride-step is dangerous.

Count how many times being a runner dives back to a base.

Lets get over this issue/fear factor and play ball!

 

[radness]

By the way, were the runners for Japan out or safe diving into first?