base-ball practice.

We give below an excellent article on base-ball practice taken from Mr. Chadwick’s “Book of Reference” for 1867, the proof-sheets of which were kindly furnished us by Mr. Haney, the publisher of the work. The article will deeply interest our base-ball readers, especially at this season of year when such advice is most opportune.

the benefit of practice.

“Practice makes perfect,” is an old adage, but it is one specially applicable to base-ball players. In cultivating the physical powers, certain preliminary exercise have to be gone through with, to reach any desired point of proficiency. has been achieved ; on the contrary, they are important as a means of retaining the point of excellence attained. Thus, the exercise of running the scales, practised [sic] by a pianist, in cultivating the muscles of his hands, are as necessary in his daily exercises, when he has become a proficient in order to retain that proficiency, as they were as a means of learning him to play in the beginning. Just so is it in base-ball. The exercise of throwing and catching being as necessary for the expert as the tyro. This fact, however, is ignored by many first-class players, judging by their neglect of daily practice, and the result is, that when they come to play in a match they fail to reach the mark of playing skill which characterized their fielding when in good training. The idea prevails among many players, who think they have reached the top of the ladder, that it is beneath their dignity to participate in the ordinary proceedings of a practice-day, and hence on such occasions we frequently see this class of conceited men come on the field and “take a hand in,” with an air of condescension as if the were conferring a favor by their presence. When a player has arrived at the point when he thinks himself the greatest player in the community, and thus “puts on airs,” he ceases to be a valuable acquisition to any club. No player, no matter how skilled or experienced he may be, can afford to neglect practice, at least once a week, without feeling the effects of it in weakening his general play.

the right kind of practice.

Base-ball practice, to be really advantageous, should be regular and systematic. However beneficial, as regards rendering a player generally efficient, the ordinary mode of practice may be, it is not the method that should be adopted to make the first nine of a club perfect in all the departments of the game; nor is it adapted for acquiring individual proficiency. Let us see what this ordinary style of practice is. A club meets on a afternoon for practice. As they come on the ground, dressed in their uniforms, first one and then another takes a bat in hand, and at it they go in batting the ball from one end of the field to the other. By this means they become expert in hitting a ball which falls to the bat ; but for practice in hitting at line balls, as pitched to them, such practice is worse than useless. This thing done with, sides are chosen, and players are placed on bases whose forte is, perhaps, out-fielding and others in the field who should be on the bases ; and what is more objectionable, the proficient and amateur get about the same amount of practice in the field, the former having whose but little good practice at the bat ; the amateur from lack of skill, gets less. As far as the fun of the thing is concerned this course may be well enough, although even in this respect a practice game of this kind is not as interesting either to players or spectators as one in which the skilled players are on one side of the irregular positions and field side of amateurs on the other. Of course, a month of this kind of practice does not benefit the players as much as a few days of regular systematic training does. Now, by way of contrast, let us show the style of practice adopted by a club who are aiming to make a nine that will whip the best in the country. When they come on the ground, if there are not enough to make up a party to fill the field, they man the bases and proceed to pass the ball around easily from one to another, first all round from base to base, then across from first to third, then to second and thence home, and so one, gradually increasing the pace of their throwing until the ball flies from hand to hand like a rifle shot. Either this is done or they throw the ball in from the outer field, thereby practising [sic] long throwing. Occasionally they vary this practice by quick, dodgy throws from one to another, first a high tossed ball, then a quick one to the ground, and so on, until a sufficient number are present to make up the sides, when those of the first nine present that their regular positions, and, perhaps, seven of the nine will play against a field of ten, each man playing in his position with as much earnestness as in a match. This earnestness of play in practice is an important element in improving one’s play. Laziness or indifference of manner, simply because it is only a practice game, retards rather than promotes advancement. It will readily be seen that there is a great difference between the two methods of practice game, retards rather than promotes advancement. It will readily be seen that there is a great difference between the two methods of practice, and the practical effect of each may be observed any day by watching the play of two clubs, the one of which practises [sic] in the old style—good enough for fun and exercise alone—and the other according to the plan adopted by clubs desirous of being the first players in the country.

how to practice a nine.

Every man of a first nine, besides being a good general player, capable of taking almost any position in the field in case of an emergency, should also be one competent to fill one position in the field better than he can any other, and whatever this one position is, it should be his post of duty on match days, and that, to the extent of being known in the club as “our first baseman,” “our short stop,” “our catcher,” pitcher, etc. This regular home position he should invariably occupy on such practice days as the nine play together as a whole, in order that each player of the nine should make himself perfectly familiar with the peculiarities of play specially belonging to every position in a base-ball field. Not one player in five thousand has the capacity to fill all positions ably and excel in each, the ability required being too great except for one like the admirable Creighton (not Crichton). But every man can excel in one position, and many in two or three. It is, therefore, advisable, and especially at an early period of the season, to make it a rule on practice days, when the first nine is pitted against the field, to place every field of the nine in his regular position. By this means a nine not only becomes thoroughly trained to play well into each other’s hands, but also to discharge the duties of each position in the most competent manner, and it is only by this systematic method of practice, together with the necessary attention to discipline, that a nine can ever attain that perfection of play which is calculated to place them in the front rank of the bal-playing [sic] community.