Contrary to what many believe, we don’t want our feet landing from the prep step at the exact moment the bat makes contact. Why? Because if you land a fraction early, your feet can become stuck and stagnant. Instead, aim to be a fraction of a second late. As your eyes read the angle of the bat through the hitting zone, your feet can begin to self align in the direction you need to go. This doesn’t mean jumping higher or creating a bigger prep step. Stay low to the ground, athletic and ready to move. Being a fraction late takes practice and a high level understanding of how to be on time every pitch. But when done correctly, it can gain you inches or even a couple feet of range in either direction. And in the infield, that distance matters. Here are two infielders showing exactly what that timing can look like.