Professionals baseball players continue to work on their fundamentals, way more than amateurs do. When you watch the greats like Miyamoto and Ibata during fielding practice, you notice them staying true to the basics without slacking off. Even for the most inconsequential grounder they’ll hustle over, drop their hips down, and scoop the ball up. I’d love to show Ibata’s fielding practice stance to kids who are learning the game. I also took fielding practice seriously during my playing days. That’s probably how I was able to keep my game up into my forties.
-Masahiro Kawai, “The History Of Second-String Coach Kawai’s Shake Up“
アマチュアよりもプロのほうが基本練習をすごく丁寧に継続してやるかもしれないです。うまい選手、たとえば宮本とか井端のノックを見てると、ほんとに基本に忠実で丁寧です。なんでもないゴロを、ほんとに丁寧に足を運んで、腰を落として捕るんです。井端がノックを受けてる姿は、アマチュアの子たちに見せてあげたいですね。ぼくもノックのときは、そうしてました。だからたぶん、４２歳まで守れたと思うんですよ。
ーー川相昌弘さんが『川相二軍監督激動史』の中で