I’ll be watching baseball and all of a sudden they would should the manager doing some crazy signals to the players and then I would be like WTF? But the players know what the hell he is saying. It is like a sign language. Where can I learn this language because I would love to implement something like this in a soccer game. Or does every team have a different bunch of signals. Someone please clearify this for me.
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You can’t. That would be plain stupid. Why not just shout it out to your players? Because its a SECRET.
Every team has different signals. Otherwise, it would too easy to steal signs and know what the plan is. The signals are usually changed every game.
It is a code. Most of the signals are BS, and only a few acutally mean anything. He could be swiping his hands all over the place, but the runner will only be looking for him to touch his right ear which might mean to steal second or a hit and run or something like that. It is different for all teams really because they decide which signals to use. You can use it in a soccer game, but the field is pretty big, and the game is to fast paced for everyone to really understand and implement any strategies quick enough. Only really to be used on throw-ins, corners, goal kicks, and whenever a team starts off w/ the ball (i.e. after a goal, or at the beginning of a half).
My best answer to this question is to have a decent conversation with some baseball coaches in your area….
I suggest going out to a ball game and introducing yourself to the some of the people involved…..players, coaches, and even a few fans could get you started on your own set….
They differ from every team, and at times for every player. Some players, coaches and managers can manage to “steal” the signs of other teams, but doing this takes studying of the other teams signs and putting the pieces together.
A former San Diego Padres manager, Preston Gomez, was a past master at stealing signs. One year, when he was asked to serve as 3rd base coach of the NL All Star team, he simply told every player on the NL roster to expect to see the signs that were used to seeing, from their own clubs. Yes, he had them all.
In an attempt to keep things simple, there are 4 basic “action” signs involved when a team is at bat:
STEAL
BUNT (Sac)
HIT & RUN
SQUEZE (Suicide or Safety)
There’s also the TAKE sign and the WIPE OFF.
Remember, these are the simple basics. Signs, both offense and defense, can get pretty complicated but as your knowledge of the game grows, the easier they will be to understand.